50 | Birchfield Coal Mines Ltd T T Richard Loader Leading operator invests in its people “Strongman is a little bit like being on Mars. It’s way up in the hills, and all hard rock. Giles Creek is in softer ground that can get very muddy.” T T to page 52 MINING West Coast coal miner Birchfield Coal Mines Ltd (BCML) is on the hunt for team players to join its growing maintenance team, along with machine operators interested in working in one of the company’s two opencast coalmines — Giles Creek near Reefton and Strongman just out of Greymouth. “We’re looking for experienced people to fill these roles, but equally people who are willing to start at the bottom, get their hands dirty and take on a valuable apprenticeship, or learn a diverse set of skills,” says Eilish Birchfield. “It’s just so hard to find people at the moment.” Eilish’s broad areas of responsibility and experience within BCML includes project management, development of health and safety documentation and management of the Giles Creek office. She also runs the apprentice training programme and facilitates hiring throughout the business. All CV’s cross Eilish’s desk for assessment before being passed onto a site manager. With origins dating back to the late ‘70s, BCML continues to be family owned and operated with Eilish the third generation family member to work for the company that now spans four generations. The Giles Creek mine employs around 30 staff directly involved in mining operations along with a team of support staff including truck drivers, office staff, diesel mechanics and engineers. Last calendar year approximately 200,000 tonnes of coal was extracted from Giles Creek and fed into the domestic commercial/industrial market with some keeping the homes of West Coasters cosy during the cold winter months. The Strongman mine is a much smaller operation producing between 30,000 tonnes and 50,000 tonnes a year, with around 10 staff directly employed in mining operations. Coal from the mines is sent to a number of distribution centres around the West Coast and Canterbury for road or rail transport to market. “Overall for BCML’s entire operations, including the coal distribution centres, we have a large team,” says Eilish. “Our two open cast mines could not be more different, but that provides operators with a diverse mining experience. “Strongman is a little bit like being on Mars. It’s way up in the hills, and all hard rock. Giles Creek is in softer ground that can get very muddy. “On the West Coast you have to deal with a lot of rain So, operators get to build their skills in different ways, while working for the same company.” Proudly supporting Birchfield Coal Mines Ph: (03) 789 7609 | e: bulk@jbt.co.nz
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