iDrilling Australia on solid business growth path

Drilling services specialist iDrilling Australia is ramping up its environmental focus as it prepares for a growth in new activity.

The Australian Mining Review recently caught up with the company’s managing director, Shannon Harding, to gain a run down on the company’s future plans and past successes.

“The real focus at the moment is a to work closely with our clients and their sustainability and safety focus,” he said.

“We are also improving our own green footprint and we are really benefitting from having a great management team with a dedicated path forward which is utilising technology and sustainability trends to help improve the work we do.”

For example, to help “green” its daily activities, iDrilling Australia is reviewing a state-of-the-art technology to reduce its fuel burn including the latest solar battery technology, for running our accommodation and wearable tech to protect people, equipment and significant land or mine restricted areas.”

“We have not necessarily reached our strategic targets yet, but this his is all part of the plan to move forward, principally in partnership with our long-standing clients.”

Mr Harding, who joined the recently rebranded company a year ago, says iDrilling Australia is undergoing a significant makeover with regard to its growth plans.

“One of the focal points since coming to the managing director role is helping to realign some of our strategy and focus. Our catchline is growing client resources through reliable safe production. We live and breathe our business plan with a strong focus on safety, sustainability, and a community focus.”

Mr Harding said the new measures being implemented to assist iDrilling Australia expand its service offering includes aiming to land contracts with producing mines.

“I feel like we’re on the path where we are looking for longer term, steady state clients. We work a lot in exploration. But I see us being able to spread our business opportunity base. We have a broad skill set, where we really don’t necessarily need to specialise in one area.

“We can offer a service that is quite nimble, and being able to provide that agility to clients really works.”

With a strong reputation for providing a reliable and strategic service offering, iDrilling Australia has a number of long-standing minerals exploration clients including Caravel Resources, Mt Malcolm Mining, Magnetic Resources and Scorpion Minerals.

“We understand the need for a completely collaborative approach with the Geology Departments we service, and we are dedicated to complying with all Occupation Health, Safety and Environmental regulations, and our clients recognise that.”

The company is now preparing for a significant new project in Western Australia where it will utilise a whole range of its specialised mineral exploration equipment and skills.

That project will see the company provide Air Core, Diamond and RC drillings rigs in a significant campaign.

“We have our heads down planning for that project over the next month, which will see us grow our operation.”

The company has a highly experienced management team of five, and 10 rigs available at any moment, which it can quickly expand to 15.

That team and that equipment has seen the company successfully execute in excess of 150 exploration projects drilling programs in Reverse Circulation (RC), Diamond Drilling (DD), RAB/Air Core, Geo technical and Auger Drilling services to its mining clients.

“While the majority of our work is in WA, we operate throughout Australia and our new experienced staff have successfully executed drilling operations in the most difficult and inaccessible terrains, around the globe,” Mr Harding said.

While providing drilling services for the mining sector is a key part of the company’s business offering, Mr Harding said it also has a significant Mud Rotary and Water Well Drilling operation.

He said the company is particularly excited about the latest rig it has added to its water well drilling business.

“We have a beautiful new PRD built water bore rig, which has been going through its paces under our equipment commissioning program.

“It a very efficient rig and its purchase is very much in line with our overall strategy and really on trend with what we are looking to do in improving our productivity, while reducing our environmental footprint. With this rig we the latest aids to reduce manual handling and gear required to be taken for the job.”

Mr Harding said that while the overall exploration drilling business has slowed down recently with the junior end of the market finding it more difficult to raise funds, iDrilling Australia has been able to maintain steady state thanks to its reputation.

“We have been pretty lucky I guess with a number of clients continuing to support us with consistent work.

“Thanks to that loyal support we are now in a position to adjust our focus on gaining work with operating mines where we can take advantage of our increased fleet and a focus on grade control and special purpose drilling like achieved on our latest Civil job which required customisation of equipment and specialsist tooling to complete.

“Our ability to be very nimble and very accommodating, means that we are positioned to support not only mining clients, but civil operators as well.”

With that type of flexibility, iDrilling Australia is well positioned to continue along is strategically planned growth path.

Growing Client resources with reliable safe production