On top of these initial five machines, Liebherr-Australia will supply another two PR 776s, five R 9150 excavators and an R 9400 excavator. Most of these machines will join Northern Star Resources’ existing fleet at the Super Pit – one of Australia’s largest gold mines – which is located near the city of Kalgoorlie-Boulder in Western Australia. Three of the fleet will go to work at Northern Star Resources’ Thunderbox Operations near the town of Leonora – approximately 300 kilometres from Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
The commissioning of these new machines will bring the total number of Liebherr machines in Northern Star Resources’ fleet to 17. Liebherr-Australia delivered Northern Star Resources’ first Liebherr machine – an R 9400 excavator – back in 2022, followed by three more in consecutive years.
Liebherr’s growing commitment to Western Australia
In order to meet the demands of the growing Liebherr fleet in Western Australia, Liebherr-Australia has been expanding its footprint in the region for the past few years. In 2022, Liebherr-Australia opened its Kalgoorlie branch, bringing the number of Liebherr branches in the state to three.
‘Our investment in the Kalgoorlie branch highlights our growing commitment to the region and to supporting the gold mining industry. The Kalgoorlie branch supports mining companies in the region with its comprehensive range of spare parts, its tooling capabilities and its dedicated team of customer service personnel,’ says Daniel Law-Davis, Liebherr-Australia’s operations manager for Western Australia. ‘In fact, the excellent service provided by our Kalgoorlie team was an important factor for our customers who choose Liebherr machines for their operations.’
In the same year, Liebherr-Australia expanded the size of its Perth facility from 34,000 m2 to 81,000 m². The expansion included two new workshops, a three-storey office, an extended service workshop and a 5,000 m² parts warehouse. These upgrades established the site as the central hub for zero emission, autonomy and technology developments that support the growing fleet of autonomous and zero emission mining equipment in Western Australia.
And there is yet more development still to come for the Perth facilities.
‘To accommodate our growing presence in Western Australia and the ramping up of production happening in the state, we are set to double our operations – both in terms of our physical footprint and our workforce – in Perth by 2030,’ says Law-Davis.
Strengthening the goldfields
Commissioning these machines for Northern Star Resources represents a number of exciting developments for Liebherr-Australia.
‘Gold mining in Western Australia is a critical part of the state’s resources sector, and Liebherr-Australia is proud to be playing a growing role in its future. Our partnership with Northern Star Resources highlights not only our commitment to the industry but also the capability of our range of equipment –from our 100-tonne excavators to our largest excavators, dozers and trucks – to deliver outstanding performance in demanding conditions. We’re excited to see these machines drive efficiency and increase safety and scaling in the years ahead,’ says Brian Boitano, executive general manager of sales, marketing, training and solutions for Liebherr-Australia.
