CANADA MINING INNOVATION COUNCIL

What CANADA MINING INNOVATION COUNCIL does

Canada Mining Innovation Council, operating as ReThink Mining, is a Canadian not-for-profit consortium incorporated in March 2014 under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act. The organization is a technology-neutral facilitator that convenes major mining companies, equipment OEMs, and strategic members to collaboratively develop and de-risk mining innovations. As of the most recent data, it has 24 global members and 19 active consortiums, with $60 million-plus in cumulative member co-investment across projects, and is headquartered in Toronto with an 8-person executive and project-management team.

ReThink Mining drives five core technology initiatives: the Conjugate Anvil Hammer Mill (CAHM) and MonoRoll comminution platform (demonstrating up to 65% energy reduction), Underground Automation aimed at breaking the drill-and-blast paradigm, Mechanical Cutting Demonstrations with Komatsu's MC51 (Stage 6 active at Vale's Garson Mine), Surface Mining Equipment Retrofit for GHG reduction, and a broader CMIC projects portfolio. These initiatives target near-term productivity wins (less than 18 months payback) while building toward longer-term sustainability breakthroughs. The organization does not sell or license technologies; it provides project facilitation, co-development structure, and shared risk management for members.

The business model is entirely member-funded through annual membership subscriptions and project co-investment, with membership tiers differentiated by company type (mining members, strategic members, supplier/OEM members). Named members include Rio Tinto, Suncor Energy, Vale, Sandvik, Komatsu, Eriez, Cypher Environmental, and Sprott. Revenue mechanics are not publicly disclosed. The consortium is governed by a Board of Directors (including chairs for Governance and Finance committees) and led by CEO Don Toporowski, COO David Lyon, and CFO Sandra Leonetti, with operations spanning North America and a claimed global footprint through international member companies.

Name

CANADA MINING INNOVATION COUNCIL

Legal name

Canada Mining Innovation Council

Website

https://rethinkmining.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Canada Mining Innovation Council (ReThink Mining) is a Canadian not-for-profit consortium that convenes 24 global mining companies, OEMs, and strategic members to co-develop and de-risk mining technologies across five core initiatives including comminution, mechanical cutting, and automation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mining Innovation Consortium Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Metal Mining (213114)

SIC

Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental, Permitting & Closure Services (EIA, Compliance Monitoring, Reclamation Execution) (IMAKAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mining & Heavy Metals Remediation (Acid Mine Drainage, tailings-impacted sites) (BPALAKAK)

Keywords

• Mining innovation consortium
• Collaborative mining R&D
• Pre-competitive innovation
• Sustainable mining technology
• Mining equipment retrofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Member Funding: Organization is entirely member-funded with mining companies and suppliers paying membership fees to participate in collaborative innovation initiatives. No technology sales or licensing revenue.
2. Project Co-Investment: Members co-invest in specific innovation projects managed by the consortium, sharing the financial burden of technology development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ReThink Mining is a technology-neutral, member-funded non-profit consortium that facilitates collaborative innovation among major mining companies, strategic members, and supplier/OEM partners. It leads collaborative project development in four core technology initiatives (CAHM/Rethink Milling, Underground Automation, Mechanical Cutting Demonstrations – Komatsu MC51, and Surface Mining Equipment Retrofit) aimed at reducing mining energy use, water use, and environmental footprint, with near-term productivity wins targeted at under 18 months payback.

Product overview

Canada Mining Innovation Council (CMIC), operating as ReThink Mining, is a non-profit consortium that does not sell or license technologies but rather facilitates collaborative innovation among mining companies. The organization drives five core technology initiatives: Conjugate Anvil Hammer Mill (CAHM) for energy-efficient comminution, Underground Automation for transforming mining processes, Mechanical Cutting Demonstrations with Komatsu MC51 for continuous mining, Surface Mining Equipment Retrofit for GHG reduction, and CMIC Projects portfolio. These initiatives are member-funded and co-invested, targeting near-term productivity gains (<18 months payback) while building toward long-term zero-waste mining vision.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Conjugate Anvil Hammer Mill (CAHM) / Rethink Milling Core collaborative technology initiative encompassing a ball mill retrofit (MonoRoll) and crusher/SAG mill replacement (CAHM), targeting large reductions in energy consumption in rock-breaking for mining operations. Co-developed with 9 mining companies.
• Underground Automation Consortium initiative focused on breaking the conventional drill-and-blast underground mining paradigm through automation technologies, supporting electrification of mines and shifting to continuous mining models.
• Mechanical Cutting Demonstrations – Komatsu MC51 Deployment and demonstration of Komatsu's MC51 mechanical cutting technology at Vale's Garson Mine, enabling a paradigm shift from conventional drill-and-blast by removing people from the face and moving to continuous mining platform processes.
• Surface Mining Equipment Retrofit Consortium project focused on retrofitting surface mining equipment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, helping mining companies achieve their GHG reduction roadmaps.

Quantifiable outcome

• 65% energy reduction demonstrated with CAHM 50 tph technology
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Rio TintocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor global mining company and member of the ReThink Mining consortium, participating in collaborative innovation projects and technology co-development initiatives.
• Suncor EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanadian mining and energy company participating as a mining member in the consortium, contributing to shared innovation priorities and co-investment in projects.
• ValecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal mining company hosting mechanical cutting demonstrations at Garson Mine in Sudbury, Canada, as part of the Komatsu MC51 project.
• SandvikmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMining equipment manufacturer and OEM member participating in consortium innovation initiatives as a supplier partner.
• KomatsucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEquipment manufacturer co-developing mechanical cutting technology (MC51) with consortium members, with demonstrations hosted at Vale's Garson Mine.
• SprottminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial and investment services company participating as a supplier/OEM member in the consortium.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation): Australia's national science agency with a sizable mining R&D portfolio that convenes industry partners around pre-competitive research; serves a comparable convening role in the Australian mining ecosystem.
• CIM (Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum): Canadian professional technical society serving mining professionals with a broader, education- and standards-focused mandate; comparable as a Canadian member-supported mining organization with overlapping mining-industry stakeholders.
• Mining Association of Canada (MAC): Canadian national industry association whose members include most of ReThink Mining's mining members; broader advocacy mandate but operates a similar member-funded model and shares overlapping membership and governance in the Canadian mining ecosystem.
• International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM): Global industry association of mining and metals companies that convenes majors on sustainability, ESG, and innovation; broader in scope than ReThink Mining and not technology-focused, but serves a comparable convening function for the same member cohort.
• Epiroc: Global mining and infrastructure equipment manufacturer with a large internal R&D and automation program; an adjacent incumbent that mining members may fund in lieu of or alongside consortium-led initiatives.

Direct peers

• Global Mining Guidelines Group (GMG): Multi-stakeholder group developing shared guidelines and best practices for mining innovation, with a member-funded, vendor-neutral collaboration model that mirrors ReThink Mining's approach to convening mining companies and technology providers.
• CRC ORE (Critical Resources Cooperative Research Centre): Australian mining research consortium focused on collaborative, member-funded R&D into processing and extraction innovation, sharing the same consortium-facilitation model that ReThink Mining uses to convene competitors.
• Mining3: Australia-based mining R&D consortium that co-develops transformative mining technologies with member mining companies and OEMs, operating the same pre-competitive, member-funded innovation model as ReThink Mining.

Emerging players

• Sandvik: Mining equipment OEM and ReThink Mining supplier/OEM member; operates its own mining automation and equipment R&D and represents both a partner and a potential parallel innovation channel for shared mining members.
• Komatsu: Mining OEM and active ReThink Mining partner (co-developing the MC51 mechanical cutting platform) that runs substantial internal mining R&D; comparable as both a partner and a parallel innovation organization competing for the same mining-customer R&D dollars.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rethinkmining

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CANADA MINING INNOVATION COUNCIL