From mining equipment veterans to aftermarket challengers
EM Parts & Components was founded on a simple observation made after more than a century of combined experience in the mining equipment industry. Chris Reeves, Steve Green and Ralph Macmillan had spent decades working across OEM networks, equipment procurement, fleet support and global mining operations, and they repeatedly encountered the same problem: mining companies did not need another parts supplier — they needed a partner with the technical expertise to understand equipment, assess risk and recommend components with confidence.
That observation combined with Equip Mining’s long-standing work supporting mining clients through equipment procurement, mobilisation and fleet solutions around the world led to the development of EM Parts & Components.
Real experience, real solutions
A client in Canada was running productive equipment that had years of operational value remaining, but sourcing the right replacement components was becoming increasingly difficult. The issue was reliable availability, and the bugbear was OEM cost. They needed an alternative, so turned to the team they knew could solve any mining equipment challenge.?
For Chris, Steve and Ralph, the challenge was familiar.
Chris has spent his career delivering mining equipment into some of the world’s most complex and remote environments. From competitive Komatsu tenders in Indonesia to independent procurement and mobilisation work in remote and difficult jurisdictions, he has built his reputation on practical commercial judgement, supplier negotiation and asset utilisation strategy.?
Steve brings extensive experience in major asset movement and global logistics. Through senior roles with Plantco, Liebherr Eastern Australia and Komatsu, he has supported the movement of major mining assets and components across borders, ports, mine sites and remote operating regions.?
Ralph brings more than 40 years in the mining equipment sector, including 25 years in senior Komatsu roles across the US, Canada, South America, Australia and Asia. His background spans product support, product development, valuation, marketing and global advisory work. Ralph has spent decades assessing equipment condition, component value and fleet performance.?
They know what OEM-level manufacturing discipline looks like, and they have worked inside the systems mining companies rely on. They have negotiated with OEMs, supported fleets, inspected machines, moved assets, analysed component life and seen what happens when parts do not perform.
So, when the Canadian client needed support, the response was not to source quickly and hope for the best. It was to investigate.
Equip Mining worked through specifications, compatibility, material expectations, application requirements and supplier capability. Over time, the pattern became clear — mining customers were asking for more than replacement parts, they were asking for an independent supplier with enough experience to know which aftermarket parts could be trusted.
EM Parts & Components was created to turn that experience-led sourcing approach into a dedicated business, focused on verified OEM-quality parts and components for mining trucks, excavators and heavy equipment fleets.
A deliberate critical component focus
EM Parts & Components early product focus has been strategic. The company has focused on crucial components that carry load, transmit power, control movement and absorb the punishment of mining conditions.
For electric-drive trucks, including the 830E, 930E and 980E, EM Parts is building supply across the systems that determine uptime and rebuild confidence. This includes hydraulic pumps and motors, gearing, wheel-end components, drive assemblies, alternators, grid resistor banks and control systems. For Komatsu excavators, including the PC1250, PC2000, PC3000 and PC4000, the range extends across work equipment and undercarriage components such as booms, arms, cylinders, H-links, I-links, idlers and rollers.
The team understood the questions Australian mining operators ask when critical components are sourced outside traditional OEM channels. Some questions come from experience, others from uncertainty around manufacturing standards. Those concerns are reasonable, and EM Parts’ customers and reputation depend on providing quality assurance.
First-hand quality assurance
Chris, Steve and Ralph did not take aftermarket manufacturing capability at face value — they investigated it in person.
They visited manufacturers, inspected facilities, spoke with engineering and production teams, reviewed quality systems, examined testing processes, assessed documentation discipline and compared the work against the standards they had seen throughout their OEM and mining careers.
Across selected manufacturing partners in China and Vietnam, they found specialist facilities with extensive capability in hydraulic systems, drivetrain components, electric drive assemblies, undercarriage parts, structures and mining-specific work equipment.
In July, the partners returned to supplier facilities to undertake further quality assurance assessments. This work included detailed comparison against OEM parts, assessment of in-field performance data for major components already operating as well as deeper evaluation of the documentation and testing regimes behind selected product lines.
EM Parts is building a controlled supply network, not an open marketplace. Supplier selection is based on engineering capability, material control, machining accuracy, testing, traceability, documentation and demonstrated field performance.
The business has also developed a procurement process designed for clearer visibility from enquiry to delivery, supported by part matching, supplier information, freight options, order tracking, quality records and warranty documentation.
EM Parts exists because three mining equipment veterans saw that the aftermarket conversation needed to mature. It could no longer be framed as cheap versus genuine, or OEM versus unknown.?
The real question is whether a supplier can bring the experience, discipline and verification needed to give customers confidence in what they are buying. Because in mining, trust is not created by the badge on the box alone. It is earned by the people behind the decision, the process behind the product and the performance that follows on site.
