Providing a voice
on the world stage
Vision Statement
ABMEC’s vision is for the UK mining supply chain to be recognised worldwide for its expertise, innovation, sustainability and responsible leadership, with ABMEC as the trusted voice championing its success across the full mining lifecycle.
Mission Statement
It is our mission to champion our members’ expertise, foster meaningful connections and collaborations, and drive growth in the UK mining equipment, technology and services chain, consultancy, assurance, safety, sustainability and lifecycle support, both nationally and internationally. We will do this through:
- Championing members’ companies and interests to mine operators and governments, at home and abroad.
- Driving valuable introductions and business opportunities that create meaningful connections, drawing on our relationships with government, trade associations and industry bodies.
- Offering opportunities for members to collaborate and contribute their perspectives on issues of shared interest.
- Supporting sector growth through trade missions and other events that showcase members’ products, services and expertise.
- Promoting innovation across the supply chain.
- Supporting members to lead by example in safety and sustainability, embedding high-quality standards across their operations and the wider sector.
- Collaborating on future sector standards and contributing to industry best practice.
- Addressing the growing skills gap and supporting young people to enter the industry.
History of ABMEC
| 1938 | Several trade associations representing mining in UK Purpose: to establish safety standards in underground coal mining |
| 1940s | One of the associations was named ABMEX; a forerunner to today’s name |
| 1970s | ABMEX members were starting to export; this group merged with UK suppliers |
| 1978 | All the associations combined to form ABMEC Purpose: to continually develop international standards for mining |
| 1980s | Approximately 120 independent member companies Most members supplied the NCB (National Coal Board) |
| 1990s | British mining focus transferred from coal to other stratified deposits such as potash, gypsum and salt |
| 2018 | ABMEC allowed service providers to be full members |
| 2018 | The Camborne School of Mines became the first educational establishment member |
| 2019 | The acronym (ABMEC) became its name, without the wording “Association of British Mining Equipment Companies” to better represent profile of member companies |
| 2021 | It was agreed the Association for the British Mining Supply Chain described the new profile well |
Structure of ABMEC
| Structure | Not-for-profit, membership-driven |
| Board | Up to 12 members, with 5 from the largest mining-related companies |
| Finance Committee | Consists of Chairman and 4 members Purpose: to oversees finances and budgeting |
| Technical Group | A forum for any member company employee |
Partners
ABMEC has a mutually beneficial relationship with the DBT (Department for Business & Trade) Partnerships exist with other trade associations to provide benefits for member companies
ABMEC Officials
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
President
Julia Cameron, Mutech Ltd
Vice President
To be confirmed
CEO
Kate Thornton, CEng CSci FIMMM
president@abmec.org.uk
Kate studied Biomedical Material Science for her undergraduate degree at the University of Manchester. She then went on to complete her PhD at the same university. On completion of her degrees, she moved into the Chemical sector where she worked in a variety of roles before moving to ABMEC.
Kate has been heavily involved in IOM3 for a number of years. She first became involved with IOM3 as a student in the Younger Members’ Committee (now the Student & Early Career Group) in 2008 and held a number of roles before becoming their youngest ever President in January 2023. She relinquished this role in January 2025 and is now their Chair of Trustees.
Kate also has a role as Strategic Advisor for the Henry Royce Institute, a position she has held since February 2024.
kate.thornton@abmec.org.uk
It’s what you know
and who
More Reasons to Join ABMEC
Networking with like-minded people to grow your business
Annual Conference, exhibition, site visits, AGM and other events free of charge
ABMEC Members’ Directory to advertise your company to prospective customers worldwide
Exposure on the website www.abmec.org.uk with valuable links to your own website
Discounts on bulk buying and reduced rates to conferences
Abmec