Global mining equipment design and manufacturer, Austin Engineering Ltd says it has recorded circa A$30 million in new contract wins in August 2021 for product and service delivery in Australia, USA, Indonesia and Chile. Notably, Austin has won a A$4.5 million underground mine products contract to supply five underground mine chute structures to PT Freeport Indonesia’s copper-gold operations at Grasberg, Tembagapura, Papua, Indonesia.
The chutes are made under license by Austin following previous successful programs. A statement said that the contract “exemplifies Austin’s determination, under phase three of its recently announced global strategy, to broaden its range of mining products, beyond its traditional offering.” The structures will be manufactured at Austin’s Batam facility in Indonesia. Early works have commenced, with completion targeted in the current calendar year.
In Chile, Austin has won a A$10 million, three-year mining equipment support contract with KGHM for supply of truck bodies and buckets to its Sierra Gorda open-pit copper and molybdenum mine.
Austin has also won contracts to supply truck bodies and other equipment to leading mining services companies including NRW Civil & Mining (NRW) and Perenti Global Ltd which will be manufactured at Austin’s Kewdale facility in Perth. It is the first contract Austin has signed with NRW.
In August, Austin received contracts for 27 truck bodies, five ore chutes and three water tanks, plus other equipment. The contract wins add strength to Austin’s order book. The company says it remains bullish on the performance outlook for the Asia Pacific region, which contributed almost 70% of business revenues in FY2021. Austin has recorded a positive start to the year in Chile but reports continued weakness in North America.
Austin CEO and Managing Director, David Singleton said: “We are buoyed to have recorded such a strong month of contract wins around the globe, including a new customer in NRW Holdings. We are delivering the highest quality mining equipment with proven efficiency gains for customers, and at competitive pricing. We are expecting strong order flow to continue through this half of the year.”
He adds: “The mine chute structure contract with Freeport Indonesia reflects Austin’s increasing focus on new products and adjacent value streams. This is in line with our global strategy to employ more innovation and technology-led design solutions for our customers, and add further products to our suite in coming years. Under our strategy, we have commenced manufacturing upgrades to our Kewdale facility to improve quality and efficiency, with upgrades to the Batam facility to follow.”
