Mining services giant Thiess has expanded into digital and asset services, acquiring significant stakes in two Australian businesses: LAAMP and Mechatronix.
LAAMP and Mechatronix had been working with Thiess for many years to manage and grow two of the mining services provider’s key values of its people and equipment.
LLAMP is a digital platform streamlining training and assessments to remote workforces, while Mechatronix creates carbon fibre structural reinforcements to extend the life of trucks and increase payload capacity.
Thiess Group executive chair and chief executive officer Michael Wright said the investments signalled Thiess’ intent to expand its offering as a global services provider, outside of the traditional mining operations.
“While we are incredibly proud of this legacy, we are looking at new avenues to further pioneer sustainable mining and infrastructure services into the future,” he said.
“LAAMP aims to ensure our people have the right competency and capability, with the latest thinking in training and assessments, while Mechatronix has a global focus on fleet sustainability and asset longevity”
Wright said the acquisitions will provide Thiess with wider benefits for its clients and people, while helping the company reach its goals in sustainability and innovation.
Mechatronix was approached by Thiess back in 2020 with a target to double the expected operating life of its existing mining trucks from 60,000–70,000 hours to 110,000–120,000 hours.
This was perfect timing for Mechatronix founder Andrew Middlin, who had spent 30 years in the mining industry analysing machines for stress and fatigue before working on a solution to extend the life of these assets.
“If we can take 10 tonnes of weight out of an asset, that’s an extra 10 tonnes a truck on a mine site can carry on each load,” Middlin said. “Overall, that increases productivity, while providing a smarter and more sustainable solution for existing assets.
“It’s a genuine win-win situation where we have a high-profile partner to help us showcase to the industry what we can do, while for Thiess, our technology allows them to be a differentiator in their sector and make strong inroads into their sustainability commitments.”
Thiess’ partnership with LAAMP dates back to 2019, when Thiess was looking at improving its training, assessment and staff records across a global workforce.
“At that time, we had staff spread across Africa, the Americas, Indonesia, Mongolia, India and Australia and the content was being delivered in different ways, without the consistency we would have liked,” Wright said.
“We wanted to change not only how the content was delivered – to make it interactive, multilingual and relevant – but also how and where it was delivered.”
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