Jakarta, MINE – The 2026 Metallurgical Conference and Exhibition Forum (MET CONNEX) is present as a collaboration event for upstream and downstream mining industry players to strengthen business synergies, encourage downstreaming, and increase the efficiency of the national mining industry.
To strengthen networking and exchange of ideas in the mining sector, this year’s event also collaborates with the ITB Mining Engineering Alumni Association with the tagline Mine Aidic (MET CONNEX-Mine Aidic).
“This year MET CONNEX will collaborate with the ITB Mining Alumni Association, because we want to focus more on AI and digital for mining applications. So the name of this event is MET CONNEX-Mine Aidic,” said the Chair of the 2026 MET CONNEX-Mine Aidic Committee, Bara Dipolyadi at a Press Conference in Jakarta, Thursday (7/5).
According to Bara, the mining and mineral processing sectors are two interrelated industries that require closer collaboration between business actors and professionals in them. For this reason, MET CONNEX 2026 presents a different concept by holding a technical workshop which focuses on practice-based learning methods or learning by doing.
“We see that the mining and mineral processing industries are interrelated, so collaboration is important. This year we are presenting a technical workshop with an approach learning by doing,” he said.
Bara said that this year, there will be free training as a form of contribution for professionals in the mining and metallurgical sectors. The program is expected to enrich participants’ technical understanding through a combination of field experience and theoretical strengthening.
“Through this free training, we want to make a contribution to mining and metallurgical professionals. We hope that the combination of field experience and theoretical strengthening can broaden participants’ horizons and provide added value when they return to their respective workplaces,” he added.
VP External Affairs Smelter PT Freeport Indonesia, Erika Silva, said that the downstream program being pushed by the government aims to increase the added value of natural resources produced by mining through further processing. So far, intermediate products such as concentrate and ferronickel are considered not to provide maximum economic value because the metal content is not completely pure.
“Downstreaming aims to increase the added value of the natural resources we mine. Intermediate products such as concentrate and ferronickel can still be increased in content to provide higher economic value,” said Erika on the same occasion.
According to him, the process of increasing mineral levels is important so that mining resources can provide greater economic benefits for Indonesia. However, the implementation of downstreaming also faces various challenges, ranging from industrial chain integration to synchronization between the mining sector and the processing industry.
“Therefore, there needs to be orchestration between the mining sector and the downstream industry. At MET CONNEX, we want to provide a collaboration space to support this process,” added Erika.
Meanwhile, the General Chair of the ITB Mining Alumni Association, Achmad Ardianto, assessed that MET CONNEX has a strategic role in supporting the national downstream agenda because it discusses the mining industry chain as a whole, from exploration to mineral processing.
He explained that in previous events, MET CONNEX mainly discussed process technology such as increasing recovery, reducing waste, and utilizing nanotechnology. This year, the discussion was expanded to integrate the upstream sector, including exploration and mining.
“MET CONNEX is very strategic because it discusses the downstream process end to end. Previously it focused on process technology, now it is combined with the upstream sector, namely exploration and mining,” he said.
According to Achmad, management of mining resources must be carried out carefully because they are non-renewable. He gave an example of the importance of increasing recovery so that mineral potential is not wasted in the processing process.
“If the gold contained is 10 grams but the technology is only able to capture 9 grams, of course it would be very unfortunate. The same thing also applies to bauxite, nickel and other minerals,” he said.
He also highlighted the increasing importance of the circular economy concept in the mining industry, especially after the arrival of new regulations encouraging zero waste practices in the sector.
“In the future, the mining industry must be able to play an active role in creating a zero waste concept through implementing a circular economy,” he concluded.
The MET CONNEX-Mine Aidic 2026 event will be held at the Jakarta International Convention Center (JICC), Jakarta on Monday-Wednesday (12–13/5/2026). This agenda includes panel discussions on sustainability trends, downstream policies, as well as future industry challenges and opportunities.
In addition, the technology exhibition will showcase the latest innovations that support increased efficiency and industrial competitiveness, while exclusive networking sessions provide opportunities for participants to build long-term strategic partnerships.
Source: tambang.co.id
