First Armadillo export bound for US copper mine

Mining equipment manufacturer Austin Engineering has made the first shipment of an Armadillo electric rope shovel dipper bucket, following its acquisition of bucket specialist Mainetec in 2022.

In a statement on Tuesday, Austin said the bucket was on its way to an unnamed customer for use on a US copper mine. 

The order was claimed as a major milestone, and validation of the Mainetec acquisition, which came with a key opportunity to sell dipper buckets into the high-demand North and South American markets.

Austin estimates approximately 430 rope shovels currently in operation across the two.

“We are well set up to build market share in these markets,” said CEO and Managing Director David Singleton in the ASX announcement.

“The Armadillo bucket was designed in Australia, manufactured at our Batam facility in Indonesia, and is en route to [a] large US copper mine, supported by our Casper operations, which demonstrates the full integration and global capabilities of the Austin business model.”

Armadillo buckets are described as between 80 and 90 tonnes in weight, though lighter than previous models due to a design requiring less steel in fabrication.

They are designed to offer better productivity, with “consistently higher payload and improved fill compared to an equivalent OEM unit” according to the company. 

It’s the fourth dipper bucket sold since the acquisition, with two going to Australian customers and another made by Austin’s Chilean site for a South American customer. 

Austin added that dipper buckets are high-value items, fetching approximately $US1.5 million to $US 2.5 million ($2.2 million to A$3.7 million) per bucket, depending on configuration specifics. 

Picture: credit Austin

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