Welcome To The Event
Although DBA Silencing components can be found on mining trucks all over the world, our manufacturing operations are confined to facilities in Port Alberni, British Columbia. As it happens, we’re currently seeing a great deal of mining activity here in BC; the province is experiencing a wave of new mine openings, major mine expansions, and mine site restarts.
DBA will of course benefit from these developments in our own backyard. That said, the recent trade war with the United States has demonstrated to all Canadian businesses that forging relationships outside of North America is a prudent course of action. And Prime Minister Mark Carney is actively seeking to strengthen ties with the countries of Europe. In fact, the 21st Canada-EU summit in Montreal concluded with the announcement of “an alliance for the future”.
It is for this reason that, for the past several years, DBA has been sending its General Managers to mining events in the UK. In 2025, Darien Edgeler and Cydney Pedersen checked out the 121 Mining Investment Conference in London. This year, DBA’s co-GMs attended the FT Live Metals & Mining Summit, again in London.
This conference brought together business leaders, investors, policymakers, and industry experts. Over the course of several days in October, those present examined the ways that geopolitics, shifts in demand, and competition for critical minerals are reshaping the mining sector. Keynote interviews and in-depth panel discussions covered topics such as electrification, scaling sustainable supply chains, and the role of technology in improving mining operations.
Education
There are many reasons to send people to summits, conferences, and expos. Perhaps one of the most important is education. As mentioned above, the FT Live Metals & Mining Summit featured dozens of interviews, panel discussions, and fireside chats.
Many of these sessions were of particular interest to DBA. One panel discussion, for instance, was called “Mining Deeper: Making Technology Pay In Tougher Conditions”. The conversation concentrated on the ways that declining ore grades and maturing deposits are pushing mining operations into more technically complex environments. This shift into frontier spaces has led to the addition of cutting-edge technology to aging mobile assets such as mining trucks, and DBA is currently looking at product adjustments that may assist with these modifications.
Another panel discussion was titled “Supply & Demand: Can Mining Keep Pace With A New Era Of Demand?”, and it too caught the attention of DBA’s representatives. This session’s speakers suggested that global demand for metals is being sharpened by electrification, AI infrastructure, and defence spending. They went on to note that governments are intervening more forcefully than they have in the past to secure supply chains and processing capacity. They asked questions such as: is the mining industry investing quickly enough to prevent shortages in copper and other strategic minerals? DBA is, in response, analyzing options for significantly increasing our output should the need arise.
Inspiration
There’s been research done in scientific circles about the role of outsiders, and the value of their fresh perspectives. Studies have indicated that interdisciplinary conferences drive breakthroughs due to the cross-pollination of different viewpoints. This is another excellent reason to send members of your team to conferences with a diverse assortment of attendees.
At the FT Live Metals & Mining Summit, the speaker list included not only corporate CEOs and Presidents, but also senior government officials, financial officers, traders, researchers, and strategists. DBA’s General Managers Darien Edgeler and Cydney Pedersen were particularly impressed by the trenchant observations of Canadian lawyer Laura Konkel, currently Senior Counsel at Akin Gump, during a panel discussion entitled “Minerals Diplomacy: Responding To The Impact Of War On Trade & Supply Chains”.
Connection
In business, there are few things as important as personal relationships. Conferences like the FT Live Metals & Mining Summit are an ideal opportunity to meet mining industry professionals from all over the world and perhaps distribute a few business cards. {That said, business cards are now considered somewhat Flintstonian. At this year’s summit, attendees who wished to exchange contact information were invited to scan each other’s individualized QR codes. We’re expecting AI-facilitated retinal scans in 2027.}
On the first day of the event, DBA’s General Managers connected with a representative of The Sandvik Group. This Swedish firm has never been on DBA’s radar, but it turns out that Sandvik Mining offers a full line of underground mining trucks. Although these trucks are put together in Turku, Finland, they are sold in Canada and it appears that they often require parts, post-purchase. DBA will be following up with Sandvik to see if they might be interested in taking advantage of our decades of experience in manufacturing mining truck components.
See You Next Year
If you’d like to link up with DBA reps at a future mining event, we’d be happy to let you know which summits and conferences we’ll be attending. You can reach us via email at [email protected] and we’re also available, toll free, at 1-800-661-5886.