MPRI Launches Its Expansion into the Mining Market - Four Simulator Sales to Barrick Gold Corp.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — June 23, 2009 — L-3 MPRI, a global leader in vehicle simulator products, services and turnkey training facilities, today announced that Barrick Gold Corporation, the world’s pre-eminent gold mining company, has purchased four MPRI driver training simulators. The simulators will provide light vehicle training to drivers at up to seven of Barrick’s sites on four continents. This marks the first time Barrick has used simulator-based training for light vehicle operators, and the purchase underscores Barrick’s unwavering commitment to safe mining practices.
“At Barrick and across our industry, light vehicle safety has been gaining attention as an area for improvement,” said Bruce Huber, senior director of health and safety for Barrick Gold Corporation. “MPRI’s simulator-based training provides our drivers with lifelike and multi-faceted defensive driving experience in a risk-free environment. Combined with online courses and an in-vehicle mentoring system, we expect the training will improve drivers’ skills and driving habits, reducing the number of high-potential light vehicle incidents over the next two years.”
After a competitive search, Barrick selected MPRI based on the quality of MPRI’s solutions, competitive price, and location in Salt Lake City, which eased logistics for kicking off implementation at its regional office there. Other factors, such as MPRI’s high resolution, three-panel plasma display technology, and the opportunity to eventually switch between light and heavy vehicle training, also supported Barrick’s decision.
For Barrick, MPRI has developed customized systems to simulate the Ford F-150 pickup truck, Chevy Silverado 2500HD pickup truck, and Toyota’s HiLux and Land Cruiser models. Depending on location, some simulators feature manual transmission and right-hand drive. The four simulators will be installed and deployed by early July in the U.S., Tanzania, Argentina and Australia.
“We commend Barrick for its ongoing leadership in worker safety at its mines,” said Dennis Corrigan, senior vice president and general manager, Simulations Group, MPRI. “Mine sites feature many obstacles, hazards and unique driving elements such as unpaved roads, steep banks, rocks, holes, heavy vehicle traffic and large equipment. Simulator-based training ensures a safe and highly effective learning environment for workers that is likely to save lives on the job.”
To kick off training, in May, MPRI and Barrick hosted a “Train the Trainers” event in Salt Lake City. The session included four days at MPRI’s headquarters to cover the technical aspects of the MPRI light vehicle simulators followed by four days at Barrick’s North American regional office for practice and strategy sessions.
Barrick’s vision is to be the world’s best gold company by finding, acquiring, developing and producing quality reserves in a safe, profitable and socially responsible manner. For more information, go to http://www.barrick.com.
About MPRI
Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, MPRI provides comprehensive and integrated programs that address training, education, leader development, organizational design and implementation, simulations, democracy transition, and emergency management across a broad spectrum of functional areas. Its customers include the Department of Defense, Department of Justice and select international government agencies.
Learn more about MPRI at www.mpri.com.
Headquartered in New York City, L-3 Communications employs over 64,000 people worldwide and is a prime contractor in aircraft modernization and maintenance, C3ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) systems and government services. L-3 is also a leading provider of high technology products, subsystems and systems. The company reported 2007 sales of $14 billion.
To learn more about L-3, please visit the company’s web site at www.L-3Com.com.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
Except for historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this news release are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements set forth above involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any such statement, including the risks and uncertainties discussed in the company’s Safe Harbor Compliance Statement for Forward-looking Statements included in the company’s recent filings, including Forms 10-K and 10-Q, with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made, and the company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
