Mining hoist specialist wins gold prize
July 2007
News
Klaus Kacy, a senior technical consultant with ABB Automation in Canada and specialist in hoist technology has been awarded the prestigious Donald J. McParland Memorial Medal from the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) for outstanding engineering achievements and service to the mining industry.
Klaus Kacy (left) receives the Donald J. McParland Memorial Medal
Kacy accepted the award at a gala event at CIM's Montreal headquarters at the end of April. "This is a real honour, because it is the first time in the history of the McParland award that it has been presented to a supplier," said Kacy, who holds an MSc degree in control engineering from Gliwice Technical University in Poland.
He has developed systems for mines all over the world, and in 39 years of professional experience his R&D work has resulted in more than 30 patents. In leading the centre of excellence for mine hoist technology in Canada Kacy has been involved in many successful mine hoist revamps in Canada, the United States and Mexico.
Hoists are essential to mining operations. They must be safe and reliable to carry tons of ore, people and equipment in and out of the mines, and often reaching startling depths underground. Modern mine hoists are complex systems which require detailed knowledge of drives, control engineering and also electrical, pneumatic and hydraulic systems.
In Canada, Kacy was influential in developing the hoist systems for a mine in northern Quebec that is 2250 metres deep (believed to be the deepest shaft in the northern hemisphere). That is by no means the deepest in the world - South Africa's East Rand gold mine is more than 3500 metres deep.
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