Category: Legacy

THE coal division of global diversified mining group Xstrata is the world’s largest seaborne exporter of high energy thermal coal, used to generate electricity, and a significant producer of coal that is used to make steel. Xstrata Coal has interests in more than 30 operating coal mines in Australia, South Africa and Colombia, and development projects in Canada. In 2011, the company produced about 100.5 million tonnes of managed coal, of which about 85 per cent was exported: making it Australia’s leading exporter of thermal coal. With a range of expansions and project developments under way, the company is set to continue increasing its production rate in the near future. Newlands mine The Newlands mine, in the northern part of…

AUSTRALIA’s mining and energy sectors are keeping the nation’s economy ticking over and buffering it against unstable global financial markets. While propping up the economy, they have also had substantial impacts in other areas, including property prices. According to Real Estate Institute of Western Australia (REIWA) president David Airey, the mining boom has had a flow-on effect on Australia’s residential markets, particularly in WA and Queensland. Prices in Perth surged between 1994 and 2007, mostly driven by the iron ore boom in the state’s north. Reports from REIWA show that in WA in 2004, the average residential property price was about $250,000. Thre years later, the average had risen to more than $450,000. In conjunction with property price rises, rental…

QUEENSLAND’S Mount Isa is experiencing a chronic housing shortage – characterised by tightening accommodation vacancies and escalating rental prices – as mining momentum in the town continues to grow to meet international demand for resources. With future uranium mining plans for the area back on the agenda, Mount Isa now has the potential to experience further growth. While the market to date has been a buyer’s market, this is expected to change in the future due to growing demand for rental accommodation, with investors looking to pick up an investment property before housing demand increases median house prices. Jays Real Estate, the largest and longest established agency in Mount Isa, has tenants waiting to rent. Run by principal Sophie Keily…

LEADING pump specialist Aussie Pumps is offering free technical manuals and selection guides for the Tsurumi range of submersible aerators. The new manual includes a comparison of aerator systems that outlines the advantages and disadvantages of submersible aeration, submersible plus rotary blowers and fine bubble aeration methods. The guide, produced in conjunction with the Japanese Sewerage Works Association, provides a wide range of information about the cost-effective use of aeration devices. The Tsurumi aerator manual shows how aerators can be used in batteries to cut costs on sewerage aeration system designs, increasing flexibility and easing servicing requirements while enhancing aeration results. Tsurumi submersible aerators are available in a wide range of configurations suitable for tanks up to 6m deep with…

AS one of the largest suppliers to the Australian mining industry, IVECO designs, manufactures and markets a broad range of small, medium and large busses and coaches, including four-wheel drive busses. The company has extensive experience providing vehicles for remote operations and currently supplies busses to numerous resource projects across Australia. It is also the only original equipment manufacturer that produces bus chassis in Australia. IVECO has a manufacturing base in Dandenong, Victoria, where it designs and manufactures two types of bus chassis specifically developed for harsh Australian conditions. To further complement its Australian range, the company also imports a further three chassis models from IVECO Europe, covering rear engine and front engine configurations. IVECO creates employment in Australia for…

ENGINEERING and machining company Mainteck Services specialises in the refurbishment and re-engineering of large equipment from its two large, fully-equipped workshops in NSW. Servicing Australia’s mining, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors, it also provides weld reclamation and comprehensive maintenance management. By engaging Mainteck Services to refurbish existing heavy equipment, rather than going back to the original equipment manufacturers, customers can make significant savings. Mainteck Services has a demonstrated history of improving the life of key manufacturing components and has been able to triple the life of customers’ equipment through the provision of innovative engineering solutions. It has also been able to help customers maintain operating costs during prolonged periods of time when input and labour costs are rising. The company has…

FORMALISED as a subdivision of Qube Ports and Bulk in April 2012, Qube Bulk operates materials handling facilities for the bulk market. Its recent operations in WA have involved the management of bulk materials handling and port facilities at Utah Point, Port Hedland, Geraldton and Bunbury. The Qube Bulk team has a solid skill base and strong safety values centering on a zero harm policy. The company recently achieved a workplace health and safety milestone that few others in the industry have attained: its Utah Point operations in far north WA achieved more than 365 days without injury. In order to reach this safety record, Qube Bulk launched one of the industry’s most detailed workplace health and safety plans. By…

TO accommodate its growing truck fleet and continue to meet the needs of its clients, Constructatruck Rentals recently moved to a new, larger location at 468 Great Eastern Highway, Redcliffe. A major highlight of the company’s new 4000 square metre facility is a larger workshop that will be used to house and maintain the company’s vehicles. Constructatruck Rentals has one of the largest rental fleets in the country: it services a range of clients throughout Australia, particularly in the mining and construction industry in WA’s Pilbara region. The company was also contracted to supply trucks to the city-link bridge development project in the Perth CBD. Last month, Constructatruck Rentals released four new 20,000l water carts – each with five rear…

CONVENTIONAL scaffolding methods in Australia have been challenged by the introduction of the Rosett Flex range of products by PERI Australia, revolutionising the way scaffolding is used across the country. “There are many points of difference with the PERI Rosett Flex but the most prominent distinctive visual feature is that we use solid shaped rectangular components as a transom and ledger (horizontal items), in fact we do not consider the term transomin our inventory vocabulary, because they are the same universal item,” PERI national scaffolding manager Gary Hexter said. “The reasoning and benefits for this radical design has come from accepting that scaffolding products have not evolved at the same pace as the industries they work in. They fall well…

AT one of Rio-Tinto’s iron ore mines in the Pilbara, a stacker-reclaimer rail had sunk, preventing access to a major part of the company’s huge stockpile. Uretek Ground Engineering was called in by the mine’s engineers to find a solution to the problem, and was able to re-support the rail and raise it back to correct levels by injecting a unique expanding resin beneath the rail footings. These resins, engineered by Uretek, expand upon injection into the ground below footings, create a large but controllable pressure of more than 1000t per square metre. The rail footings had lost support in five sections totalling 150m, and Uretek’s new injectable technology was able to correct the rail footing support in just five…

THE AMMA’s Migration and Labour Sourcing conferences are one day events devoted exclusively to issues of skilled migration and the skills shortage currently being experienced by resources industry organisations. Following the success of the 2011 Skilled Migration Conference in Perth that attracted more than 130 delegates, AMMA is introducing the conference to the east coast of Australia: from 2012, delegates have the option to attend the event in either Brisbane or Perth. The conferences have a specific focus on skilled migration and recruitment, and delegates enjoy a selection of prolific speakers including industry leaders and government representatives. Delegates can learn about the latest developments in skilled visas, Enterprise Migration Agreements and other policies and plans within the migration area. The…