Mining Smarter, Cleaner, Safer : Byrnecut’s Role in the Industry’s Transformation
As the mining industry faces increasing pressure to balance productivity with environmental responsibility, contractors are playing a pivotal role in driving practical, on-the-ground solutions. Byrnecut, one of the world’s leading underground mining contractors, has been at the forefront of this shift—investing in technology, forging strong partnerships with equipment manufacturers, and supporting clients’ decarbonisation goals.
In this interview, we speak with Byrnecut’s Managing Director Pat Boniwell about how evolving client expectations are reshaping their approach, the company’s role in accelerating the electrification of underground mining, and the lessons learned from pioneering projects. They also share why industry forums, like AusIMM’s Thought Leadership Series, are essential to sparking collaboration and advancing real-world change.
From a contractor's perspective, how are clients' expectations evolving in terms of sustainability, and how is Byrnecut adapting its service offering to meet those demands?
The expectations on safety, productivity and cost are ever present. In more recent years there has been an increased focus on demonstrably improving overall sustainability. In a lot of ways this has confirmed our long-held strategy of investing in new technology and the development of our employees. At Byrnecut we’re integrating new technology into our fleet, capturing emissions data and working with clients to find practical solutions that improve both performance and ESG outcomes. Byrnecut are also investing heavily in equipment monitoring and predictive maintenance software and analysis. These systems help with cost reductions, detect issues earlier, minimise downtime and provide our employees with cleaner safer work environment whilst providing real time feedback to develop their skills.
How is Byrnecut collaborating with mining companies and equipment manufacturers to accelerate the transition to electrification? What does that partnership look like in practice?
Collaboration with our OEMs is essential. For example, we’re working with major OEM’s to assist in their development of the new generation of diesel-electric loaders and trucks. Diesel-electric technology combines the low-maintenance benefits of electric drive with the flexibility of diesel, making it a good fit for operations that are not ready for the switch to full battery-electric. Our role is to provide input on design, provide resources for field trials and give feedback at every testing stage, so the equipment is shaped to meet the actual underground needs. This sits alongside our broader trials with both battery-electric and conventional gear, always with the aim of aligning with our clients’ decarbonisation strategies and generally improving the environment underground.
Can you share any lessons learned or success stories from Byrnecut’s involvement in electrification projects so far, and how those insights might shape future deployments?
The implementation of any new technology is not without its risks and challenges. Not everything is going to work the first time. In other words, the development of and implementation of new technology is not linear and will evolve in unexpected ways. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does require a level of commitment to the longer-term goal, with a degree of flexibility and a big dose of patience. Electrical and communications infrastructure generally needs more investment across the underground mining sector. This coupled with different workforce training and a differing mindset to operational planning and execution mean that none of this change is straight forward.
Early projects have shown clear health benefits from reduced diesel particulates, which has been a strong driver to keep progressing. The diesel-electric program with various OEM’s is an example of how we’re approaching the transition, testing practical solutions that lower costs, improve safety and support sustainability, while recognising that battery, diesel and diesel-electric equipment will likely operate side by side for some time.
What is your perspective on the value of forums like AusIMM's Thought Leadership Series helping drive some of our industry's most important conversations forward?
These forums are valuable because they bring contractors, miners and OEMs together to share what’s working and just as importantly what’s not working. They push the conversation beyond concepts into real-world solutions. For Byrnecut, they’re a chance to contribute our nearly 4 decades of underground mining experience and to learn from others tackling similar challenges and goals.