Equipment for the coal industry is showcased bi-annually at the China Coal & Mining Expo, which is the largest event of its type in Beijing and brings together over 400 exhibitors from 24 countries and more than 40,000 visitors from the coal-mining industry. The event, from October 22-25 2013, is organised by Together Expo and hosted by the China National Coal Association. Nine companies from the Association of British Mining Equipment Companies (ABMEC) will be present in the UK pavilion at China Coal. These companies are made up of Ampcontrol; supplier of electrical equipment for longwall and development sections, ATB Morley; supplier of large AC induction motors for hazardous areas and recipient of the Queens Award for Enterprise International Trade in 2012, and Conflow; supplier of specialist components and systems for dust and fire suppression, and water control in underground mining.

Also present will be Dosco; designer and manufacturer of roadheaders and continuous miners for mine development and production, Fenner Dunlop; the world’s largest manufacturer of conveyor belting for mining and industrial applications, and Friction Marketing (FMC); specialists in wet friction materials. RMI Pressure Systems, supplier of high pressure and high volume fluid pumping stations, Strainstall; the engineering company specialising in load measurement and sensor based safety technology, and Victor Products; supplier of electrical connectors and lighting for the mining industry make the line-up complete. Other ABMEC members, with will also be present at the exhibition, with booths organised by their local agents. ABMEC’s members generate exports of mining equipment worth more than £780 million, and despite its relative economic slowdown, China is still the biggest market for a number of ABMEC companies.

World coal production rose by an estimated 2% in 2012 to 7,865 Mt, and China increased its dominant role with an almost 4% rise in output to 3,650 Mt (representing over 47% of the global total). The second largest coal producer, the US, produced only 922 Mt in 2012 after a 7% fall in output. Almost 80% of global coal production is thermal coal, with China dominating consumption; over 70% of its electricity is generated from coal-fired power stations. The country’s production of metallurgical coal in 2011 was 1,232 Mt, which represented almost 75% of the world total. The next largest producer of metallurgical coal, Australia, produced only 150 Mt, followed by Russia with 97 Mt and the US with 50 Mt.