A message from your E&I leaders, Jun '22

Everyone, it looks like the 2021-22 financial year is going to end well for us and we will have a good start to the next financial year. Our safety performance continues to be excellent, and, during the last week, we have won some new work which I’m looking forward to announcing to you all when I’m officially able to. We have also been given additional E&I work at Albemarle’s lithium plant in Kemerton, WA.

Our Precontracts team is probably as busy as it has ever been, with multiple high-quality opportunities being worked on. These include engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts that are being pursued by our joint venture business, Mondium, as well as structural, mechanical, piping, electrical and instrumentation (SMPE&I) opportunities with our traditional and new customers. Assuming we win our fair share – which I feel confident about and history says we’re a very good chance – we should have a healthy backlog of work for the next few years.

Our existing contracts continue to perform well. Albemarle has expanded our scope at the Kemerton Lithium  Plant (KLP). Our E&I package is now expected to run for another couple of months, which should dovetail nicely with the ramp-up of another project upcoming in the southwest. We are receiving great feedback from Albemarle, which we hope will position us well for major E&I packages on the planned additional trains 3 and 4.

Our team on Rio Tinto’s Gudai-Darri Project has reduced in number, but we expect to maintain a presence on site to close out the works. The recent media reporting about the success of the overall project is pleasing to read, and our contribution to this success has been recognised by Rio. We are working hard to leverage this goodwill into future opportunities we’re currently tendering for.

We are also working on shutdown projects for Rio at Tom Price and for BHP at South Flank Inflow. Both project teams have recently completed successful shuts and are planning the next.

Our contract with Tronox in Broken Hill, NSW, is progressing, albeit with a change to the execution strategy. We are now targeting a single shutdown, which will require additional resources. Unfortunately, we are competing with Chris Hemsworth and the cast of Mad Max Furiosa for local accommodation and seem to be coming off second-best!

Our SMPE&I contract with Newcrest for the Lihir Island Front-End Recovery Plant is ongoing. Our project team is working through the local challenges and a big thank you to everyone who is helping to manage the sometimes-unpredictable nature of the project.

The E&I operation in Gladstone has finished the financial year strongly and has a healthy backlog of work for the 2022-23 financial year. Prospects look good in Gladstone and, much like the rest of the business, we just need to find more good people.

Pleasingly, our Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan 2022-2025 has been endorsed and will be launched through a series of activities and events during NAIDOC Week from Sunday 3 to Sunday 10 July 2022. In this newsletter we look at the engagement initiatives recently held to engage local Indigenous people in meaningful work with us.

The success that we have enjoyed during the last 12 months is because of one reason – the commitment and contribution of the people within the business. Thank you everyone, I think we can say that the last 12 months was a job well done!

Stuart