My farewell to Minerals Engineering after 35 years

Way back in 1987 I submitted a proposal to Pergamon Press for the establishment of a new journal to compete with Elsevier's International Journal of Mineral Processing (IJMP), which had a poor record for dealing with papers in a reasonable time.

Much to my surprise Pergamon responded enthusiastically and the first issue of Minerals Engineering was published in January 1988, with an Editorial Board of 22 leading minerals engineers from around the world, with me as Editor-in-Chief, a position I still hold today. The journal was 'officially' launched at the IMPC in Stockholm in June 1988.

The launch of Minerals Engineering in Stockholm 1988

The early years were not that easy, as we tried to establish the reputation of the new journal, and in an era where relatively few people, including members of the Editoral Board, had email; the Guide for Authors requested that manuscripts be mailed to me in triplicate, and on receipt I would mail copies to two members of the Editorial Board for review! But we managed to overcome all the early difficulties and even the take over of Pergamon Press in 1991 by its major competitor Elsevier (see posting of 8th January 2013), whose IJMP was incorporated into Minerals Engineering in January 2018. 

Volume 1 Number 1 and the journal cover after the merger with IJMP

Now, after 35 years, I feel that the time is right to pass the mantle on to the next generation, with a new Editor-in-Chief, so this will be my last year with Minerals Engineering. I will be working with Elsevier to find a suitable replacement, and when he or she is established I will be working closely with him/her throughout the year to ensure a smooth transition, and to advise on any changes that might be necessary to the editorial structure.

It has been a rewarding 35 years, during which I have seen the journal go from strength to strength and I must thank many people for this. Editorial Board members have come and gone over the years, and I thank them all, past and current, for their valuable advice when called upon.

The first meeting of the Editorial Board in Singapore, 1991:
Rob Dunne (Australia), Glen Dobby (Canada), BW, Prof. Wakamatsu (Japan), Terry Veasey (UK),
Cyril O'Connor (South Africa), Dave Osborne (Indonesia) and Don Mckee (Australia)

A special thanks must go to the hundreds (maybe even thousands) of reviewers who have given up their valuable time to referee papers, and thanks to all the authors who have had their work published over the years.

It has been a pleasure working with the new Editors who joined the journal after the merger (posting of 25 March 2021), as it has with all the Publishing Managers who I have worked with at Elsevier.  The longest serving of these was Dean Eastbury, who became a familiar face at MEI Conferences, and a great friend of mine and the family. He is now retired in south-west Cornwall and we will certainly miss his company in all our travels with the conferences.

Dean and I hard at work in Franschhoek, South Africa and climbing Table Mountain with the MEI team

I wish the journal and its editors every success for the future.

@barrywills