ENGINEERING SERVICES In mining downturn, IBS looks to Asia With mining in the doldrums, bulk handling supplier integrated Bulk Systems is looking to Asia and pneumatics. ABHR spoke to the company’s chief executive, Ray Hill. R ay Hill has been spending a lot of times on planes recently. The boss and owner of IBS has been travelling regularly – initially for three weeks a month and now for two – to the company’s new offices in Thailand and China, which are a beachhead into the potentially lucrative Asian markets for pneumatic solutions in industries such as food, chemicals and manufacturing. Hill’s strategy makes sense with the mining industry, long a major sector for the firm, struggling against a backdrop of poor commodity prices and negative sentiment. “We’ve been fairly active in mining in recent years but that sector’s just died. So we’re doing more in chemicals and food and setting up a Thailand sales office was a natural for us as we do manufacturing over there,” explained Hill. IBS’ Thailand office will also be used as an entrée to other Asian markets, such as Indonesia and Vietnam. “We’re quoting jobs worth millions of dollars and Asia is where the future is,” said Hill. “The work and project management will be done overseas and the engineering and 3D modelling will be done in Australia, with our engineers going back and forth.” Hill has been recruiting and a key hire is David Short, a very experienced pneumatic conveying specialist with long Tim Gibson, IBS sales director with Eric Wu, regional manager China and Patrick Xu, technical engineer at IBS’s office at Yangzhou City China. Thorndon Bearings David Short, IBS’s regional manager South East Asia is based in Bangkok and is a pneumatic conveying specialist. Thordon Bearings offer excellent wear life, reduced noise and low operating friction while providing a dependable, environmentally friendly alternative to the grease and oil lubricated bearings. The Mining, Sugar Cane, Marine, Sewage, Water Treatment, Paper Pulp and Forestry industries are just a few of the industries that have Thordon bearing applications. Victoria – Head Office: JAC 037 20-22 Macquarie Drive Thomastown Vic. 3074 Australia Victoria Office Tel: 61 3 9465 8777 Fax: 61 3Head 9465 8788 20-22 Macquarie Drive Thomastown Vic. 3074 Australia N.S.W. Telephone: Office: 61 3 9463 0888 Facsimile: 61 3 9465 8788 Tel: 61 2 9844 5495E-mail: Fax: [email protected] 61 2 9844 5478 FreeCall 1800 334 005 FreeCall 1800 334 005 Web Site: www.jacmor.com.au Web: www.jacmor.com.au E-mail: [email protected] 50 Australian Bulk Handling Review: September/October 2014 engagement with industry in Asia. Other staff for the Asian offices are being trained in Australia. IBS is a specialist materials handling engineering firm, with experience in designing, procuring, building and project managing installations across areas such as conveyors, transfer and storage systems, and batch weighing and mixing. It regularly acts for Australia’s largest EPCM engineering firms as well as end users in sectors from coal and iron ore to sugar, flour and starch. Key staff, besides Ray Hill, include sales director Tim Gibson and design engineer Rob Andrew, a belt conveying specialist who previously ran his own engineering firm, called Engenuity, before it was acquired by IBS. Recent business for IBS includes: a third order from Vale for a specialised shuttle conveyor in New Caledonia; a fifth conveyor for Gina Rinehart’s Roy Hill iron ore project; a new order from established customer Worsley Alumina and an ammonium nitrate load-out facility for CSBP. Contact: www.integratedbulksystems.com.au