An entire underground mine can be operated from a laptop computer when it’s set up.

Some of equipment was being made here in Worcester at the former Meco  factory that Dowty Mining took, over then American Joy Mining bought, before the Japanese Komatsu acquired it and who have now closed it.

I visited the factory around ten years ago on an IET Local Group visit, they manufactured the roof supports and had one on display at the front of the works that had been stress tested to the point it could not be used.

Ten years ago the steel was made in South Wales then shipped to Poland for fabrication in the old ship building works before being shipped back to Worcester, despite the factory in Worcester having its own railway sidings and a direct rail link to the steel works in South Wales.

The guy showing us around the factory in Worcester said they were a victim of cheap transport, making it affordable to transport massive machines over huge distances during the manufacturing process rather than working on one site.

Machines that were eventually going to Australia were doing a tour of Europe whilst being assembled.

There’s still a demand for coal, as I understand it EV batteries cannot be made without it neither can steel, but the nimbys don’t want the coal to be dug out in this country despite being available and being needed in this country.

An entire underground mine can be operated from a laptop computer when it’s set up.

Some of equipment was being made here in Worcester at the former Meco  factory that Dowty Mining took, over then American Joy Mining bought, before the Japanese Komatsu acquired it and who have now closed it.

I visited the factory around ten years ago on an IET Local Group visit, they manufactured the roof supports and had one on display at the front of the works that had been stress tested to the point it could not be used.

Ten years ago the steel was made in South Wales then shipped to Poland for fabrication in the old ship building works before being shipped back to Worcester, despite the factory in Worcester having its own railway sidings and a direct rail link to the steel works in South Wales.

The guy showing us around the factory in Worcester said they were a victim of cheap transport, making it affordable to transport massive machines over huge distances during the manufacturing process rather than working on one site.

Machines that were eventually going to Australia were doing a tour of Europe whilst being assembled.

There’s still a demand for coal, as I understand it EV batteries cannot be made without it neither can steel, but the nimbys don’t want the coal to be dug out in this country despite being available and being needed in this country.