Yogyakarta, July 10, 2025 – The drilling and blasting industry reaffirmed its strategic role in supporting the sustainability of national mining, quarrying, and construction sectors during the two-day IBES Annual Conference 2025. The event, focusing on Explosives, Drilling, and Blasting Techniques, took place from July 9 to July 10, 2025, at the JW Marriott Hotel in Yogyakarta. With the theme “Back to Basics!,” this conference emphasized that innovation and technology can be most effective when grounded in a strong understanding of the fundamental principles of drilling and blasting techniques.
In his opening remarks, Dadan Munawar, President of the Indonesian Blasting Engineers Society (IBES), highlighted that key principles in drilling and blasting practices—such as drill hole quality, geometry, energy distribution, operational safety, cost efficiency, fragmentation, and the appropriate selection of explosives for different rock materials—should not be overlooked despite the rapid advancements in digitalization and automation technology. According to him, the theme “Back to Basics” serves as a reminder for practitioners, researchers, explosives manufacturers, and technology providers to avoid becoming overly captivated by technological trends. Instead, they should keep pace with the latest developments while adhering to scientifically and empirically proven technical principles.
This year’s IBES conference attracted over 320 participants from more than 30 leading domestic and international companies involved in explosives, mining services, drilling equipment manufacturing, mining digitalization, and the drill and blast sectors, along with academics and researchers from various esteemed institutions. A key participant was PT DAHANA, a state-owned enterprise specializing in explosives and integrated blasting services. The presence of PT DAHANA’s President Director, Hary Irmawan, and the Director of Operations, Abdul Haris Atbaro, marked a significant commitment to advancing national drilling and blasting technology through innovation and independence.
One of the highlights of the conference was a session led by PT DAHANA and its strategic partner, EPC Asia Pacific, which presented two main topics. On the first day, Febri Indra and Wahyudi Putra Sangadji discussed the operational implementation of the Digital Drill and Blast Vertex System, integrated with BlendOre, to manage ore dilution in open-pit gold mines. On the second day, Azwin Harfansah Nasution and M. Syafiq Isnaya presented the Smart Blasting Vertex System solution for coal mines, focusing on enhancing safety and efficiency in terms of timing, costs, and operations through a real-time, data-driven digitalization system. Both presentations received significant attention for effectively demonstrating technological innovation while staying true to established technical principles.
The conference concluded with the presentation of the IBES Award for Drill and Blast Engineer of the Year 2025. This award recognizes drill-blast engineers who exhibit exceptional dedication, safety awareness, technical accuracy, and notable contributions to the success of drilling and blasting operations. It serves as an important symbol of professionalism and integrity in every high-risk yet crucial blasting activity in the modern mining industry.
