Last week at a sold-out BBMC Luncheon in Mackay, we had the pleasure of hosting BHP Mitsubishi Alliance Asset President Mr James Palmer, sponsored by Davey Bickford and CIVEO.

If you couldn’t make it, here is what you missed:

SAFETY GAINS AND SHARED VALUE HERALD BMA’S BRIGHT FUTURE
Enduring commitment and the industry-wide reset of safety in mining was at the forefront of the conversation, given the tragic loss of six lives across the mining and quarry sectors over the last 12 months.

Mr Palmer echoed the desire of BMA executives and all 10,000 employees, saying, “I want an industry where we all go home safely every day.”

BMA, the world’s largest seaborne provider of metallurgical coal, had a strong year in FY18, paying $1.5 billion in royalties in Queensland.

But Mr Palmer reiterated that achievements in performance mean nothing “if we don’t do it safely”.

BMA recognises that there are significant gains to be made by unlocking potential in existing assets, and Mr Palmer told the attendees at the luncheon of his organisation’s transformation agenda, and the two key elements that would be critical to achieving that aim.

The first was BMA’s people, and coming years will see more jobs moving from long term labour hire to permanent.  The company is also investing heavily in reskilling and retraining of employees to enable a smooth transition to safer jobs.

The luncheon also heard about other major BMA initiatives, including major investment in education at secondary school and TAFE level, and increasing basic skills in STEM through to robotics and coding, which are seen as critical skills as the nature of work changes.

The second transformational pillar that Mr Palmer spoke about was the use of technology.  The audience were told about the introduction of transformative technology across BMA’s supply chain and how this meant new ways of working.

With a bright future clearly in sight, BMA committed to renewed safety, stable and sustainable supply and listening, learning and looking forward to creating shared value with employees and contractors alike.