Technology and innovation: the golden key to developing Iran's copper industry

According to me-metals cited by Mes Press, during the second day of the National Event on Technological and Innovative Ideas in the Copper Value Chain, a specialized panel on the topic of "Technology Development in the Copper Value Chain" was held on December 14 at the Vali Asr University Hall in Rafsanjan. The panel, attended by experts, industrial managers, academics, and technology activists, examined the role of technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship in the transformation of the copper industry and highlighted the importance of deep cooperation among industry, academia, and knowledge-based companies.

Technology, the driving force of the future of the copper industry

Ziauddin Pourkarimi, Director of the Mineral Technology Research Center, pointed out the importance of this national event and said: "The national event for technological and innovative ideas in the copper value chain is a very promising event and can play a significant role in the future of the copper industry."

He added: "The importance of utilizing innovative and technological ideas is very high, and through these ideas, significant productivity can be created in the copper industry."

Pourkarimi also emphasized: "To achieve the goals of the Seventh Plan in the copper industry, we must seriously rely on knowledge-based technologies and companies and put this approach on the agenda in the true sense of the word."

Knowledge-based companies must solve the problems of the industry

Gholamreza Molla Taheri, Deputy Director of Strategic Planning and Planning at the National Copper Company, also said in this panel: "Fortunately, Iran today has become one of the main centers of technical knowledge in mineral extraction in the world, through scientific interactions, international communications, and access to the necessary technical knowledge."

Emphasizing the need for greater interaction among the industrial sector and universities and knowledge-based centers, he stated: "The doors of large industrial and mining companies should always be open to knowledge-based centers, and continuous and effective communication should be established between these two important sectors."

Molla Taheri also said: "In the field of industry and mining, we must hold the hands of knowledge-based companies and ask them to help us solve some of the existing challenges."

He emphasized: "The view of the country's large companies towards technology and innovation is inherently economic; therefore, if a technology is available that can be improved with a smart idea and productivity increased, this should definitely be done."

Without an ecosystem, It is not possible to get outcome from knowledge-based companies

Farhad Rahdari, head of the Science and Technology Park of Kerman University of Advanced Industrial and Technology, also stated in this panel that knowledge-based companies can make a significant change in the direction of the mining industries, especially the copper industry, and said: "We in Kerman have been facing a major challenge in the field of entrepreneurship for years, which was rooted in the lack of an entrepreneurial culture. This culture has not yet fully taken root, and many young people do not know what to do after graduation."

He emphasized: "The main importance is to establish the right approach to entrepreneurship in society and activate the share of innovative and technological ideas in the real market."

The head of the Science and Technology Park of Kerman University of Advanced Industrial and Technology also noted: "We have not yet been able to form a coherent ecosystem for technology within the country. It is natural that in the absence of such a platform, we cannot expect a desirable outcome from knowledge-based companies."

He concluded by saying: "Artificial intelligence can make a significant contribution to the copper industry, provided that instead of superficial activities, principled and in-depth work is done in this area."

The economic position of knowledge-based industries is at risk

Masoud Rezaeizadeh, a faculty member at Kerman University of Postgraduate Education and Advanced Technology, also pointed out that the unstable economic situation in the country has put the lives of knowledge-based companies at risk, saying: "Today, the question is: if these companies had bought gold and coins instead of setting up technology centers, wouldn't they have enjoyed better economic conditions?"

Rezaeizadeh also said: "While the world is approaching the level of Industry 6 today, we are still at the level of Industry 3 at best and have not yet done anything serious to achieve Industry 4, which is the digital industry."

The copper industry and its value chain have significant growth potential

Mohsen Kazeminejad, a faculty member of the Faculty of Engineering and Materials Science at Sharif University of Technology, said: "I am very happy that such an event was held at this level, and I think it is appropriate that similar events be repeated even twice a year in the country."

He added: "The copper industry and its value chain have significant growth potential and, in addition to generating significant foreign exchange, can play a serious role in preventing the sale of raw copper in the country."

Kazeminejad said: "Today, the world has moved towards green smelting and green copper production. If we want to benefit from technology in this area, we must combine a group of technologies because a single technology cannot solve this challenge alone."

He emphasized: "When we want to develop the copper value chain, we must also consider the technology value chain."

Policymakers' perspective must change towards localization.

Mehdi Javdani, advisor to the director of Sarcheshmeh Complex, said: "In discussing the use of technology and the development of domestic manufacturing, we must first solve the country's internal issues."

He added: "Unfortunately, some managers and policymakers still do not fully believe in the issue of technology and localization, and the first step is to change this perspective."

Referring to the country's progress in producing equipment needed by the copper industry, Javdani stated: "In my opinion, we can localize many of the copper industry's equipment, provided we know exactly what we want and have a clear plan."

National Copper Company's Innovation System, a Public Gateway to New Ideas

Zahra Manafi, Director of Research and Innovation at the National Copper Company, also spoke as the last speaker on the panel, saying: "Within the framework of the National Copper Innovation Ecosystem, there is an active Research and Development (R&D) center in each complex, which, along with the production line, contributes to advancing the company's major goals."

He added: "We have launched a research, development, and innovation system at the National Iranian Copper Industries Company, and now vendors are registering their information in this system."

Manafi said: "The important thing about this system is that it is public, so that people from all parts of the country can access it and register their ideas in it."

He concluded by emphasizing: "The judging in this system is transparent and people know exactly who reviewed and evaluated their ideas."