Liebherr is committed to working with miners like Glencore to grow the Australian mining industry.
Liebherr-Australia has strengthened its position in the mining sector with three significant site entries under new multi-year agreements with Glencore.
In Queensland, Liebherr commissioned its first-ever excavators at Glencore’s Hail Creek coal mine in the Bowen Basin, with two R 9600s delivered in 2025, and one in 2026. Liebherr is also contracted to commission two R9600s at Glencore’s Rolleston coal mine in 2026.
In New South Wales, Liebherr commenced operations at Glencore’s Ravensworth site with the delivery of a R 9400, R 9600 and R 9800 in late 2024 and mid 2025. These were also the first Liebherr machines to be commissioned at the site.
Liebherr-Australia has also consolidated its position by securing additional equipment at Glencore sites where they are already an incumbent. In New South Wales, Glencore’s United Wambo site has welcomed another R 9600 and R 9400 in 2025 and the Bulga site is welcoming three R 9600s and one R 9400 in the second half of 2025.
These deployments are among the first of 17 Liebherr excavators confirmed for delivery across six Glencore operations in Queensland and New South Wales by the end of 2025, with further optional deliveries in 2026 and 2027.
The partnership is more than a fleet rollout; it signals a strategic evolution for both companies.
“By the latter part of this decade, we’ll be moving a significant portion of Glencore’s total material on-site across their Queensland and NSW operations,” Liebherr-Australia executive general manager of sales, marketing, training and solutions Brian Boitano told Australian Mining.
“To be such a critical part of Glencore’s upstream supply to market is a significant endorsement of the work Liebherr-Australia does.”
This first phase of the national rollout includes 10 R 9600s, five R 9400s, one R 9100 and one R 9800, with each excavator supported by Liebherr’s dedicated service infrastructure.
“Assuring successful production at a Glencore site hinges on more than just machine delivery,” Boitano said.
“The commissioning process is one of the early pieces of our critical customer interactions with each site. As the equipment begins it’s working life, Liebherr-Australia delivers further customer value in the form of the technical support we’ve embedded into Glencore’s operations.
“Our teams are integrated into their planning processes, component delivery schedules and shutdown planning.”
Across the Bowen Basin and Hunter Valley, Liebherr’s Mackay and Mount Thorley branches serve as operational hubs, providing Glencore sites with parts, maintenance teams, and critical shutdown planning capabilities.
“Our technicians and planners work directly with Glencore teams on-site,” Boitano said. “They’re the face of Liebherr-Australia, and their work is what keeps these machines running.
“Commissioning multiple machines over eight months marks a significant step forward in our first phase of this collaborative journey with Glencore,” Boitano said.
“We’re committed to supporting performance and reliability on-site through dedicated service and training delivered by our experienced local teams.”
Liebherr’s presence is also expanding in NSW with the help of its Mount Thorley branch.
Of the 17 machines, 12 will be delivered across Glencore’s Ravensworth, United Wambo, Bulga, and Mount Owen operations.
“There have already been important milestones in this partnership, like the first-ever Liebherr machine at Ravensworth and Hail Creek,” Boitano said.
“It validates Liebherr as a Tier 1 supplier with a product portfolio that outperforms our competitors.”
Glencore’s commitment to Liebherr for this multi-site rollout reflects its confidence in the OEM’s production performance and reliability.
Looking ahead, the relationship is set to deepen.
“We foresee this relationship evolving to include our full suite of solutions, including innovative forms of technology,” Boitano said.
“We’re already working together on machine performance prognostics and preventive maintenance strategies through data-sharing initiatives. That’s just the beginning.”
Beyond excavators, Liebherr looks forward to exploring other potential equipment classes, such as dozers and large mining trucks, and build upon the recent success with the current excavator fleet.
“These supply agreements provide a solid foundation for our partnership with Glencore to evolve,” Boitano said.
“We’re excited about the Liebherr fleet expanding, beyond phase one, into 2026 and 2027.”
For now, Liebherr is focused on delivering machines, embedding support teams and strengthening the systems that keep equipment running.
This feature appeared in the September edition of Australian Mining.
This feature appeared in the September edition of Australian Mining.
