Australia-based Civmec Ltd’s maintenance team is about to mobilise to Roy Hill Holdings’ iron ore operations in the Pilbara of Western Australia as it commences the first shutdown campaign of its long-term services contract with the company.

In July, Civmec was awarded a maintenance contract with Roy Hill and the company is now “working collaboratively on planning, drawing experienced personnel from its extensive resource pool to ensure this first phase of a long maintenance campaign is delivered seamlessly”, it said.

Civmec said the outcomes of this first phase of work, due to start this month, will dictate the client’s approach to ongoing maintenance.

The contract includes providing mechanical, scaffolding, electrical, conveyor and shutdown management services, according to the company.

Civmec said this contract, and others recently secured with the likes of Alcoa, Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals Group, was the direct result of investing in dedicated maintenance facilities nationally, together with bolstering its maintenance management team capability, training and recruiting.

Patrick Tallon, Civmec’s CEO, said: “We see the commitment towards the continual growth of a maintenance division as a very strategic move to support the significant requirement to maintain the many new plants that have recently been constructed in the minerals and metals and oil and gas sectors across Australia.”

Civmec has traditionally been thought of as a multi-disciplinary heavy engineering construction company.

Roy Hill is a 55 Mt/y iron ore mining, rail and port operation in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. Civmec previously carried out four contracts as part of the build, included heavy engineering and structural, mechanical, piping and electrical instrumentation packages.