Industry Interview:
James Mulholland
Name, age and birthplace?
I´m James Mulholland, I was born in south Scotland in 1977.
How come you moved to Hong Kong?
I moved to Hong Kong in 2010, my background was primarily in mining. I was a mining engineer and I wanted to gain experience in large scale drill & blast hard rock tunnelling.
How long have you been in the mining/tunneling industry?
If my maths are correct, about 20 years.
Current work?
My current work is with BASF as a Regional Business Development Manager for underground construction chemicals, dealing with both mining and tunnelling in the Asia- Pacific region.
What did you think of the Hong kong event?
This Edvirt event week has been fantastic. We´ve been targeting three main groups; Hong Kong government bodies in terms of legislation for sprayed concrete nozzlemen, main contractors in Hong Kong and younger professionals who we enticed through gamification using the Edvirt simulator.
Why did you choose to bring Edvirt?
Edvirt and BASF strive on bringing innovative solutions to the industry, which is a big thing these days. This week has been a Southeast Asian first, with the focus of the week highlighting what training and certification is available elsewhere globally. The Edvirt sprayed Concrete Simulator fits the bill perfectly, in terms of VR simulation and is a great approach in terms of fast tracking the learning curve in the safety and comfort of classroom environment.
What does BASF UGC focus on in Hong Kong?
Primarly tunnelling, there is unfortunately no mining in Hong Kong anymore, although there is a mines department, ironically. We are also supplier of admixtures across Hong Kong, and can also be found ”down and dirty” in the tunnel with the latest range of accelerators for sprayed concrete, and injection products ranging from microfine cement to PU waterstop resins.
How do you think the industry will look like in the future?
I think that automation is definitely a key element, in terms of remote control mining equipment for safer and more efficient operations. The latest innovation that chemistry offers is also an important factor, in terms of pushing the boundaries regarding the workability of concrete, and also allowing us to utilize manufactured sands in concrete mix design.
Contact info:
James Mulholland
Regional Business Development Manager UGC, Asia Pacific
Tel +852 2408 4417