Welcome to RCOE News!

There's been plenty going on at the RCOE over the last few weeks. Firstly, we hosted an Open Day for local businesses and tradespeople to come to RCOE and not only check out our facilities, but also meet other professionals looking to collaborate and gain an insight into each other's capabilities. Here is some of the attendees from the day sharing their thoughts:

Amanda Walker, Community Specialist, BHP

“It’s been really good to come along and see local businesses here showcasing their services and their capabilities - a great mix of people here in Mackay, with so many different skills on show. The Resources Centre of Excellence is a fabulous facility – it’s really impressive to see the set up in there and the potential for training and product testing that can take place in the underground simulator.”

John Refalo, Director, Evolution Electrical

“It's been excellent. We're handing out business cards left right and centre!”

Morné Breytenbach, Managing Director, Huesker

“This facility, where we can showcase and install the product and show potential customers what it actually looks like in a non-life situation, is going to provide us great opportunities and open up new market spaces for us.”

Corey Vaughn, Managing Director, 2Censor

“The opportunity for people to test the products and have a look at the real-time conditions of an underground mine is pretty spectacular.”

Graham Thompson, Training Coordinator, Custom Fluidpower

“The underground simulator is excellent. To get new people into the industry and looking at that sort of stuff is a real benefit.”

David Hartigan, General Manager, Field Engineers

“The other great thing about the RCOE is the laboratory. Having access to a lab with fume extractions so that you can do things like fire testing is really good to have in the region.”

Nepean Conveyors installation

The RCOE underground training simulator is really starting to take shape. With every installation, the facility is getting closer and closer to successfully recreating authentic underground conditions. This month, Nepean Conveyors completed the installation of a conveyor system. We spoke to Clinton Paul (Workshop Manager at Nepean Conveyors) to see what this means for the RCOE’s training capabilities and for local businesses just like Nepean Conveyors.

“The conveyer installed at the RCOE is a Jiffy conveyor belt - a traditional development belt that most underground pits use. It will handle up to 1.2km at 2.5m a second and 300 ton an hour of coal production.”

“It took two days to install the Jiffy Conveyor - traditionally somewhere around 24 to 30 hours of installation. Our rapid install and rapid retreat sort of conveyor systems are what allows the industry to move as quickly as it has required.

“Nepean is big on training people to be in industry. We have training packages in-house that we produce and deliver to the customers. The RCOE is a good opportunity for us to have our product on display and get it out in the industry so people can learn offsite what they need to learn while onsite. The RCOE will provide people with the opportunity to get exposed to underground mining and the opportunity to learn and train with some of the best trainers around. It will be terrific for industry, safety and the quality of Mackay.”

We can't wait to see what exciting and innovative things 2021 brings. Stay up to date with all our latest updates by liking our Facebook page.

OPEN DAY IMAGES