AUSTRALIAN METS
In the limelight
Schlam Payload says it is preparing for further international expansion following its acquisition by USCO ITR, a multinational market leader in aftermarket and OEM machinery parts
Australian METS players continue to make a name for themselves on the international stage, Dan Gleeson reports
The Australian mining equipment, technology and services( METS) space has been making global headlines in recent years, thanks to an uptick in international M & A.
The latest announcements – that USbased Caterpillar was looking to acquire RPMGlobal and Italy’ s USCO ITR was acquiring Schlam – are part of a much broader trend where overseas companies have seen the merits in adding the expertise and offerings of Australia-based entities to their group.
Think of Weir acquiring Micromine; Epiroc acquiring RCT, CR and Radlink; and Sandvik acquiring Deswik for further evidence.
Not only do these international companies want to increase their exposure to the buoyant Australian mining market; they also want to capture the nous and knowhow that has allowed these domestic companies to standout in what is a crowded and competitive environment.
Powering mine electrification
The fact this METS marketplace continues to gain global recognition in mining has quite a bit to do with the supporting institutions surrounding smaller innovators.
A recent example of this came from Queensland where local technology developer, BluVein was issued with a A $ 9 million($ 5.9 million) grant as part of an A $ 18 million project from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency( ARENA) through the Powering the Regions Fund – Industrial Transformation Stream.
The funding will support trials and development of BluVein’ s Hammer™ and Rail dynamic charging system, which powers and charges heavy haulage battery-electric mining vehicles while they move.
The project launches with a technology demonstration at Heidelberg Materials’ Wolffdene Quarry in Queensland, showcasing BluVein1 – a 1 MW-plus underground system – on an Epiroc Minetruck MT42 battery-electric mine truck, and progressing to BluVeinXL, targeting around 8 MW of power for surface haul trucks over 240 t, BluVein says.
Key partners on the BluVein1 trial include Heidelberg Materials for hosting the demonstration, Epiroc for the truck and delivery partner JTMEC, as well as members of the BluVein consortium and industry collaborators.
BluVein’ s system uses two core elements: BluVein Rail is a safe, enclosed electrified line beside or above the haul road, while BluVein Hammer is a smart connector on the truck. As the truck drives, the Hammer connects to the Rail and delivers safe high voltage power to run the motors and top up the battery at multi-megawatt scale.
Benefits for operators include more time hauling and less time parked, smaller on-board batteries, lower diesel use and emissions, quieter sites and lower energy cost and lower haulage cost per tonne. The approach is adaptable to different mine layouts and is designed to work with multiple OEMs.
It was a different Australian-government program, the Industry Growth Program( by AusIndustry), that has enabled New South
Wales-based 3ME Technology to accelerate development of its BladeHAUL platform. The company recently became the recipient of A $ 2.95 million of funding to construct and commercialise four batterypowered transport trailers, suitable for a wide range of applications as part of this program.
BladeHAUL, 3ME says, is a remote controlled and autonomous next generation trailer purpose-built for mining and defence environments. It“ redefines” how equipment, energy and consumables are mobilised across rugged terrain.
This initiative responds directly to the mining sector’ s requirement for intelligent power delivery and haulage systems that reduce diesel dependency and boost operational resilience, the company says.
BladeHAUL replaces traditional dieselpowered rigid and semi-rigid trucks used for containerised transport and equipment relocation. Featuring a 225 kWh BladeVOLT ® battery system and a 20-t payload capacity, it is agnostic to payloads and is purpose designed to carry ISO containers, MWh Battery Energy Storage Systems( BESSs), transmixers and drill rigs, according to 3ME. Its modular architecture will support both surface and underground operations.
Powered by 3ME’ s BladeDRIVE ®, the hybrid-electric drivetrain enables speeds of up to 40 km / h when tethered and user limited max speed under remote control. Future capabilities include autonomous navigation and trailer-train configurations, allowing multiple units to operate in a road train configuration.
BladeHAUL, 3ME says, is a remote controlled and autonomous next generation trailer purpose-built for mining and defence environments
8 International Mining | OCTOBER 2025