Macmahon sees colossal cost savings with tyre repair initiative

At Tropicana gold mine, located 330km northeast of Kalgoorlie WA, tyres are one of the largest and most costly consumables.

The challenging environment at Tropicana means that wear and tear is unavoidable, but instead of discarding tyres at the end of their life cycle, Macmahon (ASX: MAH) is taking a more sustainable approach.

The company is leading a repair initiative to give injured tyres a second life. This not only allows for massive cost savings but to also lowers their ecological footprint. Since 2020 Macmahon’s tyre repair team has repaired 677 tyres, with a total of 909 repairs. Each repaired tyre gains 1,200 hours of additional use on top of its typical 2,500 to 3,500 hours.

Tyres are an increasingly costly consumable in mining, with a standard Bridgestone 46/90R57 costing wayward of $45,000.

Tropicana’s fleet consists of an astounding number of machines, this includes nineteen CAT 793 trucks that boast eight tyres each. That is $360,000 for a full set of brand-new tyres on just one of these machines.

The focus on repair over replacement at Macmahon is driving the company towards operational efficiency.

With repairs being done in-house at Tropicana Macmahon gains significant cost savings by eliminating the need for tyre transportation, third-party service fees and tyres being scrapped.

In-house repairs are also more time efficient with a rapid turnaround of three days. This is incredibly efficient compared to the expected three-month turnaround for external repairs.

This turnaround ensures overall site efficiency by reducing downtime and allowing production to stay on schedule.

The team at Tropicana is a highly coordinated group of repairers and fitters, consisting of eleven experts.

One of the experienced tyre repairers Scott says that the team has worked hard to extend the life of tyres and in turn provide cost savings and reduce waste.

“I’m proud of our team and the work we do,” he said.

The team assesses the unique and individual damage of each injury to the tyres. This allows them to design and build custom patches tailored to suit the specific damage of the tyres.

“We don’t just fix tyres, we build solutions that fit the damage,” says Scott.

“Each repair is unique, and our ability to design custom patches makes a big difference in the longevity of the tyre.”

Macmahon continues to showcase the efficiency, both economically and ecologically, of in-house tyre repairs.