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WA’s largest privately owned technology company grew from humble beginnings. Abacus was formed in 1981 with just two employees and a small product range, to provide for the specialised needs of small offices. Abacus has since grown in size and reputation, expanding its product offering and employing more than 40 people with a wealth of experience to expertly service its extensive WA customer base. The company is now an OKI Metro Platinum dealer for Perth, and a 27-year partnership with Sharp Australia has positioned it as the company’s number one WA dealer. Abacus has divided itself into smaller, more manageable entities to ensure all products are handled properly and efficiently, and has become a specialist in the supply of multi-function...

ESTABLISHED and dynamic Murray Engineering is rapidly developing into a major player in the Australian and overseas market. The company supplies mechanical and electrical goods and services to major industries including mining. Murray Engineering’s highly skilled and experienced mechanical and electrical team specialise in maintenance, refurbishment, construction, manufacture and assembly of a wide range of equipment. The company has grown 600 per cent since 2007, with a focus on best-practice training, safety, environmental and government protocols. The company’s Pinjarra facility is one of the largest of its kind in WA covering more than 14,000 square metres on a 5.5 hectare site. It was built with the future in mind; to allow for the company’s continual growth through meeting the diverse...

AS the Australian resources sector continues to expand, so too does the demand for quality transportable camps for the mining and drilling industries. Royal Wolf is Australia’s leading supplier of shipping containers and has developed a reputation as the market leader with expertise in the modification of shipping containers for a variety of applications. Royal Wolf modifies and completely fits out shipping containers to provide everything from camps to commercial kitchens, accommodation, food stores, laundries, ablutions, recreational units, blast resistant buildings and relocatable explosive magazines. The key advantages of the containerised units are their portability and structural strength. The modular units can be stacked or joined together to form almost any layout required and can be easily transported to site...

A leading provider of electrical engineering, construction and maintenance services for major asset owners, Electrix works both alongside and independently of parent company McConnell Dowell to service the mining sector. With major offices in Queensland and WA, Electrix provides the mining industry with a strong local presence and access to some of the industry’s most experienced engineers, project managers and a highly skilled workforce. Electrix seeks strategic opportunities to become involved in projects as early as possible during concept and design development. Early involvement provides the opportunity to best influence design outcomes and reduce project costs and delivery time through value engineering and constructability analysis. This is achieved by applying expertise to areas such as design and specification critique; materials...

ESTABLISHED in 1963, A&G Engineering & Mining Supplies has five decades experience producing high quality stainless steel vessels and equipment. Today, it is the preferred tank manufacturer for many industries across Australia. The A&G team is involved in the design, manufacture and installation of an extensive range of stainless steel vessels and equipment for all major industries including mining, heavy industry, dairy, brewing and wine. Growing demand for A&G products has led to its further expansion into the mining sector. A&G now maintains a very strong focus on supplying the industry with a range of products, including stainless steel tanks, valving, pipe work systems, carbon screens, hoppers, screening products, storage bins, catwalk and stair-tower structures, along with a full and...

FOR more than three years Kennards Hire has provided the tradespeople and general public of Darwin with a large range of equipment for an array of jobs. From June 2014, Kennards Hire Lift & Shift began stocking its products at the existing store in the Darwin suburb of Winnellie. The extensive range includes large scale spreader bars, air skates, cable hauling equipment, hydraulic bolting and tensioning, and – in an Australian first – more cutting edge technologies such as the JDN cordless pendant hoist. As well as providing clients with top shelf equipment, Kennards Hire Lift & Shift offers expert advice, and package solutions for any lifting job. The addition of Kennards Hire Lift & Shift equipment to the Kennards...

DIVERSE contracting company Brierty operates in WA and the Northern Territory. Brierty’s urban infrastructure services span residential subdivisions, development works at airports and ports, car parks and service utility installation. Brierty also delivers major civil engineering projects like railways, roads and bridges. In the mining sector Brierty performs drill and blast, mining, road haulage, and ore processing and handling. Being geographically diverse and offering a range of services has helped Brierty maintain a strong level of performance for clients and shareholders in the past few years in generally difficult conditions for contractors. Brierty’s operational strength is the result of strong project, safety, quality and environmental management combined with a dedicated focus on Aboriginal engagement. Brierty enters the 2015 financial year...

Andrew Forrest has expanded his extensive commodities portfolio, investing millions into a developing uranium company just days after purchasing WA beef exporter Harvey Beef. In a $12 million deal signed in early May, Mr Forrest made his first foray into uranium, becoming a majority shareholder in junior developer Energy and Minerals Australia (EMA). Mr Forrest’s holding company Forrest Family Investments reportedly bought 400 million EMA shares at $0.03 per share, with the funds to go towards the development of Mulga Rock uranium and base metal deposits Ambassador, Emperor, Shogun and Princess, 240km northeast of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. The pending sale included one unlisted option for each share a an exercise price of $0.05, with an expiry date of 30 June 2016. When...

MELBOURNE-based Minmetals Group (MMG) has made a major deal with Glencore Xstrata, acquiring the Las Bambas copper project in a US$5.85 billion all-cash transaction. Through a joint venture agreement, Chinese state-owned MMG has gained a controlling interest of 62.5 per cent in the copper project. Partners include Hong Kong-based financial investment company Guoxin International Investment (22.5 per cent), and Chinese natural resources company CITIC Metal (15 per cent). Las Bambas, in the Apurímac region of southern-central Peru, is set to become one of the world’s top three copper mines once in full production. The project has a 6.9 million tonne copper ore reserve and a 10.5mt copper mineral resource, and is expected to produce more than 2mt of copper concentrate...

PRIMARY global platinum producer Anglo American is considering divesting its South African-based platinum group metals (PGM) assets to focus attention on its other, open pit extraction projects. Formerly a fundamental division of the giant’s global asset portfolio, Anglo American’s PGM tenements have remained unproductive for nearly three months due to ongoing worker strikes and industrial unrest. About 80,000 miners from around the Rustenburg platinum belt are on strike and have given an ultimatum not to return to the shafts until their minimum monthly wage is doubled to 12,500 rand (US$1189). However, Anglo has repeatedly stated the demand would devastate its platinum subsidiary, if met. Anglo chief executive Mark Cutifani told Reuters that while the company “liked” PGM, the division was...

THE Japanese Government has signed off on a new Basic Energy Plan that pledges to restart the nuclear reactors mothballed following the 2011 Fukushima meltdowns. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has moved away from the previous government’s zero-nuclear policy, which pledged to abolish all nuclear power plants by the 2030s. The new Basic Energy Plan, which is revised every three years, said Japan would “reduce” the use of nuclear power to a level “as low as possible” by increasing the percentage of renewable energy. However, no specific targets were given. The plan also described nuclear power as one of the key “base-load electricity sources”, and stated that the government would “promote reactivation of nuclear reactors” if they cleared safety tests prepared...