This issue’s Q&A profile features a true multicultural, the English-born owner of Limitless Mining Solutions John Whitfield, who shares his background as well as his thoughts for industry obstacles.
Edited by Donna Schmidt
He is a fixture within several areas of mining, particularly coal, and if you’ve attended a mining show chances are you’ve seen, talked to or done business with John Whitfield. A self-admitted racing fanatic, Whitfield has been a part of the industry for decades – since his first mining-related job as a teenager in the UK.
Thanks, John, for your time. Please tell us about your career in mining through to today.
My mining career began with Victor Products in Wallsend, near Newcastle in the UK, at 16. I was straight out of grammar school at the time. That’s how it was then in the north of England. It was the cradle of the Industrial Revolution, where coal was first mined and steel was first made. It was known for shipbuilding and manufacturing on a large scale; the shipbuilding was born out of the need for seaborne transportation of the coal mined in northern England.
I made my way at Victor Products, which is a global mining equipment manufacturer, progressing from a craft apprentice until I relocated to the United States in 1982. I was with Victor products for 32 years before venturing into having my own supply business.
Working for a mining equipment manufacturer attracted me to understand why the products were made and what are they were needed for, and led me to the work I do today. The ideas of mine safety and production were born in me.
My primary focus has been longwall mining. I have always enjoyed describing a longwall – and also the amazing technologies involved to a person not from the industry. It has been amazing to see longwall mining evolve over the past 45 years.
When I arrived off the Mayflower, longwalls here were 350 feet to 500 feet long and longwall panels were 3,000 to 4,000 feet long. Today, we have longwall faces in the 1,500-1,600 ft. range and longwall panels as long as 22,000 ft. What an evolution!
The technology has also improved, and the ingenuity of the suppliers and coal companies has been amazing to be part of.
What is your vision for your company, and how did your global background shape that?
Having had experience in manufacturing and sales has broadened my perspective on the career I chose. My time with manufacturers of various products, both for sale and use, in the U.S. underground coal mining industry has required extensive work with the U.S. approval entities. The products have largely been electrical, including explosion-proof and intrinsically safe (IS) devices and systems, and products and systems requiring MSHA certifications.
I have worked for and with global manufacturers of mining products, primarily – but not exclusively – for underground coal mining, from UK, EU and Australian companies. This environment has an interesting blend of safety requirements mixed with the need to be a productive and economic operation.
The challenge mining companies have, I think, bring out the best in human innovation and spirit. I think in order to be successful in any industry, you have to love it. I do love it, as well as the people that make the industry what it is.
What challenges do we as an industry face, and how to overcome those?
The mining industry already faces challenges. The coal mining industry has been under attack and demonization for decades. I think the time we are in now is a little different, as some people in positions of power recognize the value in the industry. I feel we are in a time of growth for the next few years, at least.
The attack on coal mining is what led me down the path of diversification with my business, so LMS would not be so reliant on coal mining alone. We have achieved this by looking for global leading companies in the mining space. I was lucky enough to find such an opportunity with a German manufacturer, Schulte Strathaus GMBH, which makes Starclean Conveyor spillage control systems. They are exactly what LMS needed as a partner – a company with global leading technologies for the conveying industry. This is allowing us to go into different markets and explore new opportunities.
Technologically across the industry, what is your outlook? What will drive mining going forward and why?
The growth in mining, of all kinds, is going to be so important for growing economies in the U.S. and worldwide. Countries need low-cost, efficient energy sources, and the demand for raw material of all kinds is only growing. We need to harness that. I look forward to see how the industry that I love moves forward and meets the challenges put upon it.