With more than 25 years’ experience in the field, founder and managing director of mining communication specialists Minetec Communications, Greg Anderson, believes his company will reap the benefits of the state’s mining boom for a considerable time to co
With more than 25 years’ experience in the field, founder and managing director of mining communication specialists Minetec Communications, Greg Anderson, believes his company will reap the benefits of the state’s mining boom for a considerable time to come.
The former British Army soldier, who started the business seven years ago, bases this view on the number of greenfields and mine expansions either planned or coming online over the next decade.
“We know what’s going on on-site; everyone’s expanding, I can’t see it ending,” he told WA Business News.
Minetec specialies in the supply, installation, maintenance and repair of voice and data radio communications equipment in the mining, oil and gas sectors.
The business employs staff at corporate offices and mine sites across the country, including 30 remote communications technicians.
Mr Anderson started the business in 2000 with one vehicle and $11,000 in capital, so the recent rapid growth has come as something of a surprise, with Minetec more than doubling staff numbers from 20 to 45 during the past 12 months.
He believes dealing with expansion has been the company’s biggest challenge, and raised the question of how far he wants to take Minetec.
“This time last year we had 20 people working for us; we’ve been given the opportunities and we’ve taken them,” Mr Anderson said.
Anticipating the continued growth in demand, Mr Anderson appointed a business mentor a number of years ago, and brought a number of highly experienced senior managers on board to help guide the company in the right direction.
Moving the business forward also involved taking a few risks, including the opening of regional offices throughout Western Australia and in Queensland.
After it became evident that a number of the mining companies preferred using locally based contractors, the management team investigated the feasibility of opening regional offices in areas of strong demand.
Minetec had also received interest from a number of mining majors, including Pilbara Iron, to manage their mine communications systems.
With potential contracts secured, and a wealth of new business opportunities available in the region, Minetec opened regional offices in Karratha, Kalgoorlie and Mackay.
Mr Anderson said the company had tried having an on-site manager at the Mackay office, but the manager left after his three-month probationary period was up, taking some of the company’s clients with him and starting his own business.
At that point it was decided that all offices would be run from Perth.
“The business has changed completely. [We’re] now dealing with four different budgets instead of one, coping with style of business in Queensland, employing people and putting new systems in place,” Mr Anderson said.
Despite the setback, the move has paid off. Wining a number of contracts at the operations of some of the world’s biggest mining companies, Minetec is on track for a turnover of $11 million this financial year.
Now in the process of streamlining the business and management systems, Mr Anderson said the company was aiming to double its size in the next three years. This would include opening further regional offices.
“We’ve expanded a lot in five years, we’ve got a good reputation out there in the market and we want to maintain that reputation,” Mr Anderson said.
