Queensland based mining company, New Hope Group continues to punch above its weight on the national stage with three finalists at the prestigious Australian Mining Prospect Awards.
Queensland based mining company, New Hope Group continues to punch above its weight on the national stage with three finalists at the prestigious Australian Mining Prospect Awards. Presented last night at a gala dinner in Sydney, New Hope's Jeebropilly and New Acland Mines, along with the company's rural safety program, all featured in different categories Engineers from New Acland were finalists in the Minerals Processing Award with their innovative trial of X-ray sorting technology, originally designed to sort household rubbish The crew at New Acland were recognised for the technology's ability to improve the quality of coal before it's processed through the mine's wash plant, using x-ray and high pressure air jets to reject material from raw coal. Jeebropilly engineers were recognised for their work in making access to coal bins safer, being named finalists in the Innovative Mining Solutions category. The ingenious new system offers maintenance workers a quicker mode of access into and out of coal bins and also removes the height challenges associated with workers being suspended from cranes. The company's third nomination was in the Community Interaction category for its work with LifeFlight developing and successfully delivering the Rural Safety Program. The program has seen New Acland crews helping deliver safety workshops to community members and schools. Despite not taking out an award on the night, Jeebropilly Preparation Plant Superintendent, Ty Cochrane said it was an honour to be a finalist in the prestigious awards. "To think a team of engineers from a small mine outside of Ipswich can compete against the multinationals is fantastic," Ty said. "And to have the opportunity to represent not just my crew but the company as a whole on the national stage is something I won't forget." The Australian Mining Prospect Awards recognise companies for going above and beyond in the innovation space. New Hope Executive Manager of Mining, Jim Randell said the success of New Hope in this year's awards demonstrates the benefits of an employee-driven approach to innovation. "We encourage our crews to push the boundaries when it comes to innovation and our reputation as an industry leader is a direct result of that culture," Jim said. "The teams behind innovations like the X-ray sorter and Temporary Bin Access System are experienced miners, they know what it means to work in a CHPP and their designs reflect that. "The end products address issues in a way that only those familiar with the operations could know - that's why you see improvements to safety as well as productivity and cost."
