May 2010 -
MPE Celebrate 10 Year Partnership with PT Arutmin, Indonesia
Ron Shuttlewood pictured left with Pilot Heath Scanlon in Mackay.
From left, Charles Michell, Vicki Waugh, Westpac Rescue Helicopter Business Manager Phil Williams, Garry McCarthy, Frank Wong and Rescue Helicopter Partnership Coordinator Milena Hartnett. MPE Support Rescue Helicopter Service in NSW and QLD
Directors have committed to a three year partnership by supporting the Westpac Rescue
Helicopter Service based at Newcastle, New South Wales and the RACQ CQ Rescue
Helicopter in Mackay, Queensland.
MPE's NSW Operations Manager, Garry McCarthy presented the first cheque to the Newcastle
based operation during a visit and tour with fellow MPE employees Vicki Waugh, Frank Wong
and recently employed Graduate Engineer Charles Michell in February.
QLD Operations Manager Ron Shuttlewood is pictured right during a visit to the Mackay base in early March.
Mr McCarthy said while MPE has contributed to a number of community based organisations during their
13 years in business this was the first time they had made a long term commitment to a specific
Four Project Managers Appointed
MPE General Manager Mick Meissner announced recently thatfollowing an Organisational Review, the following employees, Steve O'Keeffe,
Wayne Shoebridge, Jarrod Turnbull and Mark Jordan have been appointed to the
positions of Project Manager.
Pictured above, Garry McCarthy, Austmine's Tom Hunter, Gujarat NRE Minerals Dr Chris Harvey, Wayne Shoebridge, Graham Chevis and Peter Banks.Austmine Networking Function held in Newcastle
As members of Austmine, MPE were pleased to be able to show their support for thefirst Networking Session for 2010 with attendance by Business Development Manager
Peter Banks, NSW Operations Manager Garry McCarthy, Project Manager Wayne Shoebridge
and Senior Project Engineer Graham Chevis.
Steve O'Keeffe pictured left with Muswellbrook Coal Company Coal Plant Supervisor/Maintenance Training Officer Mark Everingham.mainstay® implementation at Muswellbrook Coal Company
Project Manager - Software Development Steve O'Keeffe has recently completed theimplementation of mainstay® MAINTENANCE SOLUTIONS at Muswellbrook Coal Mine in the
Hunter Valley, New South Wales.
Mr O'Keeffe said the successful implementation of mainstay® at Muswellbrook Coal was
a significant milestone for MPE.
MPE Continues Successful Graduate Program in 2010
MPE has continued their successful Employee Development Program (EDP) employing two
graduate mechanical engineers in 2010.
Charles Michell has joined the Singleton, New South Wales office of MPE while Ben Bowers
recently took up his position in the Oxenford, Queensland office.
In the Singleton office, Charles Michell, pictured centre with Director and NSW Operations Manager Garry McCarthy, on the right and EDP Participant Frank Wong on the left. Frank joined MPE in 2008 as a Graduate from Newcastle University, NSW. participate.
"However, since MPE was formed as a company we have employed 12 graduates over our 13
years in operation."
"A mark of success for the EDP is the recent announcement by the MPE Directors that
employees Steve O'Keeffe and Jarrod Turnbull have been promoted to Project Manager roles;
both Steve and Jarrod joined MPE as part of the EDP," said Mr Shuttlewood.
Unlike some company graduate programs MPE's EDP has no specific period of time to run,
according to Mr Shuttlewood it continues as long as the program is seen to be of benefit.
"Personnel develop at different rates and the company's activities will influence the pace of
their development."
"When the employee has progressed into a field or path of engineering preference or expertise
the EDP has reached its objectives for that individual and this transition can take up to four
years," he said.
In the Oxenford office, Ben Bowers, pictured centre with Director and Queensland Operations Manager Ron Shuttlewood, left and Project Manager - Software Development, Steve O'Keeffe.provide guidance, support and structure to graduates.
Mr Shuttlewood said it was essential for the continuous improvement of both individuals and MPE
to identify their strengths and weaknesses and to develop a level of professionalism to provide
a service beyond expectation.
"If the individual can experience growth and worth, MPE will also."
"The EDP measures individual's experience and skills within the fields of service that MPE
provides, it identifies personnel's strengths and weaknesses, their career ambitions and training
needs and targets are selected to implement a path of personnel development within the company's
operations parameters," said Mr Shuttlewood.
mainstay® MAINTENANCE SOLUTIONS video now available
For a comprehensive five minute presentation about mainstay please complete the Contact Form
on the MPE Contact Us Page, once received by MPE we will then send you a link to enable viewing of the video.
November 2009 - Austmine hailed a success for MPE
MPE exhibit at Austmine 2009On their return from the Austmine Conference and Exhibition in Adelaide, MPE
Directors Mick Meissner and Peter Banks said the two day event was a success for
Mr Banks said the decision to also book exhibition space at Austmine ensured they
were able to promote MPE on a new level.
"The exposure to the more than 250 conference delegates from not only Australia,
but also around the world was invaluable," he said.
Mr Meissner added that the conference program and list of quality speakers was
informative and very interesting.
"The theme of 'Productivity & Safety through Automation' included some extremely relevant
presentations, including John McGagh, Head of Innovation from Rio Tinto and Dr Peter Lilly,
Director of Minerals Down Under Flagship.
"The International address was by the Chairman of Coal India Ltd," added Mr Meissner.
November 2009 - Australian Mining Prospect Awards - Gala Award Ceremony, Sydney
From the left, Mick Meissner, Peter Banks, Steve O'Keeffe and Garry McCarthy at the 2009 Australian Mining Prospect Awards Following the Austmine event in Adelaide, Mick Meissner and Peter Banks joined fellow Director
Garry McCarthy and MPE's Project Manager Software Development Steve O'Keeffe
for the Gala Award Ceremony in which they were a Finalist in the Innovative Mining Technology
Category. Fellow Director Ron Shuttlewood was unable to join the celebrations in Sydney due
to work commitments in Mt Isa.
MPE were beaten on the night by a product that all agreed was a worthwhile recipient,
CRC Mining's SmartCap, Fatigue Management Project.
Mr Meissner said MPE have already won just by the fact that we are here among the finalists.
December 2009 - In Focus available on Friday 11th December
For those on our mailing list please keep an eye on your email in box for the latest copy of In Focus featuring MPE's latest news about the Austmine Conference and the Australian Mining Prospect Awards. If you are not on our mailing list and would like to be kept up to date, please fill out the subscription form on our home page or by visiting the online subscription form.
September 2009 - MPE a finalist in 2009 Australian Mining Prospect Awards
MPE received confirmation this week that their nomination in the Innovative Mining Solutions Category has been selected as a Finalist in the 6th annual Australian Mining Prospect Awards.
General Manager and one of four Company Directors, Mick Meissner said the nomination was for their suite of maintenance management tools known as mainstay® MAINTENANCE SOLUTIONS which was launched at a Queensland coal mine in February this year.
"We are thrilled to have received this industry wide recognition for mainstay® MAINTENANCE SOLUTIONS, which was developed by our dedicated and experienced team over a period of two years.
"mainstay® MAINTENANCE SOLUTIONS overcomes current limitations in the maintenance managementprocess by providing users with four integrated modules. It meets a definable and substantial market need
by modernising the ‘tools’ used by maintenance supervisors during their work day.
"mainstay® MAINTENANCE SOLUTIONS has led to real mining improvements by giving traditionally ‘time poor’ maintenance supervisors the technology to run their shift in a more efficient and accountable manner," said Mr Meissner.
The gala awards ceremony and dinner will be held at Doltone House, Sydney on Wednesday 11 November 2009.
The Australian Mining Prospect Awards aim to encourage, recognise and reward excellence in the Australian mining industry.
In 2009 Australian Mining sought nominees in 12 categories, including Minerals Processing Plant of the Year, Excellence in Environmental Management and Innovative Mining Solutions.
According to Australian Mining currently, the biggest challenges in the industry are cost-effectiveness and environmental sustainability.
tackled these issues head-on," they said.
The keynote speaker at this year's ceremony will be Dr Peter Lilly FTSE, the Director of CSIRO's Minerals Down Under National Research Flagship.
For further details about mainstay® MAINTENANCE SOLUTIONS please follow the links on the MPE Web Site.
July 2009 - MPE expands current services
Ron Shuttlewood and Bruce MartinMPE have announced an expansion to their Design & Drafting capabilities to better suit the needs of their clients.
Speaking from their Queensland office, Operations Manager and one of four Company Directors, Ron Shuttlewood, pictured right with MPE Systems Engineer Bruce Martin, said the timing was right for MPE to expand on this part of the business.
"We have completed various design and drawing projects over recent years, utilising our engineering personnel, our structual design software Multiframe, and our CAD drawing package. Our recent recruitment drive targeted experienced Registered Professional Engineers for the lead design role to develop this business sector to the point where we can offer in-house design certification."
"The decision to undertake the expansion at this time fits with our current business development and five year plan."
"We are pushing a business sector that we want to grow. It is an area of our business that is not specific to the mining industry and can involve projects such as, structural steel work design, platforms, access walkways, concrete design work, construction project management and much more," said Mr Shuttlewood.
Staff involved in the design and drawing business sector will be based at MPE’s Oxenford office on Queensland’s Gold Coast, however, as with all projects undertaken by MPE, due to their experience and knowledge, employees travel to all areas of Queensland, interstate and overseas to undertake a variety of projects.
July 2009 - Maintenance Improvement Project complete for PNG gold mine.
Mine Processing Facility in Papua New GuineaMPE General Manager Mick Meissner and Senior Asset Management Consultant Dunstan Netto have recently returned from a two week maintenance improvement project in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG).
While MPE has experience in overseas projects this was their first audit for a PNG based mining company.
The MPE team were based at the remote gold mine which is located in tropical jungle 2,800 metres above sea level near the Wau Village.
Mick said the opportunity arose for MPE to undertake the project in PNG due to the company’s extensive experience in facilitating maintenance improvement projects in the local mining industry.
The mine currently has expatriate workers who have worked with MPE on previous projects and they recommended us for this particular role,” added Mick.
The audit contained four sections including, Management Control, Resource Management, Process Design and Delivery and Measurement, Analysis and Improvement.
Mick said the intent of the maintenance audit is to identify current maintenance practices and then in conjunction with the client identify sustainable improvement opportunities.
"While undertaking the audit, MPE were also asked to supply maintenance planning personnel on site in PNG on a contract basis until establishment rolesare filled by permanent employee's," said Mick.
Extensions to MPE's Oxenford QLD officeJuly 2009 - More space for QLD employees
As employee numbers continue to expand in the Oxenford, Queensland office of MPE, recent extensions have now been completed to ensure enough space for all.
In total the current office space was extended by 48 square metres.
May 2009 - MPE completes ninth annual fixed plant inspection for PT Arutmin in Kalimantan, Indonesia
New South Wales Operations Manager Garry McCarthy and Project Engineer Frank Wong recently returned from Kalimantan, Indonesia where they carried out the ninth annual fixed plant condition audit for client PT Arutmin.
MPE perform the audit and supply a comprehensive report on the condition of assets at the Satui and Senakin open cut coal mines.
Frank Wong in IndonesiaThis was the first major field trip for Newcastle University engineering graduate Frank who joined MPE 12 months ago, his inclusion sees MPE continuing their policy of rotating junior engineers through the various aspects of their role to broaden their experience in field work.
May 2009 - Austrade Indonesia assists MPE to meet with local businesses
With the valuable assistance of Austrade staff in Indonesia Garry McCarthy was given the opportunity to meet to representatives from Thiess Indonesia and BUMI Resources.
The meetings, held in Jakarta enabled Garry to discuss MPE's range of services including a presentation on the recently released suite of maintenance management tools, mainstay® MAINTENANCE SOLUTIONS.
April 2009 - mainstay® MAINTENANCE SOLUTIONS presented to staff from a number of Hunter Valley, NSW and Bowen Basin, QLD mining operations.
Nathan White ready to present mainstay® MAINTENANCE SOLUTIONSResponding to requests from both New South Wales and Queensland mining operations, MPE conducted mainstay® presentations in their Singleton office and at a number of site locations throughout April and May.
Following the launch in February 2009, the new suite of maintenance management tools has attracted widespread interest throughout Australia and Indonesia.
Pictured: In the Singleton office, MPE Project Engineer Nathan White, pictured at the computer is ready to present mainstay® MAINTENANCE SOLUTIONS to staff from Muswellbrook Coal.
March 2009 - mainstay® released
Announcing mainstay®, MPE's new suite of maintenance management tools available now. For more information visit the mainstay® promotional page on the MPE website.
March 2009 - Website updates
Site update showing new contentMPE are pleased to announce that we have updated and extended our website. We have added the Recent News page to keep you up to date with the latest happenings at MPE. The new mainstay® promotional page is now available with several downloadable documents detailing the many benefits of our new product.
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