ABHR finds out how NEPEAN grew from a small backyard business into the multinational supplier it is today.
Bill Munday started working for NEPEAN in 1987. At that time, most of the company’s work was overhauling and refurbishing other manufacturers’ equipment.
The late David Fuller founded NEPEAN in 1974 and started NEPEAN Conveyors with the late Peter Gilbert in 1985. Munday said in the early days, NEPEAN Conveyors had about half a dozen employee’s and was turning over around a million dollars each year.
Now, in 2025, NEPEAN has grown into an international powerhouse, employing close to 2000 people and with around a billion dollars in turnover each year.
“NEPEAN Conveyors has grown from a backyard business into the leader in Australia in underground coal conveyors,” Munday said.
“These days, NEPEAN has facilities all around the world and has diversified to handle much more than just coal.”
Munday worked his way up in the business, moving from being a fitter machinist to onsite service technician, and sales manager before serving as the company’s general manager for New South Wales for the past 20 years
This career trajectory is not uncommon within the company, with many members of the core management team having more than 20 years of experience at NEPEAN.
“The real key to our success over the years is the culture within the business,” Munday said. “You can’t just design culture – it needs to be promoted and cultivated. Being able to keep a stable core team that helps uphold this culture is really important.
“Our business revolves around the NEPEAN DNA. We aim to make the customer successful, take ownership, get things done, be entrepreneurial, professional, and constantly growing, because at the end of the day, the best team wins.”
Another benefit of having the same core team members at the company is experience. The company can draw on its team members’ depth of knowledge, especially when it comes to the underground coal industry. Customers also appreciate this, as they know who to turn to when they need to talk to someone about an issue they are facing.
Tackling the issues
One of the things that Munday said differentiates NEPEAN from other suppliers is its approach to engineering.
“When we face complex issues where we need particular equipment, we don’t just go to the market and adapt something to suit our needs. We specifically design something for the requirements,” he said.
An example of this is the company’s wet brake systems that NEPEAN designs and manufactures for underground coal mining applications. Initially, it was developed more than 20 years ago to solve a problem that customers were facing.
Munday said it has now become an industry standard.
“We could have gone out and sourced someone else’s product – but we find it far better from a technical and performance point of view to design the exact equipment we are looking for,” he said.
NEPEAN Conveyors was one of the first companies to introduce variable voltage variable frequency (VVVF) drives to the underground coal industry back in 2000. Today the VVVF drive is the drive system of choice for the majority of high-powered conveyor drives in the industry.
This approach allows NEPEAN to stay up to date with changing industry demands, such as a need for improved productivity and reliability. When Munday first started at the company, a 1200mm belt was the norm for underground mining operations. Now, he said, there are not many mines that would use belts smaller than 1500mm.
In addition to designing the equipment for the customer, NEPEAN provides an end-to-end service offering.
As part of this offering, the company’s dedicated service department can provide installation assistance, belt splicing and replacement, weekly inspections, ongoing maintenance, and more.
Munday said this hands-on support is something that customers are looking for in their suppliers.
“Our customers need equipment quickly. They can’t afford to wait for unplanned downtime,” he said. “They know they’ll get the right service with us.”
Because NEPEAN is 100 per cent Australian-owned, the company has an extensive network of manufacturing and spare parts around the country.
Munday said he was proud of that fact, especially because it gives the company an edge in the competitive mining industry.
“We’ve gone through difficult times in Australia as a manufacturer, but we’re glad to keep manufacturing here,” he said.
“It gives us an advantage. Our facilities are located close to our customers, giving us a fast response time.”
Always growing
There is no end in sight for NEPEAN’s growth at this point. Construction is underway on a new facility for the company’s NSW branch, which is expected to be completed in 2027.
The new 5000m2 building will be located near Wollongong and provide additional space for the growing business.
Munday said similar expansions are happening all around the world.
“Demand for our products is driving this growth. Our revenue has been on a steady increase for many years, and we have a significant market share,” he said.
“It’s an exciting time for us, and we’re looking forward to delivering Australian-made equipment to industries around the world.”