Inoxihp Australia, which represents the Italian made pump stations, recently secured an order from BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance's Broadmeadow mine in Queensland.
The order is for a new longwall pump station that includes an innovative double-decker design to incorporate additional pumps to drive the mine’s new Bucyrus longwall face equipment. The machine is due for delivery at the end of June this year.
Xstrata Coal's Blakefield South operation, which will eventually replace the Beltana longwall, has ordered two pump stations for its new Joy longwall face.
The mine has ordered a number of "spare" Inoxihp pumps which Beltana will fit to its existing pump stations. These pumps are being delivered over the next week.
Inoxihp will also be manufacturing pump stations for Inbye Mining Services for its longwall contract with Vale for the new Carborough Downs longwall in New South Wales.
“This is an exciting new project that we are really looking forward to – working with a whole group of new-to-Australia quality longwall equipment suppliers as well as the old hands at the Rutherford Inbye site," Inoxihp Australian general manager Tim Leeson said.
To cater for the orders, Inoxihp has expanded its Mt Thorley facility in New South Wales. The existing 900 square metre workshop is currently having another 300sq.m added which will be opened by the end of June.
The new area will include powered test facilities, a full sized paint shop, and additional storage for whole pumps and spare parts for the NSW region.
Expansion has also taken place in Queensland with a new small parts repair workshop at the 10-hectare site. The Queensland operation has also hired additional field and technical staff to cope with the increasing customer base and project design work.
Inoxihp has also appointed Australian-born Derek Smits as NSW regional manager. Smits is currently hiring additional staff and developing Inoxihp's enterprise resource planning system, implemented last June to cope with the impending domestic and overseas production.
Smits holds previous longwall hydraulic equipment experience with Aqua Hydraulics (UK) & Joy Mining Machinery (UK).
The expansion has not been limited to Australian shores, with Inoxihp also currently working on a Chinese expansion. The company launched its new 400kW pump at the China Coal and Mining Expo in Beijing in November last year.
Leeson said much interest was shown and there were plans to open office facilities in the country. He said Inoxihp was currently finalising a collaborative agreement with one of the smaller coal groups to build machines in quantity for the Chinese domestic market.
