Conveyor supplier Fenner Dunlop has been awarded a permanent contract to provide conveyor maintenance services to Rio Tinto Ports in Western Australia.
The new long-term deal will see Fenner Dunlop provide maintenance service for all of Rio Tinto’s conveyors at Cape Lambert and Dampier Port, where the mega-miner exports hundreds of millions of tonnes of iron ore each year from its vast Pilbara mine and rail network.
Fenner Dunlop said it will establish a branch in Karratha, in an effort to better support Rio Tinto and form a strong, long-term business in the Pilbara Region.
“The award of this contract is directly attributed to our focus on total conveyor performance, our leadership and training programs and the excellent team we have in Western Australia,” Fenner Dunlop chief operating officer Steve Abbott said on July 19.
“Rio Tinto and Fenner Dunlop see this as a longstanding partnership.”
Fenner Dunlop, part of Michelin Group, has manufacturing plants in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, and has 16 branches across Australia.
Rio Tinto exported 168.8 million tonnes of iron ore in the first half of 2018, 9% up on the same period of 2017. 88.5 million tonnes were exported in the second quarter, up 14% year-on-year.