Bradken’s complete asset maintenance mission

With more than 100 years of experience in the global mining and resources sector, Bradken has built a reputation for delivering high-quality wear solutions. Today, the company continues to evolve its capability by integrating high-quality operational execution with advanced technology to solve the mining industry’s most complex asset challenges.

Achieving peak efficiency in mining operations has always been at the core of Bradken’s approach. Through technically driven, customer-focused engineering, Bradken designs, manufactures and supplies high-quality wear parts and delivers integrated solutions from its Western Australian foundry and fabrication facilities.

Complementing this capability is a suite of innovative “smart” technologies embedded across a broad range of mining products, enabling real-time data insights that drive true asset optimisation. Safety remains a fundamental principle, with all solutions designed to ensure safe execution, not only within Bradken’s operations, but also for customers in the field, creating a lasting safety legacy.

As part of a significant multi-million dollar investment, Bradken’s Bassendean fabrication facility has undergone a full refurbishment, introducing state-of-the-art equipment and significantly enhancing production capability.

This uplift enables the delivery of complete asset solutions required for mining operations.

Combined with the company’s foundry in Wundowie, Bradken offers a fully integrated, end-to-end solution to deliver customised wear parts tailored to each customer’s operational requirements, quality expectations, and budget.

To further strengthen delivery, Bradken has undertaken a comprehensive operational redesign, utilising intelligent data systems, lean manufacturing principles and optimised delivery processes. This transformation enhances efficiency and responsiveness, reinforcing Bradken’s legacy of high-quality, customer-centric solutions.

Built on a foundation of innovation and excellence, the teams at Bradken’s Bassendean and Wundowie facilities are a testament to the organisation’s strong culture and commitment to quality.

“I look forward to continuing to innovate and unlocking the full potential of our Western Australian operation,” Bradken site manager WA operations Emma Murray said.

The refurbishment of fixed and mobile plant components at these facilities enables rapid change-out and return to service, minimising downtime and maximising production continuity. Through close collaboration with customers, Bradken identifies critical asset challenges and delivers engineered solutions.

One such example involved addressing performance limitations in a train load-out (TLO) system, where Bradken’s delivered a tailored solution to significantly improve operational reliability and performance.

“By focusing on delivering solutions that create real value for our customers. This plug-and-play TLO approach reduced downtime, improved reliability, and delivered a measurable reduction in total cost of ownership, exactly the outcomes our customers expect,” Bradken sales manager fixed plant products Steve Mackay said.

This solution was fully tested at the Bassendean facility and seamlessly installed during a scheduled shutdown, significantly reducing downtime and improving overall operational efficiency.

Alongside its TLO rotable capability, Bradken’s Bassendean facility continues to play a central role in the supply of fixed plant wear solutions across Australasia. This includes rotable and chute refurbishments, as well as mobile plant support.

A rotable is a high-value, serialised spare part or component that can be repeatedly repaired, overhauled and returned to service rather than being discarded after a single use.

The recent expansion has significantly increased production capacity across key product lines, including Bradken’s Duablock and ceramic wear systems, enabling improved responsiveness, greater scheduling flexibility and stronger alignment with customer demand.

The increased production scale supports consistent output across both rotable and fixed plant product streams, providing customers with a reliable and predictable supply for planned maintenance cycles and ongoing operational requirements.

Enhanced facility capability

The Bassendean expansion incorporates significant infrastructure upgrades designed to increase throughput, improve efficiency, and support a broader range of complex manufacturing and refurbishment activities.

Key enhancements include upgraded site power infrastructure, expanded waterjet cutting capabilities, increased vacuum brazing furnace capacity and improved cranage and material handling systems, ultimately supporting an increased operational workload to better serve customers.

A key addition is the introduction of a dedicated TLO chute refurbishment and testing rig for guillotine gates and loading chutes.

This capability enables full assembly, testing and validation of refurbished assets prior to dispatch, ensuring performance is verified in a controlled environment before installation.

The end-to-end validation process delivers clear operational benefits, reducing commissioning risk, minimising the likelihood of in-service performance issues and enabling faster, more efficient change-outs during shutdown periods.

Certainty in partnership

Expanded capabilities reinforce Bradken’s position as a provider of fully engineered solutions by integrating refurbishment, testing and delivery into a seamless, end-to-end workflow.

Complementing the physical expansion, the Bassendean facility has undergone a comprehensive operational transformation focused on lean manufacturing and process optimisation. The workshop layout has been redesigned to improve the flow of rotable refurbishment activities, enhance space utilisation and reduce unnecessary handling across production stages.

In parallel, Bradken has undertaken a site-wide review of key operational processes, including estimating, planning, inventory management and execution discipline. These improvements strengthen alignment between changing customer requirements and production capacity and drive greater consistency and reliability in delivery.

Proven performance outcomes

The Bassendean facility has increased production capacity for fixed plant and rotable products across Western Australia while simultaneously reducing customer lead times.

Delivery performance now exceeds 90 per cent on-time delivery in full (DIFOT), with further gains expected as systems and processes are fully embedded.

As adoption of rotable strategies accelerates across the mining sector, these capabilities are becoming critical to maintaining production efficiency and reducing life-cycle maintenance costs.

Bradken continues to strengthen its innovation pipeline through ongoing research and development initiatives.

In collaboration with leading Australian and international universities, the company is advancing new material technologies focused on improving wear resistance and extending asset life across fixed plant applications.

“Innovation at Bradken is driven by a clear focus on delivering measurable value to our customers. By combining advanced material science with real-world operational insight,” Bradken product manager – fixed plant Cathy Hewett said.

“We are developing solutions that not only extend asset life but fundamentally improve performance, safety, and total cost of ownership.”

These developments are expected to deliver the next-generation of wear solutions, with new innovations anticipated to enter the market within the next 12 months, further reinforcing Bradken’s commitment to continuous improvement and technical leadership.