Mechatronix and Thiess join forces to revolutionise the way mining fleets are maintained
A family business and a mining services powerhouse have joined forces to rollout new technology that promises to extend the lifespan of mining trucks and equipment, and make millions.
Andrew Middlin knew his family business was onto a game-changer for the mining industry.
A specialist in metal fatigue in mining equipment, he founded Mechatronix 25 years ago. And years of work he has pioneered new technology to dramatically boost the lifespan and load capacity of mining assets using lightweight carbon-fibre reinforcement.
But he knew what he really needed to take the concept from his Sunshine Coast workshop to the world, was a globally positioned partner to trial, develop, implement and commercialise the new technology.
An engineer by trade, Mr Middlin had spent decades in the mining industry focused on traditional methods to treat and prevent cracks in the steel chasses of mine trucks and other equipment, resulting in a finite operating life of these assets worth millions.
However, about 10 years ago Mr Middlin started to think differently. His team looked at applying carbon-fibre reinforcements, used successfully by the Royal Defence Force on F1-11s and naval frigates.
It was much lighter and stronger than steel, and Mr Middlin said it was an obvious material choice for the mining industry.
“We did a whole lot of research and development to take it from an aerospace and defence industry high brow application through to something that could be applied in a general industrial type environment. We had to simplify it make it practical,” he said.
The search for a partner who had strong engineering capability, a commitment to innovation, and access to a broad range of mining equipment globally stepped up at the start of the Covid pandemic in 2020 and travel restrictions.
Enter Thiess – an operator of one of the world’s largest asset fleets, with more than 1200 mining trucks and over 2500 pieces of mining equipment globally.
Founded in Toowoomba in 1933, the mining services giant needed a way to prolong the life of its existing mining fleet.
Theiss took a 25 per cent slice of Mr Middlin’s company in 2020. All worked well and the Brisbane-based company recently took another 25 per cent of Mechatronix following a series of successful lab and field trials.
Mr Middlin said despite the vast difference in company size – he has 13 staff compared with Thiess’s 15,000-strong workforce – there was a natural synergy to the relationship.
“Thiess have provided us with a powerful global platform, and an opportunity to trial, develop and commercialise our product, providing more efficient asset management practices and a timely service offering for clients,” he said.
“With electric and hydrogen powered trucks some years away, all major mining companies are looking to extend the life of their existing assets, while they await the new OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) solutions.
“They (Thiess) offer asset management services to the global mining industry, including offering technology solutions, in additional to their global maintenance and asset capability. And we are a differentiator for Thiess in that space.”
Thiess will apply Mechatronix-designed and built carbon-fibre kits for new and older vehicle fleets through its recently opened Batam Rebuild Centre in Indonesia. As demand grows, there’s an opportunity to open a second plant in North America installing Mechatronix’s technology, which is designed and currently manufactured at its Noosaville factory.
Mr Middlin said the partnership with Thiess was only a beginning in a career which started in 1983 at Vipac Engineers & Scientists.
Born in Mt Isa, for Mr Middlin a career in the resources sector was pretty much a fait accompli with his father John the general manager and executive director of Mt Isa Mines in the 1970s and 80s. Schooled Anglican Church Grammar School (Churchie) in Brisbane, he studied mechanical engineering at the University of Queensland before starting work.
Mr Middlin said they were now seriously “ramping up” with two sides to the business – working with the Theiss fleet and in the broader industry.
Beyond the Thiess partnership, Mechatronix is also working with First Quantum Minerals in Africa, and Rio Tinto, Anglo and BHP to further develop and apply its solutions to an expanding portfolio of machine models.
“At the moment we’re repairing assets, but our longer-term goal is to use carbon fibre composites to redesign and `lightweight’ mining equipment to support decarbonisation,” he said.
“One of the biggest expected drawbacks of electric or hydrogen powered trucks and loaders is that the batteries and fuel cells are heavy, which increases the Gross Vehicle Mass and reduces the payload it can safely carry. That will place a significant drag on productivity.
“We will be able to strip out weight on both aftermarket and new machines by replacing heavy steel components with lighter, durable alternatives using hybrid steel and carbon fibre construction.
“If you can take 10 tonnes of weight out of a truck, that’s an extra 10 tonnes you can
carry. If you can lightweight an excavator boom you can put more payload in your
bucket, that means you need less passes to load a truck and you’re using less
battery power per tonne.”
Mr Middlin said Mechatronix has developed kits and solutions for large haul trucks (especially Caterpillar and Komatsu), hydraulic excavators (especially Hitachi) and electric rope shovels (especially P & H).
“The potential market size is enormous with interest fuelled by the need to extend the life of existing assets until new generation electrified haul trucks are proven and widely available,” he said.
“In North and South America and Australia alone there are over 13,000 large haul trucks, 1000 hydraulic excavators and 500 electric rope shovels.
“With our technology being applicable to both midlife and end-of-life machine rebuilds and pre-emptive treatment of machine structures at low hours, all of these machines are candidates for our solutions. With active leads and project discussions in play with the world’s largest mining companies Mechatronix is well positioned for rapid growth”.
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