| 53 T T Hugh de Lacy Surging prices fuel growth for mining specialist Alton Drilling owner Cory Ibbotson (below) says the New Zealand mining sector is booming with unprecedented levels of work and investment. Alton Drilling CONTRACTING Something of a frenzy of activity has been unleashed in New Zealand by booming global gold and metal prices, and Waihi-based Alton Drilling is riding the wave in both drilling and manufacturing activity. The biggest company of its kind in New Zealand, and one of the top 15 worldwide in recorded metres drilled annually, Alton Drilling employs more than 220 staff all round the country, while its manufacturing plant in Waihi exports drilling rigs all round the world, including to such exotic destinations as the Congo, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan and Mongolia. “The New Zealand mining sector is booming with unprecedented levels of work and investment, prompted by the Government’s push to expand the mining industry,” Alton Drilling owner Cory Ibbotson says. “We’ve never seen this level of activity in New Zealand before, and we’re enjoying massive overseas demand for the drilling rigs we manufacture. “New Zealand has three of the largest untapped gold resources in the Southern hemisphere, and Alton Drilling’s latest achievement is taking on a five-year surface and underground drilling contract with Oceana Gold at both its Waihi and Macraes mines.” Alton Drilling’s Waihi headquarters has a manufacturing and maintenance workshop with more than 20 skilled employees and $4 million worth of spares in stock, and it’s there that all the company’s human resource, training and recruitment programmes are carried out. The company is particularly strong in its training regime, taking new recruits off the street and carrying them through to drilling certification. The company has more than 40 rigs in New Zealand drilling over 120,000m a year for a combination of mining and construction projects in every corner of the country. Growth has been nothing less than startling since 2006, when Cory bought it from Alan Speight – whose first name and that of his business partner Tony Lyons make up the “Alton”, who had launched it in Westport in 1983. Cory had started with Alton Drilling at age 17, working on the company’s Mindrill F30, manufactured by American global giant Boart Longyear. He worked his way up through the company, mostly drilling for coal on the West Coast of the South Island, before taking two rigs to “We’ve never seen this level of activity in New Zealand before, and we’re enjoying massive overseas demand for the drilling rigs we manufacture.” Cloncurry in Queensland, drilling for gold and copper for five years before coming home. When Cory bought Alton Drilling, he took over just a handful of staff, and launched into the expansion plan that built it to its current success. The manufacturing side of the business produces both heli-portable and track-based drilling rigs, with both kinds in strong demand here and overseas. The rigs are produced in a range of sizes to suit every application, and global metal prices have led to surging demand for them. “The gold price reaching record highs of way over $US3000 an ounce has driven huge investment in exploration in the yellow metal, and that’s been supported by demand for rare earth and other metals,” Cory says. “The immediate and medium-term outlook for New Zealand mining is golden.” Quality Machining Ltd excels in its ability to expertly prototype solutions for your problems. With over 30 years’ experience supporting the drilling industry, Our well-equipped modern workshop consists of CNC mills, Multi axis machining centres, CNC Lathes, wire EDM, a range of manual machines and fabrication facility. Supported by the latest CAD/CAM software and years of experience, our team is here to help you with your next project. PRECISION MACHINING MODERN WORKSHOP HELICOPTER LANDING PLATFORMS ENGINEERING DESIGN AND SOLUTIONS 027 436 6176 sales@qml.co.nz www.qml.co.nz 57 Prestons Road, Greymouth
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