JENNMAR has signalled an aggressive expansion of its Australian operation, which will kick off within 18 months and lead to the establishment of at least two more manufacturing “divisions” to service the metalliferous and coal industries of Australia.
According to the president of the US-based company, Frank Calandra Jr, the new facilities will complement the company’s state-of-the-art factory at Wetherill Park in Sydney, New South Wales. He spoke exclusively with Australia’s Longwalls on a recent visit to Australia about the future aspirations of the company.
Jennmar is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of roof control products and bolt and ground support technologies. The company has made rapid strides into the competitive Australian market since its entry in 1996. Main offerings include the Jennmar Friction-Lok stabiliser, torque tension bolts, W-straps, resin, cable bolts and other point anchor bolts.
“We came here originally because Cyprus Amax asked us to,” Calandra said. “In the next 20 years I think Australia will still be one of the primary sources of coal and other metal resources in the world, and this is why we are here now.
“Since April 1997, Jennmar has been importing state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment and experts to facilitate its local manufacturing facility in Sydney. This process, now nearly completed, represents a sizeable investment in Australia.”
Presently, the company’s R&D, conducted in the USA, is being transferred to Australia.
Managing director of Jennmar Australia, Mick Wilkes, said the company’s aim was to combine the best of Australian and American technology and service the mining industry. Two American engineers were assigned to the Sydney location to aid with the transfer of US manufacturing systems and methods. Calandra said each of the six Jennmar factories was standardised, from engineering methods, equipment, to management philosophies. This meant any two Jennmar products were identical apart from minor statutory differences from country to country.
Jennmar’s presence in Australia is centred mainly on NSW, however, it plans to serve the whole of Australia as well as New Zealand. Currently, Jennmar is serving Western Australia and Queensland accounts from Sydney, but plans further expansion in the west.
What can Australian operators expect from Jennmar? Calandra believes one of the main reasons for Jennmar’s success over the past 30 years has been its willingness to change with the times and to provide new bolting techniques and products on a year to year basis. This, coupled with the company’s “value-added” approach to its customers, was what Jennmar Australia hoped to offer Australian mines.
“Our practice in the States (US) has been to develop partnerships with companies and work with both engineering and production management to devise efficient, safe bolting techniques in longwall mining, such as the development of roadways, head and tailgate entries,” Calandra said. “By utilising our vast storage of information acquired over the past 30 years, and with the Jennmar Roof Control-Cadd and Finite Element Analysis computer programs, Jennmar analyses different aspects of roof control and various bolting techniques from mine to mine, and then institutes the best technique. Normally, mines will allow us to test new bolting concepts within the mining cycles which further increases production per shift.”
Both Jennmar USA and Australia will analyse customer needs and either recommend an improved bolting technique, manufacture to a customer’s needs or design and manufacture a new improved product.
Currently, Jennmar Australia was trialling certain modified products which would increase production and safety, said Calandra.
Jennmar has 450 staff and operates in eight locations throughout the world.
