By Karen E. Thuermer, AJOTOne only needs to identify where today’s major mining projects are taking place to understand where Bucyrus International, Inc., a world leader in the design and manufacture of mining equipment, is shipping its equipment. After all, Bucyrus has a goal of being the world’s paramount provider of mining products and innovative solutions. Bucyrus has a host of opportunities these days. Mining projects are escalating worldwide. Natural resources are more in demand than ever as emerging markets improve their infrastructures and their citizens desire more consumer items. In fact, mining equipment is a $40 billion global market facing increased capital investment amid soaring commodity prices, driven by demand from the BRIC nations – Brazil, Russia, India and China. In December, for example, Bloomberg News reported that copper may rally to new records as China imports more of the metal in 1st Quarter 2011 and the launch of exchange-traded products locks up physical supplies. Meanwhile, the U.S. government emphasizes the importance of ensuring reliable access to critical rare earth metals such as dysprosium, neodymium, terbium, europium and yttrium used in wind turbines, electric vehicles, photovoltaic cells and fluorescent lighting. China has around 36 percent of rare earth reserves; Russia and other Commonwealth of Independent States members, 19 percent; the United States, 13 percent; and Australia, 5 percent, the Department of Energy reports. Recovering economies, meanwhile, could spur demand for coal to generate electricity. And world markets are putting demand on gold extraction. Perth-based nickel miner Independence Group NL, which retains a 30 percent interest in Tropicana gold mine in Western Australia, said that over a known 10 years life the project would produce 3.45 million oz of gold. Acquisition and Demand With miners especially needing new equipment as they target new mines, equipment manufactured by Bucyrus has become in great demand. In fact, Bucyrus has become so attractive as a result of its global footprint that in November, Caterpillar Inc. and Bucyrus International entered into an agreement under which Caterpillar will acquire Bucyrus for approximately $8.6 billion. The acquisition is based on Caterpillar’s key strategic imperative to expand its leadership in the mining equipment industry and diversity away from a still-lagging U.S. construction market. A Caterpillar statement reports that the acquisition would position the company to capitalize on the robust long-term outlook for commodities driven by the trend of rapid growth in emerging markets. Equipment Leader Bucyrus is a world leader in the design and manufacture of high-productivity equipment for the mining industry. Its product portfolio now consists of walking draglines, electric rope shovels, the world’s largest hydraulic excavators, off-the-highway haul trucks, highwall miners, underground longwall systems, room and pillar mining systems and transport machinery and a full line of drills and belt systems for all mining applications. Bucyrus’ surface mining equipment is used for mining coal, copper, iron ore, oil sands and other minerals. Bucyrus’ underground mining equipment is used primarily for mining coal and also used in mining minerals such as potash and trona. In addition to machine manufacturing, Bucyrus manufactures high quality OE parts and provides world-class support services for their machines. In Eastern Canada, for example, Bucyrus’ mining equipment has been deployed for use at iron ore mines in Labrador City, Quebec, and in Western Canada, at Fort McMurray for oil sands projects. Elsewhere in North America, Bucyrus equipment is employed in important mines in the United States and Mexico. In South America, the company is actively involved in Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Colombia. “We are also shipping to South Africa, Australia. India, China, Russia, and Morocco,” says John Georgeson, Bucyrus’ corporate traffic manager.