MineConnect will name two new inductees to its mining service and supply hall of fame for 2020.
Steve Matusch, the founder of Ionic Technology Group, and Walter Siggelkow, founder of Hard-Line, will be honoured during the organization’s annual general meeting scheduled for March 24.
The two leaders, whose companies are both based in Sudbury, will be recognized for their contributions to the Northern Ontario mining service and supply industry.
Matusch, who founded Ionic Engineering Ltd. in 2000, specialized in the field of mechatronics, a branch of engineering that melds electronic and mechanical engineering with electronics, control engineering, computer science and robotics.
Over the years, the Ionic Technology Group expanded to include Ionic Mechatronics, Black Rock Engineering, Variant Mining Technologies, Synaptic Technologies, Ionic Automation, and Ionic Technologias in Chile.
Together, they provide various engineering services for clients in the mining, oil and gas, pulp and paper, medical pharmaceutical, and automotive industries.
Matusch died at the age of 52 last March after a long illness and will be recognized posthumously.
Siggelkow conceptualized Hard-Line with partners in 1996, and later took full ownership of the company.
Hard-Line develops automation, teleoperation, and remote-control technology, which is primarily used in mining.
Its flagship product is the teleop system, which enables the operation of heavy machinery from a remote control station, allowing the operator to keep a safe distance from high-risk areas.
In addition to its 33,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Dowling, just north of Sudbury, Hard-Line opened a technology centre in downtown Sudbury in 2019.
The company additionally has offices in the U.S., Chile, and Peru, as well as a global network of distributors.
MineConnect – formerly the Sudbury Area Mining Supply & Service Association – represents service and supply companies from across Northern Ontario whose products and services are employed in the global mineral extraction industry.
