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Austin, the global mining bucket specialist
April 19th, 2024 | by excitemediaWith an updated mining bucket range and a new dedicated bucket facility in Australia, Austin is cementing itself as global leader in bucket design, engineering, and manufacture.
Integrating Australian bucket manufacturer, Mainetec, into the business, Austin now has one of the largest bucket ranges on the market, offering cutting edge, lightweight buckets with faster loading and more payload delivery for its mining customers.
Complementing Mainetec’s operations in Queensland, on Australia’s East Coast, Austin has transformed its Perth facility on Australia’s West Coast into a large, dedicated bucket specialist centre. The centre is the largest bucket build and rebuild facility in Western Australia, servicing Austin’s long term mining clients.
With Austin’s key manufacturing facility in Batam, Indonesia also able to assist with bucket manufacture, Austin has the capacity and capability to design, manufacture and deliver to customers on time anywhere in the world.
The increased capacity and interest in the new product range has driven bucket sales to record levels, with Austin now producing and delivering more than three times the buckets per month than it was per year back in 2021. Austin has also invested in initiatives to reduce manufacturing and rebuild turnaround times to support operational efficiencies on customer mine sites.
Austin’s engineering team draws on more than forty years of bucket engineering experience and investment in design to create customised buckets. From High Performance (HP) lightweight buckets through to heavy-duty armoured buckets, Austin can custom engineer buckets to suit any application.
Austin’s engineering teams deliver full customisation for payload, wear and ground conditions including use of any type of customer preferred GET system and proprietary wear blocks with high wear facings.
Austin’s customers can also access precise information on the condition of their trays and buckets through Austin’s Mainetrack asset management software. Following an initial input of equipment data, customers can easily retrieve information about equipment wear through the Mainetrack app.
The system will show wear over time and, importantly, predicts when equipment will hit pre-set wear limits so customers can schedule rebuilds or replacements.
Austin will also send product support teams to site for operation and servicing support for Mainetrack software.
Austin’s dipper buckets are fitted with the latest version of the company’s iTrip proprietary door latching and control system. Already widely used in Australia, iTrip dramatically reduces maintenance intervals and increases the service life of the components. The system has proven to increase the standard dipper service life between overhauls by up to 18 months.
In addition, Austin provides its customers with a dedicated portal, allowing clients to track the progress and delivery of their new buckets, trays and rebuilds, providing assurance and confidence to operational teams.
International aspirations
With Australia as its bucket design hub, and supported by Austin’s global operations, Austin can send buckets to clients anywhere in the world. Austin builds and rebuild dipper buckets in Australia (Mainetec), Indonesia, Chile, and the USA.
A dipper bucket for a USA-based customer is already under construction in Batam and due for delivery in August 2024. The ability to export its own-designed and manufactured buckets globally has positioned Austin as a market leader, with increased market opportunities emerging across the
USA and South America.“Our mining buckets are delivering efficiencies for our mining clients in Australia and now around the globe, and they’re becoming a very important part of our business. We’ve created a bucket centre of excellence in Australia, building on our forty years of design and experience to deliver the highest quality buckets on the market.”
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High-Performance Bucket Leader
February 8th, 2024 | by excitemediaFor 50 years, Austin Engineering has been building customised truck trays and mining buckets to improve payload and handling conditions for miners across the world. Austin pioneered the concept of lightweight haul truck trays that could carry more tonnes and less steel. It also recognised the return on investment to mining companies meant payback was often measured in weeks for equipment that could last years. Today, most mining companies in Australia use lightweight trays to maximise the ore moved annually per truck and this approach has been increasingly adopted in other regions of the
world by international mining companies, which has in turn been adopted locally. Austin’s high customer retention rate is testimony to the value that it delivers.Also key to the efficiency of operations is improving bucket performance by pass matching buckets to haul tray capacity and reducing the number of passes to load. Austin has developed a new range of HP (High Performance) buckets suitable for fitting to almost all OEM equipment from front end
loaders to excavators and face shovels all the way up to the largest rope shovels. The HP series together with the range of Mainetec-designed Hulk buckets are able to be operated without liners to reduce weight and increase ore movement per pass whilst reducing dig energy. Innovative wear liner
packages to suit local conditions and in high wear areas can be added as required.What sets Austin apart is this focus on providing the most capable and productive bucket for every application. Whether an operation requires high-production lightweight buckets or demands the rugged reliability of heavy-duty armoured counterparts, each bucket undergoes a comprehensive process of custom design and engineering. This approach tailors each bucket precisely to a mine site’s unique application requirements, guaranteeing an optimal fit for specific operational needs.
Austin has invested in building its manufacturing capacity and upgrading all of its facilities globally to better service its customers and meet their specific requirements and timeframes. Austin’s facilities are located in key global mining regions allowing the company to deliver to customers on time and at competitive rates. The recent upgrades have also allowed Austin to allocate more capacity to key customers, and to meet increased orders. Installation of advanced manufacturing systems mean all of Austin’s facilities can manufacture the highest quality products using the latest design and innovation. A current recurring revenue stream of 89% is a testament to Austin’s performance.
Acknowledging the complexities and challenges of the mining sector, Austin becomes an integral part of mining company teams, dedicated to enhancing operational performance and contributing to the overall success of mining endeavours. As a strategic partner, Austin provides a wealth of expertise,
innovation, and support.Austin has key locations on both the West and East coast of Australia, in Batam in Indonesia, Chile and Wyoming in the USA, which services all of North America. Headquartered in Perth, Australia, Austin also collaborates with mining companies, contractors, and equipment manufacturers to deliver engineering solutions such as underground truck trays, water tanks, and tire handlers for multi-commodity underground and open-cut operations.
Austin also provides customers with its state-of-the-art condition monitoring software, Mainetrack. Mainetrack is Austin’s condition monitoring software system that monitors wear and condition of a mining bucket or truck tray through its life, both individually and across an entire fleet. The system predicts when a bucket will hit its wear limits and needs to be scheduled for rebuild. This helps prevent unplanned breakdowns and assists in scheduling rebuild or repair programs.
In 2022, Austin acquired Australian bucket manufacturer, Mainetec, and is now offering Mainetec’s high-value dipper buckets into its global markets, particularly North and South America, where there is high demand and a large dipper bucket market. Austin sold its first Mainetec-designed dipper bucket into the USA market in 2023. The Armadillo electric rope shovel dipper bucket is due for delivery in 2024.
Austin’s CEO and Managing Director, David Singleton
“I am extremely proud of the work that the Austin team has achieved over the past 12 months. Our industry-leading buckets have continued to be at the forefront of innovation, and deliver the best results for our customers.”
What sets Austin apart from other mining service providers?
“Austin’s goal is to provide best in class products to the mining industry. We have invested in designing and manufacturing products for increased efficiency like our stronger and more lightweight High Performance (HP) Bucket and High Performance Tray (HPT) range, which are receiving significant market interest.
We currently have five major manufacturing sites across four continents, which has allowed us to maintain schedules and delivery times in a capacity constrained market through the extensions to our facilities in Batam, Indonesia, Australia and Chile. We are now preparing to expand our USA operations. Through our network of operations, we can deliver to any customer in any global location.
We have also built up our customer support business and bucket rebuild businesses to make sure that onsite operations are maintained at the most efficient level.
Our design and engineering capabilities also set us apart. Austin has designed and manufactured products for the mining industry for more than 50 years and we have consistently maintained our high standard of innovation and excellence to create world-leading customised products.”Austin has been in operation for over 50 years, how do you keep ahead of new competitors?
“We focus on delivering a high return on investment for our mining clients in the belief that what delivers benefit for the customer will deliver strong demand for Austin. It’s a formula that works well. Our way of doing this is through innovation and customisation of the product to the exact requirements of the mine, knowing that every operation is unique and that one size does not fit all.
Our teams of engineers are working constantly to create the highest quality products for our customers that exactly meet their mining requirements, and drive efficiency in operational performance. Since Austin was formed in 1969, Austin has set out to create the lightest and highest quality products to best suit our customers’ needs, and we continue to live up to this philosophy.
We identified Mainetec as an innovative and entrepreneurial business that fitted our strategy to become a leading designer and manufacturer of customised mining buckets. The acquisition of Mainetec has allowed us to significantly grow our bucket market offering domestically, and we have commenced marketing our buckets internationally with a particular focus on the Americas, where a large dipper bucket market exists.”For a comprehensive overview of Austin’s product range and to explore how its expertise can elevate your mining operations, visit austineng.com/products/.
Partner with Austin, where innovation meets excellence, and redefine the future of high-performance mining buckets.
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Austin leads industry in design and manufacturing
October 6th, 2023 | by excitemediaAustin Engineering is a leading designer and manufacturer of customised dump truck trays, buckets, and water tanks used in the global mining industry.
With manufacturing operations across four continents, Austin is also a complete service provider, offering on and off-site repair and maintenance and heavy equipment lifting services to customers including miners, mining contractors and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
Austin’s 2022 acquisition of Australian-based specialist bucket manufacturer, Mainetec, added an extensive range of high-quality, industry-leading mining buckets to Austin’s existing suite.
The acquisition gave Austin access to Mainetec’s Hulk range of high-performance mining buckets. The Hulk buckets complement Austin’s JEC bucket range and the dual-product offering will increase Austin’s bucket market share in Australia, especially on the East Coast where Mainetec has a well-established presence.
Austin is now offering Mainetec’s high-value dipper buckets into its global markets, particularly North and South America, where there is high demand and a large dipper bucket market. Austin sold its first Mainetec-designed dipper bucket into the US market in 2023. The Armadillo electric rope shovel dipper bucket is due for delivery by mid-2024.
Austin’s CEO and Managing Director, David Singleton said: “We identified Mainetec as an innovative and entrepreneurial business that fitted our strategy to become a leading designer and manufacturer of customised mining buckets. Mainetec has allowed us to grow our bucket market offering domestically and internationally, particularly in the Americas, where a large dipper bucket market exists.
“The Armadillo bucket ordered from the US will be designed in Australia, manufactured in our facility in Batam, Indonesia, and will be supported by our US business in Casper, Wyoming. This process demonstrates Austin’s global reach and capabilities.”
Austin has established specialist bucket ‘centre of excellence’ in Perth, Western Australia, where it is able to produce the entire Austin and Mainetec range of buckets.
Austin’s purchase of Mainetec also came with its state-of-the-art condition monitoring software which Austin is able to fit to all of its buckets.
The condition monitoring software provides a precise, fleetwide overview of buckets and trays to improve annual product replacement planning. This approach helps to maximise product life, and thereby reduce costs and greenhouse emissions by ensuring buckets and trays are not withdrawn before required.
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Maximising fleet productivity with Austin’s condition monitoring software
October 6th, 2023 | by excitemediaAustin customers are able to access the most precise information on the condition of their truck trays and buckets through the Company’s industry-leading software, Mainetrack.
Mainetrack accurately detects the condition of equipment to determine wear and timing around replacement.
The cutting-edge software was acquired by Austin through the Company’s purchase of Australian bucket specialist, Mainetec in 2022. Designed originally for Mainetec’s excavator and dipper buckets, the Austin team configured it for deployment on its truck tray range.
The Mainetrack device fits to Austin’s buckets and trays, allowing clients to instantly gain precise data and statistics around the equipment’s usage and wear. This data provides an accurate and vital understanding of when a bucket needs to be rebuilt, replaced or if it is running at its optimal ability.
The software gives the most accurate picture of the health of Austin’s equipment, enabling customers to avoid a premature equipment replacement cycle. For example, the software may show that replacement is not required at a scheduled point and, instead of adhering to a scheduled replacement program, customers can defer the need for new equipment and capital spend.
The Mainetrack software provides Austin customers with a comprehensive overview of key asset information through an easy-to-use management app.
Through the app, Mainetrack shows its users asset maintenance history and trends, captures wear rates, tracking and recording of asset information, tracking of the condition of assets and recorded damage, and provides downloadable reports for analysis and presentations.
The software also provides monthly wear measurement reports to predict when buckets will require a rebuild or replacement, and the app rapidly identifies buckets that need mid-life onsite repairs.
Austin’s CEO and Managing Director, David Singleton said: “This full-service reporting allows Austin’s customers to have a comprehensive understanding of their buckets and trays usage and history with the ability to set wear limits and maintenance forecasts.
“We are pleased to provide this extra service for our customers to assist with improved fleet and operational management, and to better utilise their equipment.”
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