The Perenti Scoop - Issue 5

Welcome to the fifth issue of Perenti Scoop as we officially celebrate the first anniversary of the magazine.

In this issue, we see how ten female truck drivers are making history at the Motheo mine in Botswana, hear how Safety Ambassador Jerry ‘Beezy’ Abu is spreading the safety message in Ghana and celebrate some of the great fundraising initiatives across the group (well done to all you walkers!!). And after the success of the Scoop photo competition, it's back with bigger and better prizes!

The Perenti Scoop is an internal magazine where we can share our stories and successes, and we welcome all feedback, suggestions and story ideas. If you would like to share an item from Scoop outside Perenti, don’t hesitate to contact Team Scoop by emailing thescoop@perentigroup.com for a suitable version.

TeamScoop

ON THE COVER

Perenti Managing Director & CEO Mark Norwell and ABB Division President, Process Industries Joachim Braun signing the agreement to collaborate and explore approaches to support net zero emissions targets for underground and open-pit mines. Read the full story on page 10.

 Photo - Lake Lefroy St Ives, Marc Mundy.

UPDATE

MARK NORWELL

It has been a year where we have achieved a considerable amount and the business remains well placed with solid foundations, an updated strategy and new operating model to support our delivery now and out to 2025.

2022 HIGHLIGHTS

Our people: There is no doubt the last two and a half years have been a challenging time that has tested many of us as we’ve battled through the pandemic, broader global challenges and the associated impacts. The recent upgrade to our FY23 earnings guidance, and continuation of the positive performance and momentum built up earlier in the year, is a testament to the resolve, commitment and hard work of you all. Against significant headwinds, we’ve delivered beyond expectations and I’m very proud of your efforts over this time – thank you!

Technology: 2022 has been a big year for technology. I recently travelled to Japan with Sarah Coleman, President of idoba, to visit Sumitomo Corporation, who are now a shareholder in our idoba business. The trip emphasised the growth opportunities in this space for Perenti. Sumitomo’s investment in idoba is recognition of our technology strategy and builds on a number of technology acquisitions we have made in recent years. We are well positioned within the industry to capitalise on these investments in the future, plus broader initiatives across the organisation, such as PACE (Perenti Analytics Collaboration Environment) and specific initiatives within Contract Mining.

Sustainability: An important change to our 2025 Strategy has been to embed sustainability in everything we do. I encourage everyone to look at how you can incorporate sustainability into your everyday tasks and share your ideas with colleagues.

Our recent partnership with global technology company, ABB, is an exciting development that positions us at the forefront of decarbonisation in the industry as we will collaborate and explore approaches to support net zero emissions targets for underground and open-pit mines.

Respect: In December last year we launched our It’s Not OK campaign to understand and address incidents of sexual assault, harassment and other harmful behaviours in our workplace. As a starting point, we’ve listened to our Australian based people through focus groups and surveys and found some uncomfortable truths in our business that were brought into the light. Many responses from our people were confronting and I respect the bravery of people who spoke up.

We are committed to changing for the better and we’ve already started to act, outlining a number of priority actions that will support us to collectively make our business safer and more respectful for everyone.

I would like to use my last column for 2022 to thank you all for your continued hard work and outline some of my highlights from the last 12 months.

We still have a long way to go, but I am committed to leading the industry in our response. It’s on all of us to take responsibility for our own behaviour and to keep the conversation going with our teammates and leaders. I am focused on creating a work environment where people will feel comfortable to speak up, in support of our workmates and ourselves.

OUR PURPOSE AND LIVING OUR PRINCIPLES

During 2022, I have been fortunate enough to visit a number of our sites both in Australia and internationally. It’s one of the favourite parts of my role, getting out, visiting our offices and seeing our projects to speak with our people. When I’m out and about, it is always good to see examples of our Purpose and people living our Principles. Recent examples of where I’ve seen or heard our Purpose in practice include our AMS team at the Sanbrado mine delivering the contracted mine volume two years ahead of schedule; Our Barminco team in Botswana supporting the local community to establish a chicken farm; and a young apprentice at the Nova underground mine who started in Ausdrill, transferred to BTP and then moved to Barminco - he’s loved the experience he’s gained across three different businesses, but within one organisation. Our Purpose and Principles are the cornerstone of our strategy, with a focus on building a sustainable business, and are a fundamental part of The Perenti Way.

Our Principles are focused on how we work together and I encourage everyone to continue to make them part of how you work every day.

These are just some of the examples of our great work this year. And while much has been achieved throughout 2022, we must reflect on the tragic events in Botswana and the loss of our colleagues Baleseng Sechele and Moses Marpaung who were fatally injured in a workplace incident in May. We also remember mining industry pioneer and Ausdrill founder Ron Sayers who sadly passed away in May this year. Our thoughts remain with their families, friends and colleagues.

As we get close to the end of the year this is also a poignant reminder to stay safe and look out for your workmates, families and friends so that we can be Smarter together, Safer together.

In closing, I’d like to thank you again for your contribution to 2022. I would also like to thank your families and friends, as I know the challenges at work can sometimes impact you outside of work. It has been a year where we have emerged out of the pandemic and, thanks to the efforts of all our people, are well placed to focus on implementing our 2025 Strategy.

If you are taking a well-earned break, please enjoy your time with family and friends. If you are working through to the end of 2022 and into the start of 2023 – thank you! 

MARK NORWELL MANAGING DIRECTOR & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER



Above: Mark with idoba President Sarah Coleman and representatives from Sumitomo Corporation. To the right: Mark talks with Joachim Braun, Division President Process Industries ABB, with Cameron Bailey, Chief Strategy Officer, and ABB’s Alan Teixeira looking on.

45 FRANCIS STREET

Perenti on the move

Perenti has relocated its Corporate Office in Perth to 45 Francis Street in Northbridge with employees moving into the refurbished premises on Monday 12 December.

The office at 45 Francis Street is a modern, open plan facility which includes dedicated areas for collaboration between teams as well as six meeting rooms. The building has a 5.5 Star green energy rating and 5.5 NABERS rating.

The move to smaller premises supports the shift to a more focused corporate centre in line with our new operating model, with an expected cost saving of approximately $1 million. Perenti CFO Pete Bryant, who is co-sponsor of the move, said the office provides Perenti with a space to work together to build the future of the business.

The location of the Francis Street office provides easy and convenient access to Perth’s major businesses, while also being easily accessed from all major transport routes including Perth train station and bus terminals. A number of parking options are available for those visiting.

QUICK FACTS:

• Address: Level 4, William Square, 45 Francis Street, Northbridge, WA 6003

• Postal address and phone numbers remain the same

• Six meeting rooms with the names of the meeting rooms carried over from Pier Street 

“It’s a great facility that promotes cross team collaboration and supports our principles of Smarter together and Enable tomorrow.

We look forward to welcoming people from across the Group to our new home.”

Leading@Perenti –The Perenti Senior Leadership Program kicks off in Perth

In late November, a group of senior leaders from across Perenti gathered for a four-day leadership program that aims to build leadership alignment and capability across the Group.

The Leading@Perenti program will run over six cohorts in 2022 and 2023 with over 85 leaders attending during that time. The program links directly to Perenti’s purpose to create enduring value and certainty and is an important part of our 2025 Strategy.

Leaders across the business were invited to apply for the program and the first cohort included employees from Barminco, Ausdrill, Corporate, idoba, AMS and Supply Direct.

As part of the program, leaders participated in a range of presentations from our Group Executive Committee, collaborative workshops and team building activities. Participants also attended a keynote address from award winning documentary-maker, TV presenter and businessman Todd Sampson on Brain Power – Pushing Past Limiting Beliefs. Brant Garvey, Australian paratriathlete talked to the Leading@Perenti participants about discovering the secrets to remaining resilient no matter the challenges they face.

Ben Davis, Chief People and Sustainability Officer, said the inaugural Leading@Perenti program proved a big success.

“Throughout the four days we covered a variety of areas, including expectations of a leader at Perenti, creating a safe and respectful workplace, building a trusted peer group, how to generate value as a leader and increasing self-awareness and self management.”

“The Leading@Perenti program is an important part of our 2025 Strategy because investing in our leaders builds the capacity of the organisation, improves business performance, and fosters a safe and respectful working environment for all our people.”

Leading@Perenti's first session held at Fraser Suites Perth. 

Puppy love has lasting impact

In recent months, employees at Perenti’s Pier Street office have become used to a four legged visitor. Lilly is a 15-monthold black Labrador puppy training to become a full-time guide dog as part of the Guide Dogs WA program.

Lilly’s ‘puppy partner’ is Mith Goonawardene, a Project Manager in Corporate Technology, who signed up for the program after a visit to the dog’s refuge in Shenton Park.

“I was keen on getting a puppy, but wasn’t able to commit to the time, so signing up to the puppy partner program was a way of being able to fuss over a dog but also give something back to the community.”

For Mith, partnering with Lilly and seeing her grow has been an incredible experience. “It has been so rewarding, watching Lilly grow and settle at home and gain more freedom and independence as well as find her confidence in the world.”

But beyond the cuddles and cuteness, it hasn’t always been a walk in the park. “At first it was very challenging, but Lilly’s grown to be the best puppy now,” Mith says. “She hadn’t had a lot of structure before boarding with me, and she was quite badly behaved. There were a few lost socks, an ugg that was covered in slobber and a rubber doorstop that didn’t make it. But we did a lot of training and put in some long hard hours at home to help her settle and be better behaved. It’s been hard work, but there is plenty of support.”

Lilly is currently in formal training and at the conclusion of the program she will be paired with a client and transition to being a full-time working dog.

What does it take to become a puppy partner? Mith says anyone who can make the time commitment is well suited to do this. “You could be a stay at home parent, retired, or have someone you can share the responsibility with to look after the puppy and train it. You don’t need to have a lot of space, but you do need to be able to commit the time to walk the puppy either with the guide dogs group or alone.”

“It’s absolutely worth the effort because of the personal bond you develop with the puppy and that you’ve played your part in training a dog that will make a real and lasting difference to a blind person in Western Australia,” Mith says.

Anyone interested in finding out more about how to support Guide Dogs WA should visit guidedogswa.com.au

 Mith and Lilly at Pier Street.

Ground-breaking study endorsed by acoustics experts

The comprehensive study was carried out by the Perenti Contract Mining HSE team along with noise and vibration specialists, EcoAcoustics, following a serious incident at the Zone 5 mine in Botswana and a number of near misses (SPIs) at other mines.

In all cases, the employees had significantly misjudged the proximity of trucks from hearing the reversing alarms.

The study involved acoustic testing at a number of sites including Spotted Quoll, Flying Fox and Sunrise Dam, with results leading to the development of a White Paper that has now been peer reviewed by acoustics experts globally.

Herman Ebersohn, Superintendent Quality and Assurance for Contract Mining said the findings of the study were surprising given they differed vastly from previous industry testing and ISO standards.

“Previous alarm efficacy in mining was based on how sound travels in open pits, and our testing showed that sound behaves very differently underground”, Herman said.

“Essentially, in an underground environment, it becomes much more difficult for a person to judge the change in distance of an object based on decreasing or increasing sound.”

Herman and EcoAcoustics recently presented the study at the Acoustical Society of New Zealand conference. The findings have been communicated to the relevant ISO (International Standards Organisation) technical committee, which should help to better inform them about calibration requirements for reversing alarms in underground environments.

Darren Batchler, Vice President HSE Contract Mining congratulated the team on the work. “This has been a groundbreaking study that hopefully will inform change across the industry in the future. A big thank you to everyone involved, especially Herman for spearheading this project for Perenti.”

Perenti Contract Mining Superintendent Quality and Assurance Herman Ebersohn (right) along with co-presenters Rebecca Ireland and Francis Prendergast from EcoAcoustics.

A revolutionary study into how sound travels in underground mines could result in important changes to reversing alarms for trucks and other machinery.

Q&A

Teresa Eldridge

Welcome to the Q&A section of Perenti Scoop where we feature an employee to provide insight into the business and how they contribute to our success. This edition, we talk to Perenti Contract Mining Manager of Sustainability Teresa Eldridge.

How long have you been with Perenti?

Teresa: I have been with Perenti for two years and in the mining industry for 19 years. After university and a year of backpacking, I started as Environmental Officer at the then greenfields site Area C working for Henry Walker Eltin (HWE). In 2006 I was offered a coordinator role in Perth for HWE, and that amazing opportunity allowed me to travel to sites all over Australia. I have since worked for Leighton Contractors, BHP, Atlas Iron and for a few years ran my own consulting business.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your role in the business?

Teresa: I am the Manager of Sustainability for the Contract Mining Division. This is a new role for the business, and it is really exciting to be part of the team. My role is to help the business improve our sustainability performance. In my role, sustainability covers things like the environment, community, human rights and climate change.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

Teresa: The opportunity to be part of Perenti’s sustainability journey and help shape those outcomes is fantastic. I also love getting out onto site and spending time understanding our operations.

What are the challenges in your role?

Teresa: Societal and legislative expectations are changing rapidly, which presents a challenge but also opportunities.

Any career advice for women in mining?

Teresa: There are opportunities everywhere in mining, and if they present themselves, jump at them. Always be yourself and never stop learning and if you are passionate about something, stand your ground. Improving our diversity across all roles will only strengthen our business.

Tell us about your life outside of work.

Teresa: I enjoy time outdoors with my husband, and we spend a lot of time camping and hiking. I also volunteer with the Bibbulmun Track Foundation, undertaking maintenance on the track. We also love travelling overseas to interesting and new places. Spending time with family and friends is a priority, particularly my nephews and attending their numerous sporting events.

Do you follow any sports teams?

Teresa: Predictably as a Western Australian, I support the Eagles and the Scorchers, and I am looking forward to taking my youngest nephew to his first Scorchers game this summer!

What book would you recommend to people and why?

Teresa: A Life on Our Planet by David Attenborough. Like his documentaries, Sir David Attenborough explains complex science in simple and relatable terms. His vision for the future is inspiring and gives me hope. Other books I would recommend are the Harry Potter series because they aren’t just for kids, and everyone needs magic in their life. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts is a cracking read, and my favourite book, Power of One, by Bryce Courtenay.

Do you have a favourite quote. “Not all those who wander are lost” J.R.R Tolkien. 

Mo Bros raise funds and awareness

Chief People and Sustainability Officer and President of Mining Services Ben Davis has again joined Mo Bros across Australia raising funds for men’s health. Not limiting his Mo’s exposure to only Australia, he has also helped spread the Movember message across our international offices and sites across UK, South Africa, Botswana and multiple locations in Burkina Faso.

This year Ben has raised more than $10,000, reaching a total of $17,000 in the last two years. Ben’s motivation to raise funds for Movember is in part due to his own father’s recent battle with prostate cancer.

“Both my father and my uncle have battled prostate cancer in the last five years and while they have come out the other side, it has had a profound impact on them that they continue to live with today. It is so important that men get educated and get their checks early to give them the best chance of living well into the future. If I can play my small part in raising awareness, then I am pleased to do so – even if it means being a little silly in front of others!” he said.

Also raising dough to save a bro, the Barminco Mo Bros James Belin Shaw, Ben Keyser and Ryan Armanasco have again raised funds for Movember. The $4,180 raised will help make a difference in men’s mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.

Team Captain James Belin Shaw has been participating in Movember for nine years and has raised $14,989 since 2014.

“Every year, I take the plunge and start the month with a fresh face to

help raise awareness and funds for Movember. 468 is the number of brothers, fathers, mates and partners we lose to preventable causes such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer and suicide in one month alone. The Movember Foundation is tackling this issue with one simple message: Men, let’s talk when things get tough and if losing a beard starts a conversation and helps to stop losing a mate then I’m all in,” he said.

Remembrance Day

MO vember Facts

Movember Facts

In Australia, men die four years earlier than women for largely preventable reasons:

3 out of 4 suicides are men

Suicide is the leading cause of death among Aussie men aged 15-44

1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer before age 85

Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in young Aussie men 

Employees at Perenti’s office in Pier Street, Perth, took time on Remembrance Day to honour those who served their country and, in some cases, sacrificed their lives, for their country. Those who attended heard from Bill Forbes, a former officer who served in the Australian Army during the Vietnam War. Bill gave a heartfelt and candid account of his time during the war.

Perenti’s Head of Security John Moller also gave insight into the story of the unknown Australian soldier who died during the First World War. The soldier was repatriated from a grave in France in 1993 to the Canberra War Memorial where he now lies in peace at home on Australian soil.

Perenti CFO Peter Bryant whose father served in the army, thanked Bill for taking the time to share his story with Perenti employees. “Remembrance Day is a poignant time as we remember those who have served in the armed forces and the sacrifices made for our country. It was a privilege to hear about Bill’s experience in Vietnam, especially because it’s the first time he has shared much of his story. A big thank you to Bill, John Moller and everyone involved in organising such a memorable event.”

 Bill Forbes speaking to Pier Street employees.

PERENTI HAS A VISION TO DEVELOP ENERGY EFFICIENT SOLUTIONS FOR THE MINING INDUSTRY. MarkNorwell

From left to right. Site visit: Paul Linabury, Contract Mining, Raj Ratneser, Perenti, and Mick Radi, Contract Mining, along with Mehrzad Ashnagaran, Joachim Braun and Ramzi Akkawi from ABB.

Electric Dreams –Perenti and ABB team up to decarbonise mining

In an exciting development for the future of sustainable mining, Perenti has recently signed an agreement with global technology company ABB. In collaboration, the companies will explore approaches to support emissions targets for underground and open-pit mining operations.

Under the agreement, representatives from the two companies will work to address the changes associated with the electrification of mining operations including mine design, power distribution, energy efficiency and power management.

Perenti’s significant mining experience and capability will complement ABB’s technology expertise, with the partnership providing solutions and services for pilot, brownfield and greenfield mining customer projects to support the electrification of operations.

Managing Director and CEO Mark Norwell said Perenti has a vision to develop energy efficient solutions for the mining industry.

“By combining our experience across mining operations and digital solutions with ABB’s leading technologies, we are focused on supporting the decarbonisation of mining through electrification,” Mark said.

“Perenti is committed to acting on climate change through promoting innovation, developing and deploying low emissions technology and working with our clients to implement projects that improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions.

“We look forward to working with ABB on this exciting new venture.”

ABB’s Joachim Braun said mining customers are committed to facing environmental, societal and economic challenges head on as they aim to decarbonise mining operations.

“With ABB’s electric-mine technology development and Perenti’s experience in mine development and operations, the scope of this collaboration is a perfect

opportunity to make real progress in providing electric solutions that will decarbonise the industry.”

Perenti Contract Mining, Manager Electrification Paul Linabury, who was instrumental in the development of the partnership, recently accompanied ABB executives on a tour of one of Barminco’s WA operations.

“It’s exciting to be at the forefront of the electrification journey in the resources industry, particularly for underground mining,” Paul said.

“Electrification of underground vehicles is developing quickly, but to create an underground all-electric mine operation would be sector leading.

“This partnership is looking to position Perenti Contract Mining as the go to provider for all electric mining solutions by utilising the capabilities of the whole group including Contract Mining, Mining Services and idoba. It was great to be able to spend time on site with representatives from ABB and to show them operationally what would be required to fully electrify an underground mine.

“Finding more sustainable methods of mining is crucial to the industry and the electrification of mining is one way that we can provide a better operating environment for our people and reduce our carbon footprint at the same time.”

The Climate Cure –Book Giveaway

“Climate change is the single greatest threat to a sustainable future but, at the same time, addressing the climate challenge presents a golden opportunity to promote prosperity, security and a brighter future for all.” Ban KiMoon, Former Secretary-General of UN.

Climate change, caused by increasing levels of greenhouse gas emissions, is one of the most serious challenges facing society. As Perenti is committed to sustainability underpinning everything we do, we recognise that climate change requires leadership and action for all parts of society.

In the coming months, we will share more on our plans and actions to address this important issue. These efforts include decarbonising our offices, workshops and operations through the deployment of low carbon technology such as battery electric vehicles and solar panels, to innovative partnerships with groups such as ABB.

In the meantime, for those interested in learning more about climate change, we are offering FREE COPIES Flannery’s “The Climate Cure”. To receive your copy simply complete the following sentence and submit your response through the link or QR code below.

Climate change is important to Perenti because...

Win an iPhone 14 Pro Max

This year we have an iPhone 14 Pro Max up for grabs for the best photograph highlighting life on site, and you can enter as many times as you like!

Each quarter a successful selection of images will be published in the Perenti Scoop magazine and featured on Workplace.

The winner, as judged by our expert panel, will be announced in October 2023.

The major prize is an iPhone 14 Pro Max (or similar) pictured below, and a great reason to start capturing images

Please adhere to all site rules and regulations when taking photographs. Underground photography must have permission from site PM’s.

GOOD LUCK AND GET SNAPPING! Terms and Conditions can be found at https://perentigroup.com/wp-content/ uploads/2022/12/757_PRN-TCs-iPhonePro-Max-Photograph-Promotion.pdf or by scanning the QR code below. 

Chief People and Sustainability Officer and President of Mining Services Ben Davis presenting the 2022 photography competition winner, Ben Harris with his prize.

CoRE Resources Challenge –Enabling tomorrow

In

The challenge involved Year 5 students applying practical skills gained in the CoRE Learning Foundation Program, following construction tasks such as engineering tunnels before using production techniques such as sand sifting and magnetic separation. Students were also judged on correct PPE usage, site cleanliness and teamwork.

Perenti Contract Mining Sustainability Advisor Yakuta Khumri, one of the event judges, spoke highly of the challenge.

“I was amazed and impressed by the energy and interest. These young people demonstrated promising safety, care and a great teamwork ethic. It is heartening that they are already so aware, enthusiastic, and developing great employment skills,” she said.

Through Perenti’s partnership with CoRE, we look forward to continuing to engage with students throughout WA and inspiring them to consider a career in the mining and resources industry.

CoRE Educator Stephanie Ludekens, Head of Brand Marketing and Communications Peta Thompson, Chief People and Sustainability Officer and President Mining Services Ben Davis, Electrification Manager Paul Linabury, Graduate Engineer Alex Von Perger, Marketing Coordinator Fiona Lea, Manager Surface Technology Projects Clint Ricetti, Marketing Specialist MJ Rowan, Graduate and Vacation Student Programs Coordinator Niki Drewe, Human Resources Superintendent Karen Lewis, CoRE Educator Chris Broom, Sustainability Advisor Yakuta Khumri and CoRE Coordinator Kathleen Booth.

UPDATE PAUL MULLER

Hello everyone. It’s hard to believe we’re approaching the end of 2022!

What a year of both challenges and achievements it has been for the Perenti Contract Mining Division.

I’d like to begin by thanking you all for your determination and dedication to our business. Looking back, we started the year still reeling from the headwinds we faced from the COVID-19 pandemic both domestically and internationally. There were supply chain issues, labour shortages, travel and logistical challenges. However, we pulled together to address these issues and 12 months on, I’m happy to say we are in a far stronger position now.

Our progress at Zone 5, Motheo, and Cowal, in particular, has been a credit to the leadership teams who have continued to navigate challenges and achieve our objectives. At Ausdrill, the team is working to put the finishing touches on securing further contract extensions and at this stage, things are looking positive. I’ll have more to share with you on that when everything’s finalised.

More recently, the entire East coast of Australia has been inundated with flooding and continual adverse weather events that has made life difficult, but we have prevailed with our strong resolve, a professional approach and a solutionsled attitude. Thank you all to those on the ground who have made this possible. I’d like to extend my thoughts and best wishes to the people and communities impacted by these rain events.

Across the business, we also saw our CheckMate and No Shortcuts campaigns commence and in Australia, we launched the It’s Not Ok campaign. All of these are important efforts by the company to make our work environment safer for everyone and to ensure we reach our objective of nil physical and psychological life changing events. I encourage you all to do everything you can to ensure everyone goes home safely at the end of each and every shift!

We’ve also seen an increase in the engagement of our online communication tool Workplace, which was launched at a number of projects in Australia. I’ve watched it grow from a social media platform to one which is rich with important information and developments relating to site-specific communication or business updates from our leaders.

Keep up the good work as Workplace will become an even more important information sharing platform.

As we look forward to 2023, we’ll also be releasing more information on the Contract Mining Operating Model. This will outline how we work together to achieve our objectives and includes how our Division is organised and the important mechanisms which ensure it all works.

Following the recent Safety Climate Survey, results from your feedback are being collated and will be used to inform our Safety Transformation Plan. The plan is intended to guide our safety improvement efforts over the medium to long term, and will look to address our current safety performance and the issues raised by you in the recent survey. I’ll have more to share on our Safety Transformation Plan as developments occur throughout 2023.

Finally, please ensure you stay safe this festive period. In the lead up to Christmas it may be easy to let your mind wander as you look forward to holidays or catching up with family and friends. Please don’t let distractions place you in a vulnerable position that could lead to an injury or worse. We want to see you all again fit and healthy next year! For those who may be rostered on during the Christmas period, I thank you for your commitment to keeping our operations running and hope you find some quality time to spend with loved ones at this time of year.

Vale Sechele, Moses, Ron Sayers and IGO CEO Peter Bradford who we lost during the year.

Stay safe. 

PAUL MULLER PRESIDENT CONTRACT MINING

 Zone 5 Image by Kagiso Boepetswe

Zone 5 underground copper mine in Botswana.

Spotlight on Nova

Barminco’s history at Nova in Western Australia dates back almost a decade, making it one of our most valued projects across the Perenti Contract Mining portfolio. Initially owned in 2015 by Sirius, Barminco undertook the first portal works at Nova and continued to partner with IGO after it took over the mine in 2017, resulting in one of our longest running continuous partnerships.

Our strong partnership is built on honesty and trust allowing both companies to resolve issues, highlight opportunities and optimise performance in a safe environment for all employees.

The recent acquisition of Western Areas by IGO creates a larger, single-ownership portfolio, that includes operations at Spotted Quoll, Flying Fox and Odysseus, in addition to Nova, leading to a deeper relationship and greater long-term value for both IGO and Barminco.

Perenti Contract Mining Vice President Australia, Mick Radi, said the partnership with IGO across the takeover sites fits with Barminco’s purpose of creating enduring value and certainty that supports our strategic objectives, and generates competitive returns that attract further capital investment.

“Barminco had previously operated the Western Areas projects so there’s now a greater opportunity to create an enduring partnership with IGO and operate all four mines under one general agreement,” Mick said.

“This will allow us to maximise flexibility and productivity for all four ventures across the group and provide synergies that unlock value across the IGO portfolio.

“The deal represents a logical consolidation of key nickel assets in WA for IGO and it’s exciting for Barminco to be involved with a company that shares a vision of a sustainable future.”

ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) aspects also form a cornerstone of the Barminco/IGO partnership.

“Both companies are committed to leveraging the collective skillset, driving world class performance, safety and implementing leading technologies,” Mick said.

“An area of focus for both parties will be to further explore electrification opportunities for the resources industry, with plans to introduce battery electric vehicles (BEV) into the medium-sized fleet.

“By partnering with IGO we’ll be able to gain the learnings from operating electric vehicles over their life cycle in an underground environment, helping us gain insight into power consumption, power demand and power supply as well as maintenance costs and operational performance.

“It’s important for Barminco and IGO as electrification is still emerging within the underground resources industry globally. It’s an opportunity to establish ourselves at the forefront of the BEV market and be leaders in electrification

Barminco HSE Awards

An engineering solution to dramatically improve the safety of underground mining led to Barminco being named a finalist, at the Work Health and Safety Excellence Awards, held in October.

Following a fatal incident at a nonBarminco operated site two years ago when a bogger went over an open edge, the industry came together to investigate ways to improve safety for operators.

The solution came in the re-designing of steel bollards which prevent a machine from being able to enter a stope void.

Operations Manager Luke Reymond said the bollards went through rigorous testing to get the right mix of strength, weight and easy capability to deploy in an underground environment.

“The bollards are easy to install and can be set up by just two people,” Luke said.

Barminco was named a finalist in the category of Work Health and Safety Invention of the Year.

The award recognises outstanding solutions and innovations to specific workplace health and safety problems in Western Australia.

Vice President Contract Mining, Mick Radi, said while Barminco wasn't successful in securing the main award, they did receive a Certificate of Merit for their efforts.

“I’m very proud of this initiative and what the team has done,” Mick said.

SCAN HERE

“They have been specifically designed to ensure the poles go together effectively, lock solidly with a pin and can bring a fully loaded bogger to a dead stop upon impact.

“They can also be manufactured anywhere in the world, greatly improving the safety of operators globally.”

“Every day now across our operations we have greater protection for our people, reinforcing our principle of Smarter together so we can be Safer together.

“Hopefully we can go one better next year and pick up the main prize!”



L-R Vice President Health Safety and Environment Darren Batchler, Graduate Health Safety and Environment Nursevval Kirmizioglan, General Manager Contract Mining Australia Aaron Rankine, Health Safety and Environment Coordinator Kristina Lazarevic, Operations Manager Ben Keyser and Nova Bollinger Project Manager Casey Costello.

Scan the QR code to watch Operations Manager Luke Reymond discuss the stope bollards.

Rap takes safety message to the next level

The AUMS UMA workshop attendant from Obusai has been performing music for seven years and previously penned a song for the Speak Up campaign. He recently wrote and performed No Shortcuts for the campaign launch in memory of our colleagues Baleseng Sechele and Moses Marpaung whose lives were lost earlier in the year.

Music has always been an important part of Jerry’s life, and he finds it an effective way to communicate with his peers, who equally enjoy his enthusiasm.

We asked Jerry what inspires him to write songs about safety and share them with his co-workers he explained his personal motivation.

“Such occurrences can render people jobless, cause emotional stress and psychological issues and loss of life. So, when a safety incident occurs, I feel the impact as I too have been a victim.

“To motivate and cheer parties involved in such ordeals, I use my music to educate the workforce to adhere to safety measures, such as wearing protective clothes and reflectors, even avoiding slippery floors.

“Moreover, music speaks to the soul and is pleasant to hear. Colleagues can play my music in their cars, homes and workplace while being educated that adhering to safety measures improves productivity and saves lives,” he said

SCAN HERE Scan the QR code to watch Jerry's latest song, No Shortcuts.

“When I was 23, I lost my grandmother in a car accident. She had always supported me in everything, and her death negatively impacted me.

“Whenever I hear of incidents or fatalities when safety measures are not adhered to, I think of the close relatives and family members involved.

Jerry’s latest song, 'No Shortcuts', reminds his colleagues to avoid shortcuts, plan and not compromise on tasks.

Safety ambassador Jerry “Beezy” Abu is bringing a fresh take to safety campaigns, getting the message across with rap music.

Rewarding No Shortcuts Behaviour

With safety at the forefront of everything we do, it is important to not only provide our people with the right tools and support to carry out tasks safely, but also recognise and reward safe behaviour. Following the success of the current ‘No Shortcuts’ safety campaign, Barminco has taken the concept a step further by introducing Safety Recognition Scratchy Cards, across all Australian sites. The scratchies celebrate safety wins on site and are presented to employees who have gone beyond their normal role expectations to exemplify the agreed behaviours of the No Shortcuts Principle.

Operations Manager Luke Reymond said the idea came about because we want all of our people to be the leaders of our safety culture and have a strong sense of team in recognising those of their peers delivering on their commitments to our principle behaviours.

“Culture comes from within,” Luke said.

“Being peer driven and celebrating the wins, the team are able to get around each other and whilst recognising good work, we are also generating interest in our principles, ownership of our behaviours and taking pride in our actions at a site level and also across the company as a whole. It takes courage to point out to another colleague when they’re not doing something right, but by doing just that, we build a stronger safety culture and respect within the workplace that we care about each other’s safety.

“This initiative aims to make a positive example of people who demonstrate our principle behaviours and have gone above the day-to-day expectation of their role.”

The scratchies include a four in five chance of winning an instant cash prize of $100, $50, $20 or $10. Some scratchies include a second chance draw to win an even bigger $200 cash prize, drawn by the Project Manager at the end of each month.

“The initiative has been received positively with many people sharing their win with photos on Workplace, creating somewhat of a healthy rivalry,” Luke said.

“Keep up the good work, keep building on your great safety culture and keep your eye out around site for posters on how to nominate a colleague you see demonstrating behaviours reflective of our No Shortcuts Principle.”

NO SHORTCUTS

If you have a story for The Scoop or some feedback to the articles in this edition or even ideas of how to improve the magazine feel free to drop us an email at: thescoop@perentigroup.com

Women dump truck drivers make history in Ghanzi

Ten female trainees have made history in the Botswana’s Maun region, completing dump truck operator training at the Kavuru Training Centre as a part of AMS’s ongoing investment in Citizen Economic Empowerment.

The training and employment provided to the ten women also reinforces AMS’s commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging, aligning itself to the Tswana Idiom, 'mosadi ke thari ya Sechaba', which loosely translates to 'a woman is the backbone of society'.

The group of women who had previously experienced hardship, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic with little to no income, were appreciative of the opportunity which will help them provide for their families.

“The trucks look formidable, but I am determined to turn my life around, so I have resolved to get hold of my fear and do what needs to be done”, said Emang Molatole, one of the female trainees.

The group has also embraced their new knowledge of mining processes and procedures, incorporating the lessons into their personal lives. Bokamoso Paul confirms, “I expect to be able to apply what we are taught in our everyday lives. For instance, procedures such as fitness for work. We must be mentally and physically fit to drive our cars even at home”.

The women also consider themselves AMS brand ambassadors wherever they go. Keletso Gaborakanelwe declared, “I am going to embody the company’s brand. When I am both at work and outside, I shall sell the AMS brand. I know that everything I do outside inevitably comes back to affect the brand that is AMS”. 

 Alvin Nunuhe, Keletso Pearl Gaborakanelwe, Kedidimetse Setima, Dimakatso Tekae, Oamogetswe Themba, Kedisaletse Tsenene, Losika Doris Mothibi, Bokamoso Paul, Emang Sharon Molatole, Tlotlo Pearl Camm at Zone 5.

HALO Effect

Enabling tomorrow, Ausdrill’s rock scaling robotic system HALO (High Access Localised Operations) has arrived in the Ausdrill Canning Vale Office after being unveiled at the Australian Manufacturing Innovation Showcase in Melbourne in November. The showcase presents collaborative manufacturing research and development projects between research organisations and innovative Australian businesses.

HALO, a robot that uses virtual reality to conduct safer rock scaling operations, is the result of a two-year collaboration between Ausdrill, The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC).

UTS Senior Lecturer and Researcher Dr Gavin Paul who travelled to Western Australia to complete the handover with Ausdrill Geotechnical employees, spoke highly of the collaboration with UTS, Ausdrill and the IMCRC, and what it has meant for his students and the university.

“IMCRC contributing matched funding with Ausdrill has allowed us to support more students. For example, rather than just one engineer doing the work, we had several student projects undertaken at different levels.

“These ranged from undergraduates, where we could bring HALO into the classroom, to the capstone thesis

projects and PhD projects, as well as being able to pay a research engineer for their time.

“Support from industry partners such as Ausdrill also gives us options to provide students with scholarships, which helps prepare them to work in the industry with real-world problems.

“Although we are handing HALO over to Ausdrill, we would like an ongoing relationship where we can help suggest and develop new features as we still have more PhD students investigating ways of using virtual reality,” he said.

Dr Paul hopes to continue UTS’s working partnership with Ausdrill in the future.

“Ausdrill is ambitious in that they think creatively about where they can go in the future in terms of innovation. It’s not simply about solving the problem immediately in front of them but having a vision which can be brought back to the reality of the business,” he said.

Working Smarter together with Ausdrill, idoba will be assisting with HALO’s development in the future, leveraging their technical skills in automation and VR.

idoba Product Manager Dave Beaumont who tested HALO on its arrival, applauded Dr Paul and his teams innovative use of virtual reality technology.

“HALO’s use of virtual reality is the first time I have seen it used for practical control of a remote operated machine,” he said.

“It’s an excellent example of how you can automate a task to get people out of the line of fire.”

Geotechnical Manager and Project Lead Raegan Rumbold, who has worked on the HALO project since 2019, is excited to have HALO in Western Australia and start working with and prototyping the completed proof-of-concept.

“It’s been awesome to follow the evolution from its first inception to its current form. There is a very real possibility that this is one of many robots that will be constructed and deployed to mine sites throughout Australia, and potentially abroad, to keep employees safe from harm,” he said.

HALO Project Chair and Manager of Technology Projects Surface Clint Ricetti who assisted in securing matched funding with the IMCRC, considers the HALO project representative of Perenti Contract Mining Principles.

“By working Smarter together with both UTS and the IMCRC, we are not only Enabling tomorrow in terms of mining technology but also in mine safety and future opportunities for tertiary students,” he said.

 UTS PhD candidates and Research Engineers Tony Le and Shelia Sutjipto and Senior Lecturer and Researcher Dr Gavin Paul demonstrating HALO at the Australian Manufacturing Innovation Showcase.

 HALO Project Chair and Manager Technology Projects Surface Clint Ricetti, Drill and Blast Geotechnical Supervisor Ground Support Mathew Gemzell. HALO Project Lead and Drill and Blast Geotechnical Area Manager Raegan Rumbold, UTS Senior Lecturer and Researcher Dr Gavin Paul, UTS Research Engineers and PhD candidates Tony Le and Shelia Sutjipto and idoba Engineering Intern Mohammad Saood Abbsi.

Barminco Boundary Box

In October, Barminco and Ausdrill employees and their families enjoyed a fun-filled day at the footy in the Barminco Boundary Box, a boundary-side custom-built marquee at Mineral Resources Park.

Attendees cheered on the West Coast Eagles as they took on the Western Bulldogs in the AFLW in their last home game for Season 7.

As well as a great game of footy, attendees also enjoyed food, activities, and goody bags, along with meeting some of their favourite players.

Rosemont Maintenance Foreman Nathan Sheahan attended with his family, including his 16-year-old daughter CJ who was chosen to toss the match coin.

MEET CJ

Hey, I'm CJ, and I got to toss the coin and meet my idols at the Barminco Boundary Box! It's not often that an opportunity like this comes along, and I'm so grateful to have had the experience!

I love fitness, footy and the West Coast Eagles AFLW team. To get to shake hands with the West Coast Eagles captain, Emma Swanson, was surreal and a lifelong memory made!

Thank you for an awesome day. I'm so lucky my Dad is a part of the Barminco team! CJ 

 Perenti Head of Brand Marketing and Communications Peta Thompson, WCE Forward Ella G. Smith, President Contract Mining Paul Muller, WCE Midfielder Abbygail Bushby, Vice President Contract Mining Australia Mick Radi and WCE Forward Kellie Gibson.

 CJ Sheahan meets West Coast Eagle AFLW captain Emma Swanson and game umpire Jacob Mollison.

Barminco Admin help the RFDS

In October, Barminco site administrators Taya Smith, Brianna Broome, Madi Willis, Leah-Anne Ellis and Emma Sutherland took part in the Royal Flying Doctors fundraiser and month-long fitness challenge Oceans to Outback.

Covering 94 kilometres, 1km for every year the RFDS has delivered medical care to the furthest corners of Australia, the Barminco Admin team raised more than $2700 and were inducted into the First-Class Response Team, the highest level of fundraisers.

Donations to help the RFDS continue their life-saving work across rural Australia can be made through the QR code below or by going to this webpage, https://www.flyingdoctor.org.au/donation  SCAN HERE

Scan the QR code to help the RFDS continue their lifesaving work across rural Australia. 

Barminco supports Local Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade

Following the devastating bushfires in the Perth Hills region last year that destroyed 86 houses and two fire trucks, Barminco has donated a much-needed support vehicle to the East Gidgegannup Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade. Barminco’s Forrestania operations donated the dual cab Toyota Hilux which will assist with moving equipment, transporting crews to and from incident areas, training and ground support.

The handover took place at Barminco’s Hazelmere office in September and was attended by City of Swan Mayor David Lucas and Brigade Captain Sean Corbin. Training Superintendent Steve Motion was proud to present the keys on behalf of Barminco.

“This is a fantastic donation by Barminco to a local community organisation,” Steve said.

“It is great to see Barminco and our operations at Forrestania Nickel supporting the East Gidgegannup Fire Brigade, who, in the summer of 2021, had to deal with one of the worst bushfires in Perth’s history.”

Barminco Operations Manager and Gidgegannup resident Paul Landers, who stayed to defend his property during the fires, spoke highly of the work carried out by the East Gidgegannup Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade.

“Witnessing the commitment of the firefighters, who you must remember are all volunteers, was overwhelming and humbling,” Paul said.

“As a Gidgie resident, I’m grateful for the contribution that Barminco has made to the brigade and as an employee, I am proud to work for an organisation that has ensured improved response time for future incidents.”

City of Swan Bushfire Control Officer Callum McCrudden explained that the donated vehicle will alleviate the impact fire operations have on the State Emergency Service, so fleet can be reprioritised towards its primary function.

help the RFDS continue their life-saving work.

City of Swan Mayor Cr David Lucas, East Gidgegannup Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade Captain Sean Corbin, Training Superintendent Steve Motion, Operations Manager Paul Landers, Brigade members Kelsi Wells and Callum McCrudden.

Kavuru Training Centre opening in Maun

In November, Barminco and AMS officially opened the Kavuru Training Centre, which will support the Zone 5 and Motheo projects in Botswana.

The purpose-built facility, separate from mining operations, has dedicated trainers and coordinators who provide inductions, safety, equipment operator and maintenance training support. It also contains an artificial underground environment and trade simulators to train learners.

The Vice President of the Republic of Botswana, Slumber Tsogwane, officially opened the centre located at Boseja Ward in Maun.

“The centre is a game changer for Maun as we are bound to get more people coming to this side to access the education, therefore growing the village economy,” he said.

Kago Seselamarumo, a student from Gxhabara Primary School, won a competition to name the centre. “Kavuruvusa” is a Sheyeyi word meaning winds of impact, and his wish is to see the centre bringing a positive impact to his region.

General Manager Contract Mining Africa Surface Operations Ron Day and Gxhabara Primary School student Kago Seselamarumo.

Up All Night

In November, Ausdrill and Barminco employees took part in the Up All Night Challenge, a 42-kilometre overnight marathon walk, which raises money for Ronald McDonald House Charities WA.

The Perenti Contract Mining companies went headto-head on the course raising more than $77,500 for sick WA children and their families.

Ausdrill was the third-highest overall corporate fundraiser, raising $39,881 and rewarded with a one kilometre, Ausdrill-branded stretch and was featured across event screens. Ausdrill walkers also received VIP treatment with a breakfast burger and a glass of champagne upon crossing the finishing line, in recognition of their fundraising achievements.

Barminco, an Up All Night event partner since 2019, came in close behind Ausdrill at fourth on the corporate leader board, raising $37,725 while also keeping over 1300 walkers hydrated and full of energy with icy poles, fruit and water at the Barminco pit stop.

The Up All Night Walk starts after dark and finishes at dawn, putting participants in the shoes of the families who stay up all night at Ronald McDonald House, caring for children receiving medical care away from home.

The course started at Charles Paterson Park in Burswood, Perth, and took walkers along the Swan River to Fremantle, before looping back to complete the 42-kilometre challenge.

Perenti Contract Mining Vice President Australia, Mick Radi, said the event aligns closely with our principles and those of our valued client IGO Limited, which was also a Presenting Partner of Up All Night.

“Our principles of Smarter together and Walk in their shoes couldn’t be more reflective of what we were trying to achieve with this event,” Mick said.

“To raise more than $75, 000 to support sick kids and their families couldn’t be more important and is a credit to everyone involved.

“The event has grown each year, expanding from just six participants in 2019 to over 30 Barminco and Ausdrill representatives this year, which is something to be proud of.

“Well done to everyone who participated. I hope you enjoyed the event, weren’t too sore the day after and even managed to put your feet up!”

Ausdrill Senior Manager of Exploration Eric Gobbert and Ausdrill Senior Manager of Drill and Blast John Ivanoski.

Contract Mining Marketing and Communications Manager Kerrie Livingstone and Marketing Coordinator Fiona Lea.

Contract Mining Senior Legal Counsel Sonia Burra-Robinson, Contract Mining Manager Health and Wellbeing Kelli Dean, Chief Eexecutive Officer of RMHC Peter King, Executive Assistant to President Contract Mining Janet Thomas and Contract Mining Manager Commercial Erika Doetsch.

The pit stop crew.

UPDATE BEN DAVIS

The Scoop magazine

the President of Mining Services on the first anniversary of the publication.

Over the last two months, I have been able to spend time at BTP in Hazelmere (Western Australia) and Supply Direct in Johannesburg and I look forward to meeting our BTP teams on the east coast of Australia and seeing the Logistics Direct team again in Accra in the new year.

I am particularly encouraged by the enthusiasm and dedication from each of the teams and I can see that there is considerable opportunity in front of us. I am honored to be part of the team and excited about the future of and direction for the Mining Services Division, both within our existing businesses, but also as part of the broader Perenti strategy.

Ihave recently come back from three weeks spent visiting our sites and offices in Burkina Faso, UK, South Africa and Botswana. We have an incredible business, fantastic people and are doing amazing things in the communities around our locations. One example of a community initiative was the provision of solar panels with connected generators to two local primary schools: one near Yaramoko and the other near our Siou underground sites.

I was also able to see first-hand the collaboration between our Supply Direct team and our Zone 5 underground operations in Botswana where, by being Smarter together, we are able to reduce project costs at the same time as opening up new business lines for the Supply Direct business. Well done to all those involved, and I look forward to seeing further opportunities that leverage the strength of our combined businesses.

In terms of financial performance for the Division, in the first quarter of this financial year, the three businesses in Mining Services delivered a marked increase to budgeted revenue. The Division is slightly down on EBIT performance, however, we are aware of the areas that require improvement and the team are focused on these.

Supply Direct and Logistics Direct have had a great start to the financial year, while BTP continues to be challenged due to a number of factors that include labour constraints as well as the dynamic rental sector. Everyone has been working hard

It gives me great pleasure to connect with you through

as

to support the business and there have been some positive highlights including a contract extension with Peabody in Queensland as well as the sale of three 785s to Murrin Murrin.

The success of this sale was based on identification of an opportunity and listening to the needs of the client. As a result, BTP was able to provide a bespoke solution that also provided additional work scope for the Rebuild team. The challenge is to now consolidate the work that has been done to date and strive to embed strategies, particularly related to labour and inventory, that will ensure BTP can maximise business performance. I look forward to working with Greg Lawson and the team as we realise the full potential of the business in 2023.

In the last quarter, Supply Direct continued to grow its top line while maintaining margins and building new service lines. Collaboration with Contract Mining, in particular at our Botswana sites has also played a key role in the performance of the business.

Logistics Direct's performance was driven by an increase in freight activities by Sandvik and high margin freight transactions from Expeditors International. Pleasingly client retention for the quarter was 100 per cent.

I would like to thank the Australian workforce for their participation in the It’s Not OK listening campaign with its findings confirming the importance of ongoing awareness and effort required to ensure a safe and respectful workplace for all.

Creating a safe environment, where everyone can bring their whole self to work and expect their colleagues to support them will remain a focus at the leadership table. Please bring this topic to your own tables regularly. I am asking that you support each other and keep talking about the It’s Not OK campaign.

Some of these changes can be uncomfortable at first, but they power evolution, innovation and enable a more productive and safer environment in which we all can thrive. There is a lot of good work already done and more will take place in the future. I thank you for keeping this topic on your daily agenda: at pre-starts, team meetings, one on one chats, or in the breakout areas over a cup of coffee.

As most of us are taking some time off during the festive season to recharge, I thank those who keep the fort strong and our businesses delivering outstanding services during the holiday period. I hope that you have a happy and safe break, thank you for all your hard work over the year and I look forward to seeing you in the new year.

BEN DAVIS PRESIDENT MINING SERVICES

 Ben Davis, Michael Elsworth and the team at Supply Direct.

UWJV Family Day

Successful partnerships may start with a great team and business ambition, but when they grow into collaboration that extend beyond the mine and daily KPIs, it’s a truly rewarding experience for all involved. One such partnership for BTP is United Wambo Joint Venture (UWJV), spanning over eight years on site. UWJV is a 50:50 joint venture between United Collieries (Glencore and CFMMEU) and Wambo Coal (Peabody).

BTP is contracted to supply a fleet of over 30 items of mining equipment to UWJV, consisting of haul trucks, dozers, graders and water carts. Managed by Glencore, the United Wambo Joint Venture took over the open cut mine operation in 2020, with BTP transitioning from the previous operator Peabody. Totalling over eight years, BTP has been engaged on site and as active participants of the local community.

BTP National Asset Manager Steven Sewell sums up the job in one sentence: “BTP’s responsibility is to supply a reliable fleet to the UWJV to enable them to mine the Wambo Coal Fields safely, effectively and efficiently”.

To ensure ongoing reliability, BTP supply a team of maintenance professionals on site (who reside in the local community) to execute major component replacement work on the fleet and to support the Glencore team where required.

As part of BTP’s commitment to the community and the UWJV relationship, BTP was invited to partake in the UWJV Family Day, which was held on 29 October 2022. With many suppliers supporting the initiative, all guests enjoyed a myriad of experiences from face painting, rock climbing, ice cream stands, a BBQ and, of course, a large array of giveaways for the children.

“BTP provided a stand showcasing some of the major components that we rebuild locally along with goody bags for the kids. 'Guess how many bolts' turned out to be a very popular competition and gathered a lot of attention from children and adults alike”, Steven Sewell shared, while, modestly omitting the fact that he counted the bolts in the jar for the competition himself.

The winner of the competition received at fully working and remote operational LEGO model of a Caterpillar D11T dozer, which is similar to one of the machines BTP provides to the mine.

Thanking the team and everyone’s energy on the day, Steve says: “We are all extremely honoured and proud to have had the opportunity to get closer to the community and support those working on site. A great day was had by all, and we appreciate the tremendous support provided by our local suppliers to create our gift bags and merchandise, which contributed to making the open day a great success.”

The day provided an opportunity for family members of the UWJV team to attend site and enjoy an amazing experience, checking out machinery, the workshop facility and even a pit tour to show the operation in full swing.

Thousands of guests attended the event, with many awarding it a 'huge success' stamp of approval. The most rewarding part of the day for the BTP team was seeing the happy faces of the kids. Arriving in groups and with their parents, they were happy to receive BTP branded gift bags filled with puzzles, candy, BBQ spice rubs, hats, beanies, USB drives in the shape of a truck and much more.

“If I were to pick just a few words to describe the event, it would be 'it’s all about the kids'. That was epitomised by the enormous smiles on their faces the whole day”, sums up Steve with a smile.

Competition winner receives remote operational LEGO model of Caterpillar D11T dozer at BTP, NSW.

Adding more life to work-life balance

Having the opportunity to finish mid-week, or having a long weekend every weekend to go camping, is workplace flexibility many in the mining industry are only dreaming about. At BTP this became a reality for permanent and part-time employees in the first quarter of this financial year with the introduction of our Work 4 Days - Get Paid for 5 option, part of the Flexibility at BTP Initiative.

Several work-life balance enablers already existed at BTP. Part time or full-time employment, flexible hours of work, rostered day off (RDOs) and paid parental leave support the ambition to become a workplace that is known for its work-life balance.

Our Work 4 Days - Get Paid for 5 flexible working option was introduced across BTP Group in July 2022 and has seen over 43 per cent of our eligible workforce move to a flexible work roster or nominate an RDO, providing another way of being in control of your life and living it to the fullest.

“BTP strives to support its employees by ensuring there is more harmony between work and life”, says Louise Grogan, Manager HR and HSE, who saw the project coming to fruition from its inception. “Based on role requirements, flexible work from home options for salaried workers have been available for some time, however due to operational requirements wage workshop employees are unable to work from home.

"Due to this, BTP has investigated how to provide alternative options to its wage employees. After robust consultation with the team and all relevant internal and external parties we realised that the demand for additional flexibility is high”.

The four-day working week was introduced as a six-month trial. The impact it had on people and operational productivity will be assessed at the end of the trial, in January-February 2023, with findings determining the next step in the Flexibility at BTP initiative.

If working four 10-hour days a week is not for you, a rostered day off might do the trick. Derek Kemp, BTP trade assistant, joined in February last year and is enjoying his days off doing what he loves. “In my previous job I was scaffolding in the Goldfields. It’s a drive in drive out (DIDO) life. COVID disrupted my job. I had a chance to consider what’s best for me and decided I want to be able to come home from work every night. That’s how I ended up here”, says Derek.

“The hardest thing was getting used to having only the weekend off versus working two weeks and then having one whole week off. It was a big change, but I knew that and wanted the Perth lifestyle and being home every night.”

When, in addition to coming home every night, Derek could take advantage of the flexible work arrangements, the choice was obvious. “I chose the RDO system, meaning I can take days of at my choosing on a reasonably short notice. I did consider a four-day week, but I prefer five shorter days as it suits my lifestyle of going to the gym after work. This also means I can do simple things like going to the shops, visiting a doctor or catching up with a friend without the hassle of the rush hour.”

Guitar, motorcycles and social tennis are among many hobbies Derek has a chance to enjoy on his terms. Most of his rostered time off Derek spends in The School of Rock program in the Perth CBD. “Finishing earlier allows me to go to the city twice a week to practice my guitar. I didn't play much when I was working in the middle of nowhere as DIDO, this is my first season with The School of Rock and I am enjoying it. We just recently performed at one of Perth’s live music venues.”

Without the licence to choose your days off, many sunny days would’ve gone to waste. “I had a day off where the weather was perfect and rode my electric unicycle along the Swan River bridges, from South Perth to Narrows Bridge, Riverside Drive, then - to Optus Stadium and Crown Casino. Another great RDO was riding down to Dwellingup and Waroona on the motorcycle with two mates as they also had a day off. I often enjoy the motorcycle cruises with my partner and rides with my friends.”

Derek says that he is really enjoying the work-life balance at BTP, adding “it’s really great being so close to home, the people are good to work with. Love the autonomy and not being micromanaged, too. Perhaps, I’m just very lucky to have a great manager!” 

UPDATE SARAH COLEMAN

We have grown quickly and have had many large achievements along the journey. In late August, after a very long Due Diligence process, Sumitomo announced their 10 per cent equity stake in idoba and we look forward to welcoming Masayuki (Max) Miyamoto, his wife and three young boys through our doors when he starts his secondment from Sumitomo in mid-December.

Sumitomo’s equity investment now gives idoba access to an amazing global network to:

• Reach new markets for our technology informed services for the resources sector and adjacent industries;

• Connect and partner with other technology and mining companies Sumitomo has invested in; and

• Leverage introductions to Sumitomo’s other divisions and departments.

Mark Norwell and I visited Sumitomo’s headquarters in Tokyo in early November. We were given a great introduction to the entire business and met with key executives and stakeholders from across many of their divisions. We were fortunate to be invited to dinner at their exclusive restaurant, Sumitomo Kaiken. The restaurant was formed to honour the origins of their business that began 450 years ago through a single gentleman who started the trading business in Roppongi.

In late September, we moved away from “multi-brands” and rebranded four of our five businesses to one idoba brand (while maintaining the Orelogy brand) and are excited about the traction we are gaining in the market. In a world where our problems are continuing to be more complex, our customers increasingly demanding and product competition fierce, trust is a brand ‘must have’ and could make all the difference in the market.

We have recently gained our first three clients to start the DiiMOS (Distributed integrated intelligent Mining Operating System) journey with idoba and we are excited to have commenced trials of one of the key products at Sunrise Dam. Thanks Ben Keyser and the team!

The broader Operating Model work has given us cause to rethink our own internal operating models. Our services group re-hashed their strategy and client operating model to really align to customer engagement and success, which prepares

As we near the end of the calendar year, I want to reflect on the journey we have been on over the last 12 months. We started the year as a group of approximately 50 people, we are now nearing 160 idobans roaming the halls at 101 St Georges Terrace.

us to drive our digital offerings into the future. We have been through a massive learning and maturity curve in our Product Development team. Our SAFEAgile methodology is helping give us more clarity and focus as we build out elements of DiiMOS.

At idoba, we are driven to co-create a better future and in order to do that, we started with ourselves. As the world is increasing in complexity and uncertainty, our DiiMOS offering helps to “digitally” meet that complexity. However, we know that we need to change ourselves, our leadership styles and our approach to structuring our business. This has involved us leaning in with a lot of curiosity, stepping outside our comfort zones and getting comfortable with challenging our own (and other's) biases. We also know that to solve the complexity of tomorrow, we need more innovative and creative thinking. The solution to this is diversity and to ensure diversity can thrive, we need an inclusive environment that allows everyone to show up as their true, messy, imperfect and unique selves.

So, we asked - how do we configure ourselves so diverse teams of people can thrive, not just survive in rapidly changing environments? Through synthesising and sensemaking we realised innovating, creating, experimenting and learning are social processes and at the heart of social processes are people. Amid all the talk of solving problems for our clients and disruptive innovations, we realised that the first thing we needed to disrupt was ourselves:

• Unlearning our ‘corporate armour’

• Being authentic and vulnerable so we can truly cocreate

• Being curious to deeply understand problems and each other

• Suspending judgement so we can experiment, iterate and embrace failure and learning

• Taking greater pride in ‘our’ idea over ‘my’ idea. Through our experiments, we created a model for how to co-create.

We were fortunate in November to host a session at iMARC (The International Mining and Resources Conference) in Sydney on diversity and inclusion. In addition to hosting an interview with our very own Eduardo Maruguan Rodriguez, I was on a panel discussion where I challenged the panel and the audience to flip our thinking on diversity and inclusion. In my view, we don’t have a diversity and inclusion problem. We have a diversity and inclusion solution to a creativity and innovation problem in our industry. 

SARAH COLEMAN IDOBA PRESIDENT

PERENTI’S TECHNOLOGY DRIVEN FUTURE

 Photo at Sumitomo Kaiken: Max Miyamoto, Mark Norwell, Sarah Coleman, Kevin Hyuga-san, Mitch Kojima-san, Yohei Kato-san

On Friday 28 October, three groups from idoba participated in the ultimate Coastrek hiking challenge for Beyond Blue. The teams trekked through 35kms of bush and sand helping raise more than $8,400 for Beyond Blue.

Kate Longman, idoba team member, who has experienced a suicide in her family said it was a rewarding experience to bring the team together for such a good cause.

“After losing my father to suicide many years ago, I always wanted to trek the Bibbulmun Track to raise money. Of course I never got around to it, so when I joined idoba and saw they were doing this I was immediately on board. It was such a fantastic experience! We laughed, we supported each other and we persevered through so much soft sand but together we did it. We came out stronger for the experience, with deeper friendships and most importantly raised money for such a worthwhile cause. I’m so proud to be part of a broader idoba family who cares so much about each other and our community.”

“We may never learn the “Why?” behind suicide,” says Gran Wellwood, idoba team member, “but events like this show we care and the funds raised support those affected by anxiety and depression.

Hiking challenge raises funds for Beyond Blue idoba

@IMARC

idoba attended the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) held in Sydney. The conference hosted nearly 8,000 delegates from over 110 countries and showcased state of art technology and solutions centred on decarbonisation and net zero mining, skills shortage, driving step change in productivity and the drive for safety, automation, cultural heritage and community relations.

Sarah Coleman represented idoba on a keynote panel discussion on the latest Minerals Processing and Tailings Management Solutions to Help Industry Meet Sustainability and Innovation Goals. This discussion concentrated on how electrification and the future energy landscape will change mineral processing and design.

idoba also hosted the diversity and inclusion session where Sarah Coleman and Eduardo Rodriguez Marugan had a conversation on how inclusive leadership and working with a diverse team shows up in the workplace. The collective experiences emphasised that working with a diverse team requires talking, listening, understanding, being curious, understanding everyone’s contributions and roles and constructively challenging individuals to understand their own biases and how these may show up.

A round table discussion on ‘Talk it forward’ brought up some key insights on what inclusion truly looks like across gender, indigenous, background, culture, LGBTIQA+ and youth. This discussion acknowledged how the industry has moved in a positive direction to date, but highlighted that the mining industry is still on its journey and there is more to be done across education, workplace design, policy, support and what it means to be an industry that is truly inclusive. 

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“On a personal note, there is no better way to get to know people than walk with them and share an experience; the societal glue that holds things together.”

From left top row: Colette Gonzalez, Grant Wellwood, James Read, Kate Longman, Mark Longman, Pourya Farmanbar. Middle Row: Theresa Khorshid, Kate Vaisutis. Front row: Gordana Medvesek, Tanya Perry, Rebecca Kirk.

Sarah Coleman presenting on a keynote panel on the latest Minerals Processing and Tailings Management Solutions.

Meet Luke Epstein

Luke started at idoba as Director, Improvement & Transformation in September after relocating back to Perth from Melbourne for the role. In another life, he was the founding member of two bands that formed Tame Impala and Methyl Ethel, respectively. He still gets hassled by mates to this day when the JJJ Hottest 100 has them in the top 10, and for looking like the spitting image of Slater from Saved by the Bell…

But now to his professional career - he has 15 years of experience in rail, mining, oil and gas, infrastructure and manufacturing and is fortunate to have worked in multiple locations around the world.

Luke started his career in heavy haulage rail, mining, and non-process infrastructure at Calibre as their first undergraduate engineer. He worked on multiple Rio Tinto sites where he spent five years managing a large portfolio of work from inception handover; many of those years were done FIFOing to sunny Karratha and Cape Lambert from Perth as a project and site engineer.

Following that, Luke moved into the offshore and onshore oil and gas industry where he worked in the Gulf of Mexico, Egypt, Singapore, Malaysia and Darwin with Saipem ENI for multiple Chevron and Inpex sites. He enjoyed the exciting lifestyle of choppering out to 400m long pipelay vessels, completing complex subsea operations and installation work 3km below the surface, for three years as an offshore field and project engineer.

After gaining sufficient FIFO experience, Luke moved to Melbourne for a role with Trelleborg, where he oversaw manufacturing projects for LNG sites on the west coast of the USA, Texas, Jamaica, Thailand, South America and the Middle East as Regional Project Manager, Americas. Whilst working full-time, he also completed a part-time MBA from Melbourne Business School.

Luke’s key driver to completing his MBA was expanding his knowledge outside of traditional engineering and program management - especially in business transformation, digital marketing, corporate finance, operations improvement and human resources. A four-month exchange program in Barcelona was an unforgettable experience to round off the degree.

Post MBA, Luke gained management consulting experience with a boutique Melbourne-based group that specialised in capital investment systems, independent peer reviews and operational improvement engagements in mining, renewables and transport.

He left there as Associate Partner to work with Yarra Trams in program development and delivery. He also assisted the chief executive team on several internal

Luke moved back to Perth for the opportunity to work with idoba based on their reputable culture, technical expertise, new-school way of thinking and trajectory of the business. He’s excited to grow idoba’s capabilities to the next level, especially by leveraging Perenti team members’ strengths, experience and reach, and enjoying the new-school ways of thinking and delivering, and the breadth of engagements so far.

Luke and his wife have been married for two years. They have a beautiful one-year-old daughter and a 30kg groodle. He’s based at the idoba office in Perth and would love to chat to any team members who share a passion for whiskey, wine, horology, skeet shooting, cars, travelling, steaks, cooking, golf, guitar and drums.

management and improvement initiatives during some challenging COVID times in Melbourne for three years as a senior project manager.

you may have friends working in the industry that may be looking for new opportunities, so feel free to share this information with them. The process is simple, just scan the QR code into your phone camera to open the web page, and you can send details of our internal vacancies to your mates. And remember, if submitting an application, please ensure you have informed your supervisor of your intentions, prior to submitting the application. If you have any questions, please email resourcing@perentigroup.com