Fenner Dunlop is to provide Rio Tinto with conveyor maintenance services at its port operations in Western Australia.

The arrangement will see the conveyor manufacturer service all the conveyors at the Cape Lambert and Dampier ports. These, together, represent a significant portion of conveyors in the country, Fenner Dunlop said.

Rio’s Western Australia ports consist of four terminals, which saw 330.1 million tonnes of iron ore pass through them last year.

Earlier this month, Fenner Dunlop relocated its Port Hedland branch to Newman in Western Australia as it looked to get closer to the state’s major mines.

And, in line with the Rio award and to better support the major miner, a new Fenner Dunlop branch will be opening in Karratha.

Fenner Dunlop Chief Operating Officer Steve Abbott said the contract was expected to create more than 40 full-time jobs.

“The award of this contract is directly attributed to our focus on total conveyor performance, our leadership and training programmes and the excellent team we have in Western Australia. Rio Tinto and Fenner Dunlop see this as a longstanding partnership,” he said.

Now part of the Michelin Group of Companies, Fenner Dunlop has manufacturing plants in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth and 16 branches nationally products and services from the design and supply of complete conveyor solutions through to service, installation, maintenance and diagnostics services.