Tag Archives: Perenti Group

Barminco wins A$90 million contract extension at Newcrest’s Red Chris mine

Perenti subsidiary, Barminco, says it has been awarded a 12-month contract extension at Newcrest Mining’s Red Chris mine in British Columbia, Canada.

Since June 2021, Barminco has continued to progress the development of an underground exploration decline, an essential first stage of works that will provide a platform for future underground exploration activities, and which may also be used to support access to potential block cave workings.

This contract extension enables Barminco to continue underground development works and is expected to deliver approximately A$90 million ($60.4 million) of revenue over the 12-month contract term.

Mark Norwell, Managing Director and CEO of Perenti, said, “Our strategy in North America is to partner with Tier-One operators and long-life assets, where we can add value over the long term. We continue to diligently progress our North American growth strategy and have key executive management personnel based in the region to ensure we develop the right relationships and become engrained within the sector while remaining disciplined in the execution of our strategy.”

Paul Muller, President of Contract Mining, said: “Since mid-2021 our team in North America has worked closely with the Red Chris JV as it transforms the mine into a long life, tier-one underground operation. We have developed very strong relationships with the local communities including a partnership with the Tahltan Nation Development Corporation and are very pleased to be on site at Red Chris for at least the next 12 months.”

An October 2021 prefeasibility study on the Red Chris block cave outlined an initial reserve estimate of 8.1 Moz of gold and 2.2 Mt of copper, with average annual gold production of 158,000 oz and copper production of 48,500 t over the 31-year life of mine.

Caterpillar, Barloworld, AMS and Sandfire collaborate at Motheo in Botswana

When Sandfire Resources produces the first ore from its new Motheo copper mine in Botswana, southern Africa, later this year, the company will officially be on its way to developing a long-life copper production hub in the central portion of the Kalahari Copper Belt of Botswana and Namibia.

That first ore from Motheo is just the beginning of the company’s long-term growth plans in the region. Before the development of the mine was even completed, Sandfire had already announced plans to enlarge the operation by exploiting an additional deposit and building an expanded processing plant to handle production.

Recognizing the potential of the Kalahari Copper Belt, Sandfire and its chosen operations partner for Motheo — Perenti Group’s African Mining Services (AMS) — made a commitment to the highest standards of productivity, safety, responsibility and sustainability.

A critical contributor to meeting that commitment will be the use of mining technology. And key partners in that effort will be Caterpillar and Cat® dealer Barloworld Equipment, who are working with Perenti/AMS to provide a suite of technology solutions that will deliver innovation to the mining operation.

Crew with mining truck

“We know that Sandfire Resources, our customer Perenti, and the entire team at Motheo is committed to using technology to build the safest, most productive operation possible,” Nathan Wescombe, a Senior Account Manager at Caterpillar, said. “We’re proud that Perenti has chosen Cat technologies to help them become the operator of choice within the region and deliver innovation to their mining practices.”

To ensure the successful deployment of technology in an area of the world where mining technology is not the norm, Caterpillar conducted a three-day information-gathering and change management workshop to consult with key stakeholders to help ensure they are technology-ready.

“Change management is a key to the implementation of technology in any operation,” Leslie Fengu, a Senior Regional representative for Caterpillar’s Mining Technology Solutions division, said. “And it’s even more critical in an area where it’s being introduced for the first time. Fortunately, Caterpillar has a team that has plenty of experience in helping our customers manage this change – understanding the challenges, developing possible solutions to address them, and providing ongoing support through implementation and beyond.”

Held in August 2022, the workshop was very well attended, met with positive feedback, provided critical knowledge of the operation, and identified opportunities moving forward to ensure success for all stakeholders, according to Caterpillar.

Greg Lawson, a General Manager at Perenti/AMS, said: “Incorporating technology into our operations is an important piece of our global strategy. Having the support of Caterpillar and Barloworld as we implement these solutions in a new region is proving to be instrumental in helping us realise our goals. We appreciate the value of their expertise not only in the technology itself but also in addressing the significant change management that goes along with its implementation.”

The Motheo copper mine

Motheo Copper Mine is located in the Kalahari Copper Belt, a major zone of strata-bound copper-silver deposits extending for 1,000 km along the northern margin of the Kalahari Craton in Namibia and Botswana.

The greenfield project is being developed by owner Sandfire Resources, an Australia-based mining and exploration company with a global presence. Open-pit mining services are provided by contractor AMS, the Africa-based surface mining arm of Perenti Group, a global mining services company also based in Australia.

Motheo represents the foundation for Sandfire’s long-term growth plans in Botswana and is expected to generate approximately 1,000 jobs during construction and 600 full-time jobs when fully operational.

After a positive feasibility study in December 2020, Sandfire’s board approved the development of Motheo. The feasibility study identified a robust initial 12.5-year operation with annual production of high-quality copper concentrate estimated at 3.2 Mt. Site construction commenced in 2021, with first production scheduled for mid-2023.

The Motheo Copper Mine will be based on an open-pit operation for the original deposit, identified as T3. The drill-and-blast operation will focus on 10-m benches, using suitable blasting methods to minimise dilution. Trucks will be loaded by 250-t excavators. Direct run-of-mine ore will be delivered directly to the crusher or placed on stockpiles for future rehandling.

AMS selected a fleet of Cat trucks to handle hauling duties, supported by a variety of other Cat machines. Barloworld recently delivered 20 139 t Cat 785 trucks, four D10T dozers, two 777 water trucks and two 18 motor graders to the mine.

Beyond the quality expected from the Cat machines, a major factor in the equipment purchase was related to the Cat MineStar™ technology products that accompany them. AMS, Caterpillar says, selected three separate but integrated solutions that will impact the efficiency and production of the operation, the uptime of machines and the safety of its people:

  • MineStar Edge™, a cloud-based equipment management and production recording platform that provides access to highly accurate production data and gives visibility to the entire mining operation;
  • Health – Equipment insights, a user-friendly data visualisation and reporting tool that allows sites to easily access, view and analyse machine health information and gain insights to help reduce unplanned downtime and prevent failures; and
  • Cat Driver Safety System, an in-cab detection technology that can help sites identify operator fatigue and distraction and address it in real time.

Introducing technology in Botswana

Sandfire and Perenti are no strangers to mining technology. Sandfire’s DeGrussa copper-gold mine in Australia was an early adopter of autonomous mining, using Cat MineStar Command for underground to automate a fleet of underground loaders. The Perenti Group, too, recognises the value of technology in mining, and has added a dedicated services and products business to its portfolio to provide technology and consulting services to the mining industry.

But bringing a technology mindset to this region is not business as usual. For Caterpillar, this is just the third such implementation in southern Africa and the first in Botswana. Cross-departmental interconnectedness is paramount for Perenti and AMS to realise its return on investment as the Motheo team strives to deliver on business demands, Fengu, whose knowledge of the region and its history are extremely valuable to technology implementation in Botswana, said.

“Disruptive technologies, such as those chosen by AMS, require a site-wide approach to achieve successful implementation and sustainable operations,” he said. “Supervisors and their teams are required to effectively manage the implementation and functional changes that will be required with technology, adapting staffed conventional mining techniques to get the most value out of the new mining system.”

To ensure the success of these systems in a country where they have not operated previously, Caterpillar identified an opportunity to leverage the knowledge and capability of its Cat Solutions & Services team, as well as other Cat and Barloworld technology experts. The initiative was led by Caterpillar Technology Change Enablement Manager, Brett Haskins, working with Joel Patterson and Jenny Krasny as key consultants.

“We organised a workshop to develop a deeper understanding of how we could assist in this change, walk through opportunities to help them become more comfortable with the technology and better appreciate how it can help support their roles in the operation,” Wescombe said.

Understanding the site and its culture

This workshop included site observations, interviews, education and facilitated discussions designed to understand the current culture – with a lens toward building operational readiness to capitalise upon the benefits that MineStar Solutions can provide.

The visit occurred over three days with a high level of engagement from every area and level of the deployment. The visit was designed to maximise exposure to the day-to-day goings-on in the operation. Pit operations, departmental interactions and daily activities were observed to determine site mining practices, with a view to assess site readiness to apply MineStar and take advantage of the offerings.

“Understanding the history of change in all organisations was an important part of the workshop and visit,” Wescombe said. “We wanted to learn about change that had been managed well and identify areas for improvement. We did that by asking a lot of questions of people from every aspect of the operation. We engaged the site at all levels – from equipment operators to a representative from Perenti’s office in Perth, Australia.”

The discussions invited participants to share concerns or perceived challenges surrounding daily operations. They were encouraged to contribute ideas around how the daily operation and a change to the site’s mining system can be effectively managed from their perspective.

Workplace culture was also explored, gaining insight into how the site is managed and identifying areas of success and opportunities for improvement. Fengu said: “The goal of this effort was to help reduce incidents and unintended operational consequences, and to provide guidance to remedy any shortcomings through application of the technology.”

In addition, the workshop was designed to strengthen the collaborative relationship between the site, corporate office, Barloworld and Caterpillar. Caterpillar says it and its dealer are essential stakeholders who are pivotal to the successful deployment of MineStar Solutions.

“In a nutshell, our goal was to best understand how we could support AMS through the process of change management,” Patterson, Caterpillar Operational Readiness Consultant, said. “We started by encouraging all participants to leave preconceived ideas at the door on the way in to the workshop and asking everyone to be open-minded to change.”

Developing a path forward

All stakeholders agree that the workshop is just the beginning of ongoing engagement into getting the maximum value from technology at Motheo.

“The workshop helped us start the process,” Sam Farhand, Group Asset Manager for Perenti, said. “We learned a lot about the site and about each other. But now the hard work begins – addressing those challenges we’ve identified and ensuring that we never stop paying attention to how the technology is being used and continuing to find new ways to reap the benefits it delivers.”

An important outcome of the workshop is a 30-plus-page report that identifies the areas impacting successful implementation of MineStar technologies at Motheo and provides recommendations and possible solutions that will help address them.

The report is designed to:

  • Ensure understanding of the “why” for change management, and the benefits of using the Caterpillar team for this initiative;
  • Summarise the vision for the deployment as voiced by Perenti and AMS employees;
  • Articulate the landscape in which the project is taking place;
  • Highlight activities on which to partner or reinforce;
  • Present identified opportunities to adapt, build and embed new processes;
  • Identify the unique needs of the people who will be impacted;
  • Outline a change management plan to support the deployment; and
  • Share immediate action items to facilitate a successful deployment.

Sharing positive feedback

When asked about the success of the workshop, all stakeholders had positive things to say.

“The on-site engagement and participation in the workshop were outstanding,” Pierre Hill, Country Manager for Barloworld Botswana, said. “Attendance was terrific. It was a fantastic example of collaboration and teamwork.”

Wescombe agreed: “We were very pleased with the willingness of the key stakeholders to break traditional silos, open up lines of communication and actively engage in rich discussions between corporate, dealer, OEM, maintenance, planning and operations.”

But the most important feedback comes from Perenti. “We thought the workshop was very beneficial,” Farhand said. “It has helped us build a strong foundation on which to base our focus on innovation and technology.”

As the Caterpillar Manager for Perenti, Wescombe is quick to point out the teamwork and collaboration necessary for the success of the workshop – and the future of the technology in the years ahead.

“Without Greg Lawson and Sam Farhand from Perenti, this event would not have happened,” he said. “They helped us gain the traction we needed from internal stakeholders to get this off the ground. Plus, Sam and the on-site AMS Motheo team were instrumental in coordinating and supporting the workshop to ensure its success.”

“Our Caterpillar and dealer teams also deserve recognition. Leslie Fengu and Joel Patterson were key contributors to this effort, along with Pierre Hill and J.P. Briggs from our Cat dealer Barloworld. These folks worked closely with the Perenti team to build a preliminary understanding of the site challenges in order to optimise discussions during the site visit.”

The collaboration was a great example of the “three-legged stool” Caterpillar talks about when dealing with its customers in partnership with dealers. “When all three entities are working toward the same goal, we’re going to be so much more successful than when we go it alone,” Wescombe said. “We’re looking forward to a lot more opportunities to work together with Perenti/AMS and Barloworld in the years ahead.”

This is an edited version of a blog that first appeared here.

Perenti offloads MinAnalytical to ALS, but retains interest in Chrysos PhotonAssay tech

Perenti says it has signed an agreement to divest MinAnalytical Laboratory Services Australia Pty Ltd, a Perenti subsidiary, to ALS Ltd in a deal worth A$43.6 million ($31.2 million).

Of the total consideration for the transaction, A$39 million relates to shares in MinAnalytical, with an additional $4.6 million for prepayments and other financial adjustments. The transaction is anticipated to be completed prior to December 31, 2021.

Mark Norwell, Managing Director and CEO of Perenti, said the divestment was part of the ongoing strategic review of the company’s portfolio, including its services, operating regions and businesses.

“As we continue to focus on optimising the performance of our business and creating long-term sustainable value for our shareholders, we are pleased to have entered into a binding agreement for the divestment of our MinAnalytical business to ALS.”

He added: “ALS is a premier provider of analytical testing data worldwide and has a track record of acquiring and embedding complementary businesses and analytical technology to deliver value for their clients. MinAnalytical, and the significant new technology offering of the Chrysos PhotonAssay machines, is a natural fit for the ALS portfolio and will benefit greatly from the synergies and economies of scale that ALS can offer.”

MinAnalytical has several PhotonAssay units it is using for customers, with a high level of automated sample preparation in place.

Following the transaction, Perenti is to retain our 8% equity holding in Chrysos, Norwell said, explaining: “We, much like ALS, appreciate the significant current and future value proposition that the Chrysos business represents.”

He added: “In line with our significant focus on liquidity and capital management, the net proceeds of this transaction will be allocated across our portfolio to maximise shareholder value. We will continue to evaluate and progress a number of capital management initiatives designed to generate cash flow, streamline our portfolio, liberate cash, sustainably reduce our leverage ratio and efficiently allocate capital across our business.”

Perenti plants roots in USA on North America contract mining potential

Perenti Group has targeted the North America market for further contract mining growth, establishing a US office in the first half of its 2021 financial year.

The office, thought to be in Denver, Colorado, will help the company make the most of the substantial pipeline it has identified in North America.

The news came during the company’s first half results to the end of December 2020, which showed off revenue of A$1.01 billion ($799 million) and EBITDA of A$201 million.

Noting strong growth in its underground business and a contraction in its Africa surface business (most of which is tied to its AMS subsidiary), the company said it had won A$1.1 billion of new work and extensions since July 1, 2020, while its orderbook was around A$5.5 billion and its pipeline was circa-A$9.2 billion.

Within this global pipeline, A$2.1 billion was in the North America region, Perenti said. This was made up of 14 projects, three of which were at the tendering stage. Overall, 14% of the pipeline was from the US and 9% was in Canada.

The company, through its Barminco subsidiary, won its first “significant” North America contract last year when it signed on to an underground contract mining agreement at Barrick Gold’s Hemlo mine in Ontario, Canada (pictured).

In other news, the company said increased demand for its MinAnalytical mineral sample processing had been registered in the six months to the end of December, with record PhotonAssay processing recorded in December 2020.

The company also said it was “progressing alternative service offerings” during 2021.

Ausdrill gets hands on with hands-off-steel diamond drilling tech

With Ausdrill having recently added a Boart Longyear LF160 drill rig and FL262 FREEDOM™ LOADER combination to its diamond drilling fleet in Australia, IM caught up with Eric Gobbert, Senior Operations Manager, Exploration, to find out more about the company’s ‘hands-off-steel’ initiatives.

The newest coring rig – capable of pulling a 4.5 m sample – comes with a tilting top drive head to simplify rod handling, a foot clamp and braking device, and visible wireline. This is the second LF160 in Ausdrill’s portfolio, and a third rig is on the way. Meanwhile, the company is actively exploring a similar system capable of offering 6 m samples.

One rig is currently active at a Queensland coal operation, with the second at a nickel operation in the Goldfields of Western Australia. The third is expected to go to the Pilbara iron ore sector.

It is the combination of the LF160 with the FL262 FREEDOM LOADER that is bringing safety benefits to Ausdrill and its customers.

With totally hands-free rod handling, the combined rig and loader require no intervention from the driller’s assistant to trip in and align the rods or connect to the top drive head – thus offering greater freedom to drill by reducing the risk of hand and back injuries while handling rods. This freedom of movement comes as a result of the FREEDOM LOADER’s remote-control panel, which allows drillers to move to – and work from – a safer location away from the risks of moving rods.

“It’s a good innovation and has enabled us to provide a much-needed solution,” Gobbert said.

Ausdrill, a Perenti company, was encouraged to adopt this new diamond drilling technology as part of its own commitment to developing the mines of the future in partnership with clients. “Most companies have technology roadmaps with a strong safety vision. These roadmaps outline the future expectations for increased safety of exploration drill rigs,” Gobbert told IM.

Exploration drilling is an obvious place for Tier 1 miners to look to for safety improvements. A manual and repetitive job, traditional diamond drilling comes with many injuries as a result of drillers and offsiders removing and inserting heavy drill rods into the rigs. While automating part of the exploration drilling process may not provide the same financial payback as automating haul trucks or blasthole rigs, it does significantly reduce risk to personnel.

Gobbert agrees: “If you look at the drill inserts and the ongoing safety risks associated with being a driller’s offsider, or drilling in general, reducing the whole hands-on steel process and going down the automated or autonomous path makes sense.”

It is improving safety that is the real aim of leveraging such technology, according to Gobbert.

“De-risking the manual handling component is the real winning aspect of this,” he said. “We all want to achieve our business aims, but more importantly ensure our staff and our client’s staff are safe in the process.”

And, by reducing these risks, companies are ensuring continuity of operations, with personnel less likely to obtain the injuries that so often come with diamond drilling.

“Safety has always been at the centre of our technological drive – we understand that a safe project is a successful project,” Gobbert said.

This is not Ausdrill’s first foray into hands-off-steel diamond drilling. Drill Rigs Australia, an Ausdrill subsidiary up until July, previously engineered a similar style rod presenting system on one of its rigs at a Tier 1 client’s operation. Gobbert says the rig is still successfully operating – a full five years on.

“Ausdrill has a 30+ year history of designing and customising fleet to suit the needs of our clients and the swiftly-evolving market,” Gobbert says. “Today, we work in partnership with our clients, OEMs and third-party tech service providers to bring a bespoke combination of fleet and equipment, geared specifically to the needs of each project. Our project success and notable safety records showcase just how well we are delivering on our intentions, and tracking along our roadmap.”

Barminco wins 18-month, A$140 million contract extension at MMG’s Dugald River mine

Barminco has agreed the terms of a variation and extension to its development and production contract at MMG’s Dugald River zinc-lead mine, in north Queensland, Australia.

In addition to several amended contract conditions, the variation extends the term of the contract by 18 months to December 31, 2022, with two, one-year options to extend further. The value of the 18-month extension for Perenti’s hard-rock underground miner is approximately A$140 million ($103 million).

Barminco has been operating at Dugald River since 2012. IM recently reported MMG and Barminco were trialling an automated Sandvik LHD at the mine to further boost production.

Barminco’s Chief Executive Officer, Paul Muller, said: “We are excited to continue our relationship with MMG, which began in 2001 at the Rosebery mine in Tasmania. Dugald River has been a significant project for Barminco since commencement during 2012, and this extension will take our valued relationship with MMG to over 20 years.”

Perenti Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mark Norwell, said Perenti had a “robust” tender pipeline of A$8.8 billion and its Underground Industry Sector Group had secured more the A$540 million in contract extensions this financial year.

Downer suspends mining business review on market volatility

Downer EDI Ltd says it will suspend the review process relating to its mining business due to the “extraordinary market volatility caused by the COVID-19 pandemic”.

The company announced back in August that it was undertaking a review of its portfolio and that its Mining business would be an important area of focus, explaining that the process would include evaluation of a potential sale.

Grant Fenn, Chief Executive Officer of Downer, said its Mining business was currently performing well.

“As we said when we announced the portfolio review, Downer’s Mining business is a leader in Australia with a proven track record and it is well positioned to build on its strong market position and pipeline of work,” he said.

Contract wins since the company announced the review process include a five-year contract extension at the Meandu coal mine in Queensland, circa-A$165 million ($102 million) in contracts from Alinta Energy related to the solar project at Fortescue Metals Group’s Chichester Hub iron ore operations in Western Australia, and a two-year extension at BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance’s Goonyella Riverside coal mine in Queensland.

Perenti, which advised the ASX on February 5 that it “was considering a potential acquisition of Downer Mining”, also said it had “suspended participation in the sale process” conducted by Downer due to current market conditions.

Panoramic looks to Barminco for Savannah nickel-copper-cobalt ramp up

Perenti’s hard-rock underground mining subsidiary, Barminco, has been selected as the preferred contractor by Panoramic Resources at its Savannah nickel-copper-cobalt project in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

The contract, worth around A$200 million ($135 million), will see Barminco carry out mine development, production, and haulage over a three-year term. Work is expected to commence in March 2020.

Barminco anticipates it will employ around 170 people for the project and use predominately new equipment, which has been included in the capital guidance previously provided, to deliver the project.

Savannah, 110 km north of Halls Creek in Western Australia, saw mining operations recommence in December 2018, with the first shipment of concentrate departing Wyndham in February 2019. The miner is currently developing the higher-grade Savannah North orebody focusing on high speed development and a ramp up to full production in 2020, Perenti said.

Perenti Managing Director, Mark Norwell, said: “This project demonstrates our ability to capture organic growth opportunities, with the Barminco business now well integrated into the Perenti group whilst further embedding itself as a leader in underground mining.”

Underground Chief Executive Officer, Paul Muller, added: “We look forward to working closely with Panoramic Resources in driving the development of the Savannah North orebody safely and efficiently as it ramps up to full production.”

Ausdrill kicks off Middlemount coal contract

Perenti’s Ausdrill says it has officially started a three-year contract at the Yancoal/Peabody-owned Middlemount coal mine in Queensland, Australia.

Two new Caterpillar MD6310 rotary blasthole drills (pictured) are up and running, as of January 1, as part of a full turnkey drill and blast contract for the client, Ausdrill said.

Middlemount produces low volatile pulverised coal injection coal and hard coking coal, with contracted rail and port capacity through Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal and Abbot Point Port, in Queensland.

It is an open-pit mine, 90 km northeast of Emerald in Queensland’s Bowen Basin. Full scale operations commenced in November 2011, with mining activities using conventional truck and shovel techniques.

 

 

Barminco turns Perth head office into remote operations centre

Leading underground mining services provider Barminco, a subsidiary of Perenti, says it has successfully piloted a new operations centre that allows it to remotely operate underground equipment on a client’s mine site anywhere around the world.

In what the company believes to be a world first, Barminco operated a machine, working underground, from its head office in Perth at a client mine site in the Goldfields of Western Australia.

“The innovation was made more impressive given the remote operation occurred via the internet, instead of through a fibre-optic cable, which is the method that mine owner-operators have historically used,” the company said.

Barminco Chief Executive Officer, Paul Muller, announced the achievement at the third annual Sandvik Digitalization in Mining Event, in Brisbane, Australia, this week.

Muller said: “Barminco has cemented its place as one of the world’s leading underground mining service providers through the use of technology and automation.

“A key strategic initiative under our parent company, Perenti’s, 2025 strategy is to deliver a ‘technology driven future’, and our ability to remotely operate underground machinery from our head office is a significant achievement in delivering on that strategy.”

The Barminco Remote Operating Centre, or BROC, was successfully trialled in collaboration with Sandvik and Independence Group (IGO) back in July. It was trialled in the early morning at Barminco’s Head Office in Hazlemere for a machine located at IGO’s Nova nickel-copper-cobalt mine site, almost 1,000 km away.

Barminco General Manager Technology and Innovation, Darren Kwok, said the trial was a great success.

“Whilst many mine sites have operators remotely operating equipment from the mine’s surface, we are one of the first, if not the first service provider, to operate underground equipment on a client’s site from a much greater distance,” Kwok said.

“BROC enables us to connect multiple sites and operators at the same time, meaning if there is an issue at any point, we have contingencies in place.”

Barminco’s first trial involved the remote operation of a Sandvik LH517 LHD being operated in Perth by Barminco employee, Guy Gilbert, and Kwok said Barminco was now working with IGO to make BROC a permanent fixture at its Nova mine site.

“The advantages in improving the safety of our workplace and the efficiencies for our clients are enormous,” Kwok said.

Independence Group Chief Operating Officer, Matt Dusci, said the company was thrilled to be part of the successful trial, which is all part of the company’s ‘IGO – Smart Solutions’ initiatives.

“At IGO, we continually look for ways to improve how we do business and deliver operational excellence. By integrating innovative Smart Solutions at our operations, such as working with Barminco on BROC, we improve the safety and wellbeing of our people, realise step change opportunities, and optimise efficiencies and productivity,” Dusci said.

Kwok added: “Our future plan is to have a dedicated remote operating centre manned 24/7 where our team and our client’s people can work collaboratively side by side to deliver a world-class mine site.

“Clients who work with Barminco should expect more from our business along with the broader Perenti group of companies and BROC is one such example of how we are delivering on this promise.”

The Sandvik event concludes on December 4 and showcases best practice examples of industry leaders integrating digitalisation into their operations across the mining, construction and quarrying industries.

The announcement comes just over a week after Barminco was awarded Large Employer of the Year 2019 at the National Australian Training Awards in Brisbane.