The orders have been secured over the past four weeks for underground mining vehicles and power generation units.

China’s Shenhua Energy Company extended its relationship with Industrea by ordering four PJB Nipper flame and explosion-proof vehicles for $1.2 million.

In Australia, Industrea signed a $1 million contract with BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance for the manufacturing and commissioning of a PJB underground power generation “Flitmate” unit at the Gregory Crinum Mine near Emerald, Queensland.

Industrea said the new Flitmate power unit showed promise for repeat orders, with the Crinum sale the third order for the product.

Also at home, Industrea Mining Equipment secured $1.7 million of orders for two underground mine graders for Rio Tinto’s Kestrel Mine in central Queensland, and for BIS Industrial Logistics as part of its hire fleet.

“Industrea’s mining equipment subsidiaries PJB and IME are currently running at near full capacity, and these latest orders show the potential for further growth in our domestic market along with the key export market of China,” Industrea managing director Robin Levison said.

Australia’s mining equipment market is forecast to grow by 5-6% during 2010 on the back of improving economic conditions, according to industry data.

Chinese demand for mining equipment is also expected to grow by 7.1% a year to reach 150.5 billion yuan by 2013, with Industrea’s target market of coal mining remaining the top such market due to energy and steel production.

Specialist mining vehicle and electrical equipment provider PJB is benefiting from the growing demand that includes its Australian-designed Nipper vehicles, Levison said.

“We see the latest Nipper sales as being indicative of renewed interest in these vehicles and are confident of achieving strong sales in China over the coming years in line with the industry’s continued growth,” he said.

Levison said PJB had won more than 20 new orders over the past year taking production to near capacity for the next six months.

“The latest sales have added to PJB’s strong order book for FY2011, with our Hunter Valley manufacturing operations, including Kade Engineering, showing excellent performance,” he said.

Levison said Industrea would also continue pursuing opportunities domestically and in other overseas markets such as India, Russia and North America.

“A recent investor roadshow in the United States showed the scale of international investor interest in Industrea, along with the growing global demand for our leading mining productivity and safety equipment.”