Submission 6 Don Scott-Kemmis, Pacific Innovation Major Project Development Assessment Processes Commissioned study
Characteristics of the METS Segments
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- Bu səhifədəki naviqasiya:
- Front-end design and engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM)
- Contract Drilling, Mining and Construction
- Table 4.5: Major Contract Mining Firms
- Table 4.6: Major Diverse Mining Service Firms
- Table 4.7: Major Mining Consultancy Firms.
- Mining Equipment Suppliers and Manufacturers (Table 4.8)
- Table 4.8: Equipment Supply and Manufacturing Firms
- Suppliers of Specialised Equipment, Software and Related Services (Table 4.9)
- Table 4.9: Suppliers of Specialised Equipment, Software and Related Services
Characteristics of the METS SegmentsService CompaniesAustralian firms have become world leaders in many areas of mining-related services. Engineering and Project management firms such as Ausenco, Sedgman and Worley Parsons are winning EPCM contracts against leading international firms. Many of these mining service firms provide a range of services and some have also become involved in manufacturing. [Several of the mining equipment producers also provide related services – and in fact most such firms began as repair and maintenance shops before beginning a focus on product development.] Due to this diversity of services quite a few firms do not fall neatly into only one or two of the categories used here to characterise the METS sector. Front-end design and engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM)The opportunity for Australian firms to enter the market and build capability in mining-related engineering design and management began when the large mining companies closed down their internal project management capability. With limited capacity and rapid growth in projects, reliance on consulting and engineering and EPCM firms grew. As there is an overall shortage of experienced mining project engineers and managers, mining firms and the service firms are competing for talent – particularly engineers with experience on large projects. Many of these firms have rapidly grown capability and capacity. They have also developed strong offshore activities. Many of these firms are growing in scale and capability and taking on larger projects and broader EPCM roles. They are beginning to win contracts against larger global rivals, such as Bechtel, Flor and AECOM (Table 4.4). Contract Drilling, Mining and ConstructionAustralian contract miners have developed high levels of capability, in underground, open cute and coal mining. Leading firms have strong systems for productivity and safety(Table 4.5).. Table 4.4: Major EPCM Service Firms
Other Mining ServicesThis group of firms provides a diverse range of services to mine development and operation, other than EPCM, contract operations or consulting services. These services range from the supply and servicing of plant and equipment, hiring equipment, to the conduct of ‘rock fragmentation’ by Orica Mining Services(Table 4.6).. Table 4.5: Major Contract Mining Firms
Consulting ServicesThe decline in in-house capability in many mining companies and the increasing knowledge-intensity of exploration, feasibility assessments, mine planning, operations and optimisation is increasing the demand for high level consultants across a wide range of geological, engineering, environmental and commercial aspects of mining. The limited supply of consultants, particularly those with experience, is a continuing constraint on growth, particularly as offshore opportunity is growing rapidly, without reducing quality or raising costs due to the upward pressure on salaries. These trends are encouraging greater consolidation through mergers or acquisitions. International mining consultants, such as SRK, Golder, AECOM and AMEC, will have greater opportunities to capture market share in a supply constrained market (Table 4.7). Table 4.6: Major Diverse Mining Service Firms
Table 4.7: Major Mining Consultancy Firms.
+-majority foreign owned *- figure is an estimate for 2009-10. Other consulting firms include: Mining One, Whittle, IMC Mining Solutions, Beck, Arndt Engineering, Mining Plus and Cube Consulting.
One of the early Australian innovators in mining equipment, and an example, of the ‘adaptation to innovation’ path taken by many firms, is Elphinstone. In the 1970s, Dale Elphinstone developed a loader and later a truck, based on Caterpillar components, better suited to underground mines. The firm was later bought by Caterpillar. Hence, Australian equipment producers have developed to serve specific niches not addressed by the major international equipment producers. Several Australian METS firms manufacture components for imported machines, for example, Ausdrill, Bradkin and Austin Engineering. Many of these firms have built a strong international position over the past ten years. Table 4.8: Equipment Supply and Manufacturing Firms
*-majority foreign-owned. There is little evidence that the major mining companies have been active supporters of Australian METS firms. However, the suppliers of equipment to the mining companies and contractors have had a closer relationship with Australian producers of components and value adding ‘add-ons’. There is some evidence that some of the OEM suppliers are discouraging their distributors from using non-OEM components and add-ons. There are also several indications that Caterpillar and other global equipment makers have realised that they risk declining share of the total value of the revenue based on the supply, augmentation and servicing of their platform. As a result they are seeking to gain greater control over the equipment value chain, through acquisition. These trends are further amplified by the trajectory toward large scale, automated and controlled, factory style mining. Among some Australian equipment producers there is an increasing concern that Chinese suppliers will build positions through, purchasing preferences, acquisitions and copying Suppliers of Specialised Equipment, Software and Related Services (Table 4.9)Firms in this segment are generally smaller and younger than the METS firms in other segments but several are world leaders in their niche. Many are experiencing rapid growth, particularly in offshore markets and this is stretching all levels of capability. The increasing demands for productivity and safety is driving demand for these new technologies, and attracting new niche firms into the industry. However, the specialised mining equipment control segment is dominated by automation companies, such as GE, Honeywell, ABB, Schneider, Emerson, and Rockwell. ABB, GE and Scheider have bought Australian mining software firms in the last few years. Many of the smaller software firms have built their business in a licence plus consulting-based revenue business model, but this approach is unlikely to provide a competitive approach as the segment consolidates and leading firms build the economies of scale and scope that enable investment in new technology. This is likely to be particularly important as mining IT systems become more inclusive and integrated, linking also to the drive for automation. This trend is clearly a challenge to the Australian mining software firms. Table 4.9: Suppliers of Specialised Equipment, Software and Related Services
*-Recently acquired by GE Yüklə 1 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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