PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Explosives and chemicals company AECI has entered into a five-year agreement with mining contractor Thiess to provide explosives, initiating systems and technical services to Thiess in Australia.
Thiess Australia’s executive GM Michael Wright said that AECI subsidiary AEL Mining was fully committed to initiating research and development programmes in Australia that would have the capacity to lower mining costs.
“Given the competitive and complex state of mining, the partnership has the potential to be a real game-changer in the Australian mining industry,” he added.
AECI said in a statement this week that the company’s foray into the Australian market aligned with its international growth strategy, which was also focused on increasing its footprint in Africa, while establishing a presence in Brazil, Chile and Indonesia.
The company in 2014 opened offices in Brisbane and appointed MD Nigel Convey, while also developing a site in Queensland, which included an ammonium nitrate emulsion manufacturing facility imported from South Africa, as well as storage space.
The first 140 t of emulsion were manufactured in November last year and a trial blast involving 550 electronic detonators was completed in January. Full explosives supply was expected to start in February.
Moving forward, AECI said that its assets in Indonesia would be leveraged to facilitate the development of a regional supply chain framework, while a new business pipeline was also being progressed to ensure AECI’s emergence as a key role-player in the Australian mining industry.