Karara contract close
January 25 - 31, 2012
STAND by for an announcement by Gindalbie Metals on the $A600 million Karara mining contract in Western Australia – and don’t expect to see a Chinese name.
Contracting briefs: Redpath, Thiess, Decmil
December 15 - 21, 2011
REDPATH plans to adapt metalliferous, raiseboring and civil mining experience to apply “new concepts and innovations” to its coal service offering, with the aim of making serious inroads into the sector, the head of the company’s Australian business has said.
Haves and have-nots
December 8 - 14, 2011
A WIDE-RANGING examination of the fortunes of mining service and supply companies, big and small, highlights the cocktail of forces that see some firms heading into 2012 with ears pinned back while others feel for the brake pedals.
Walking the contract tightrope
December 1 - 7, 2011
GETTING the balance right as a contractor is a tough one. You need the equipment and personnel to win the contracts but over capitalising has got many a mining contractor in a pickle. Delta SBD believe its recent major outlay for development equipment will position the specialist underground coal contractor for growth but without going “stupid” on the credit card.
Contractually bound
December 1 - 7, 2011
ASX-LISTED Kangaroo Resources has locked in a $US270 million five-year mining contract with Indonesia’s PT Putra Perkasa Abadi to mine up to 4.5 million tonnes of coking coal from Kangaroo’s 100%-owned Mamahak project in Indonesia, with equipment mobilisation due to start this month.
Downer set to tighten iron grip
November 24 - 30, 2011
DOWNER’s aggressive bid to win more iron ore contract mining work in Western Australia is set to pay further dividends with the company understood to be on the verge of winning a second major six-year deal following last year’s Christmas Creek start with Fortescue Metals Group.
Surface momentum drives underground move
November 17 - 23, 2011
AUSDRILL will join an exclusive club if it succeeds in its bid to add underground contract mining to its service offering in Australia. But that’s exactly what the major surface drilling contractor intends to do despite the recent rebuff from acquisition target Barminco.
Contractor wins Newmont supplier award
November 17 - 23, 2011
LONG-SERVING Newmont Mining underground contractor Byrnecut Mining has been presented with the gold major’s Supplier of the Year Award for the Asia Pacific region.
Merger gives EDMS hope
October 20 - 26, 2011
A SLIMMED-down Everyday Mining Services hopes a merger with Hughes Drilling will provide it with the growth it needs to emerge from financial disaster following an unforgiving rationalisation program.
Back to the wild west, for good
September 22 - 28, 2011
DON’T be fooled by this week’s announcement of a $A100 million iron ore contract. The world’s biggest mining contractor is back in Western Australia in a very, very big way.
ROCK wins for unique project
September 8 - 14, 2011
A WESTERN Australian specialist contractor has been named the Prospect Contractor of the Year at an awards night in Sydney for its work on an extraordinary iron ore redevelopment project off WA’s northern coast.
Under construction
September 1 - 7, 2011
FURTHER confirmation of the growth and prospects of expanding drill and blast contractor ROCK Australia was provided this week through ASX-listed entity Structural Systems’ (STS) results for fiscal 2011. While the construction-focused parent entity has failed to fire up investors in recent times, out-of-view ROCK should be getting more kudos.
Pilbara contractor shake-up underway
August 11 - 17, 2011
THE shake-up of the contract mining field in Western Australia’s booming north is now into full swing with Leighton Contractors set to pocket more than $A700 million from its withdrawal from BHP Billiton operations, which it can now use to pursue work with Fortescue Metals Group and other BHPB rivals in the Pilbara.
Drilling chief calls for new direction
July 7 - 13, 2011
EXPLORATION costs for juniors working in Australia may marginally increase if the sector supports a new initiative aimed at bettering accreditation for drillers and their off-siders.
A third force underground
June 16 - 22, 2011
TWO privately-owned Australian underground mining contractors are in the national spotlight at the moment. A third is surging up the ranks, claiming to be on course to post more than 40% growth in turnover this year.
Higher drilling prices but demand still not soaring
June 2 - 8, 2011
WHILE drilling prices are said to be improving in Australia for specialised underground contractors such as Swick Mining Services, that company and others are still facing headwinds in getting fleet utilisation back to pre-GFC levels despite the apparent boom in brownfields project development.
Barminco flags new life at Sunrise Dam
May 12 - 18, 2011
SETTING the kind of pace with its news flow that would make a public listed mining contractor and its investors very pleased, Barminco’s new $A500 million deal with AngloGold Ashanti will see it play a central role in the next phase of life at one of Western Australia’s major underground gold mines. It’s an important announcement too in the context of the contractor’s next stage of development.
New work underpins optimism
May 5 - 11, 2011
TWO new shaft projects at George Fisher, near Mount Isa in north-west Queensland, head a $A100 million bag of additional work for ASX-listed Macmahon Holdings’ underground contracting business, which the company expects to double its revenue contribution to the group this year.
Byrnecut aids Tabakoto turnaround
April 28 - May 4, 2011
CANACCORD found a lot to like about the turnaround job TSX-listed Avion Gold Corporation has performed at 80%-owned Tabakoto in Mali on a recent site visit. It felt too that the Australian mining contractor Byrnecut had played a key role and was an active participant in the vital transfer of skills occurring in this and parts of Africa.
GBF makes its way east
April 14 - 20, 2011
THE Dargues Reef underground gold mine contract in New South Wales may provide a springboard for further strong interstate growth for Western Australian-based GBF Mining and Industrial Services.