Beyond the North West, Boom Logistics is expanding its presence across Western Australia’s Goldfields region, with its local depot in Leonora supporting growing gold mining expansion activity through responsive crane, rigging and shutdown services across the region and a capital expenditure investment of $25 million.
Boom now has 15 full-time staff supporting its operations in the Goldfields, as well as additional specialist mechanical, engineering and management support. Regional manager Dave Barfield said that with permanent crews on back-to-back rosters ready to respond at short notice, Boom Logistics can service both the northern Goldfields from Leonora, and the southern Goldfields from Kalgoorlie.
“Boom has taken a strategic approach to growing our presence in the Goldfields,” Mr Barfield said. “There is clearly a continued growing demand for our specialist services, drawing on our experience together with our up-to-date fleet. The strength of the global gold price is seeing a number of gold projects expanding, and that opens up opportunities for Boom to deliver the level of support we are renowned for, to meet that demand.
“In terms of our fleet capability and investment we have a large number of cranes available, all under the same regional reporting structure, so if there is a requirement from the client side for a larger crane, anything up to 800 tonnes, that can be done seamlessly,” Mr Barfield said. “Our assets include eight All Terrain cranes and six Franna cranes, with fleet regeneration having been one of our key priorities in the reason.
“Boom has also recently added a new a new 220 tonne All Terrain crane and a 40 tonne Franna crane.”
In relation to Boom’s $25 million broader capital investment in its fleet, the business’ focus remained squarely on asset regeneration and ensuring the fleet was modern, scalable, and aligned with sectors driving Australia’s growth.
Boom Logistics WA General Manager West Coast, Chris Vas said the company had “invested significantly” in this program in recent years.
“We have a weighted average fleet age of only six years, which we believe is among the best in the industry for a fleet of our scale,” Mr Vas said. “We don’t invest for growth’s sake.”
Mr Vas said every capital allocation – in the Goldfields or otherwise – was evidence-based and tied to a long-term market outlook that included customer demand signals and utilisation trends.
“The goal is the right asset in the right location for the right application and to improve reliability, safety and return on net assets.”
With multiple projects underway in the Goldfields, the work being undertaken includes shutdown services, crane and rigging solutions, expansion and construction work, equipment, maintenance, and wind/renewables. It is a diverse set of projects that reflects both the scale of activity across this region, and the breadth of capability Boom holds.
Having the youngest fleet in the region, combined with some of the most experienced operators in the region, gives Boom Logistics a clear and distinct point of difference in market.
“In addition, we are backed up on site by full-time mechanical support and have fleet available for dry hire which is an attractive option for some of our clients,” Mr Barfield said, adding that a recent operation of completing a crusher changeout with a 450-tonne crane incident-free and ahead of time as a recent example of a complex lifts completed in the region.
“Safety is our highest priority, and we have an outstanding record in that respect, and we are backed by first-class processes and systems,” said Mr Bardield, noting region-wide safe execution and delivery of shutdowns as a key operational achievement.
“Having that modern fleet, including the fleet being kitted out with state-of-the-art remote diagnostic and GPS system, is a major benefit from a reliability and safety perspective.
"The Goldfields is a prosperous region with great people and a strong community," he added. "We're proud to be part of that not just as a service provider, but as a genuine part of the community, and that really reflects the broad approach we take nationally.”
That community connection is something Boom Logistics takes seriously. The business is heavily involved in the communities in both Leonora and Kalgoorlie, including sponsoring local teams and events; a reflection of the business’ long-term commitment to the region and the people who call it home.
Boom Logistics is well-positioned to meet growing demand across the region: with the fleet, the people, the investment and the local knowledge to support clients through even the most complex and remote operations the Goldfields can present.
