AS is the case with many expatriate Australian executives, the lure of the Australian lifestyle and its family-friendly environment finally proved too much for Perth-raised Christian Lange.
AS is the case with many expatriate Australian executives, the lure of the Australian lifestyle and its family-friendly environment finally proved too much for Perth-raised Christian Lange.
Mr Lange started working for the world’s largest oil and gas provider Schlumberger in Perth 15 years ago, and finished up a director of investor relations in New York.
His time with Schlumberger included stints in exotic locations, including parts of the Middle East and South America.
However, last year a unique opportunity to bring his young family home to Australia, combined with a chief executive’s role at South Australian-based mining supply business SDS Corporation, was too much for the former Aquinas school boy.
“Fifteen years at a company like Schlumberger was the best management development someone could possibly get,” Mr Lange told WA Business News.
“But like everyone who reaches the executive level, you have to determine what your opportunities are and for me the chance to come back and educate my children in Australia was next to zero.
“The timing of this was probably premature by a year or two but the opportunity was there for us and so we took that opportunity.”
SDS is a mid-size company employing more than 350, with 21 branches spread across Australia, Canada, Africa and Indonesia.
It now has one of the largest mining distribution networks in Australia, which Mr Lange said he would be trying to expand not just nationally, but globally.
Since its establishment in 1978 as Specialised Drilling Services, SDS Corporation has amassed nine mining supply and manufacturing divisions, several international offices and, along the way, acquired or merged with four mining supply companies.
Last year SDS purchased Nautronix, another Australian manufacturer and supplier of specialist drill bits, but not before subsidiaries of the two became involved in litigation regarding patent infringements.
SDS is also awaiting a WA Supreme Court decision after negotiations broke down during its planned purchase of another manufacturer and supplier of RC drill bits and hammers, International Drill Quip.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is also awaiting the outcome of the court battle after saying earlier that the proposed acquisition could breach the Trade Practices Act by substantially lessening competition in the market for reverse circulation drill hammers and bits.
Since Mr Lange’s appointment last October he has been charged with reviewing the company’s operations and is currently based in South Australia, but spends time in WA where a large percentage of the company’s operations are based.
He has also set about arranging a $16.5 million placement in the corporation to ease company debt and raise the corporation’s market capitalisation.
“SDS had a very nice portfolio . . . and some market presence,” Mr Lange said.
“However, like a lot of small organisations, they needed a bit of management discipline.
“They needed a new vehicle to move to the next level.
SDS founder and managing director Fred Moir, who recently sold about two million shares in the company, had been the company’s driving force.
“Fred is an incredible entrepreneur, you know, opportunities for him is what he sees and he sees the big picture very clearly and is a true entrepreneur in that sense,” said Mr Lange, adding that the company should be able to leverage Mr Moir’s vision and his business skills.
“It’s a lovely Australian-branded organisation with a lot of potential and I think a lot of growth opportunity.
“And that is not just on the strength of the cyclical improvements in exploration spending but also opportunities for more sustainable growth moving offshore in to the other big-mining country.”
Mr Lange played down the recent litigation in which SDS has been involved.
“The court case is an issue whereby it will give us additional products and market and obviously with that we get key personnel, which will obviously add to the business,” he said. “Now in terms of the size of that compared to our opportunities, if that did not happen it is fairly small.”
Rather, Mr Lange said, SDS was more focused on leveraging off the current strength of the economy, commodity prices and precious metals.
“As long as that continues to be very bullish then our business will continue to grow.”
SDS also was looking to expand the business further into the petroleum industry, he said.
