BHP Supplier Innovation Challenge
Attention Newman & Pilbara-based business! BHP has launched two new challenges seeking solutions for their Newman Operations and Port Hedland sites in Western Australia through the Supplier Innovation Program.
The BHP Supplier Innovation Program, facilitated by Austmine, provides mining and mining supplier companies with the opportunity to collaborate with BHP directly. These new project opportunities will help develop solutions for real-world problems facing the industry.
FIND OUT MORE - JOIN THE LAUNCH WEBINAR! Wednesday 13th April 2022 | 12:00 - 12:45PM AEST
BHP and Austmine invite you to join their webinar to receive further information about these challenges and learn about the process of engaging with BHP through the Supplier Innovation Program.
The two new challenges are:
Port Hedland Corrosion Challenge
Port Hedland facilities suffer greatly in the highly corrosive environment due to extreme humid tropical climate and the proximity to salt water of the ocean.
Degradation across the entire plant is being observed on a yearly basis. Currently, no preventive measures are being undertaken, apart from coating of certain structures which is effective to only a certain degree.
The aim of this challenge will be to identify product options for coating with key attributes being
Easy to apply
Low impact on the environment
High level of safety
Highly effective in long-term
Conveyor Roller Manual Handling Challenge
This challenge relates to the manual handling of conveyor rollers and seeks to establish hard controls for both manual handling requirements and associated dropped object risks for conveyor rollers for in-field maintainers. The challenge is located at WAIO Newman Operations, WA but applies to multiple locations and operations.
This is a high frequency activity, with the following risk exposures:
Manual handling – hand and back injuries
Uncontrolled release of stored energy (gravitation) and dropped objects while working at heights and on incline conveyors
A “Hard Control” solution will be sought that removes manual handling requirements from the point of collection in field, to safely securing and traversing them on walkways and to their point of installation. This will require the ability to move rollers over rough terrain, up incline walkways and stairways and ensure that rollers are safely secured at all points.
To ensure you are aware of upcoming challenges and news from the Supplier Innovation Program, register for the program here.
This program is open to all METS companies based across Australia and we encourage participation from small and large companies alike.