Robit is delivering faster access to drilling consumables and cost-saving regrinding services through a revamped Kalgoorlie-Boulder facility designed to keep operations running.
Access to reliable drilling consumables is vital to maintaining a mine site’s productivity, especially in Western Australia’s Eastern Goldfields, where abrasive geology and remote operations define daily realities.
That is the setting for Robit’s revamped Kalgoorlie-Boulder branch, a development that establishes a permanent service base in one of Australia’s most active mining regions.
Spanning 2000m2, the facility combines warehousing for Robit’s full range of drilling consumables with a purpose-built bits grinding operation, aimed squarely at reducing downtime and improving cost-per-metre performance for operators across the Goldfields.
Kalgoorlie-Boulder sits roughly 600km east of Perth and acts as a central hub for some of Australia’s most significant gold and nickel operations. For contractors and miners working across the region, supply delays can quickly translate into lost productivity.
Remote sites cannot easily absorb long lead times, particularly when operating in conditions that demand consistent tooling performance and frequent maintenance.
Robit’s presence in Australia dates back to its 2016 acquisition of Drilling Tools Australia (DTA), through which it built relationships with major contractors and mine operators nationwide. The Kalgoorlie-Boulder branch represents a deeper commitment, placing product and expertise directly within the region’s main service hub.
At the heart of the new facility is its warehousing capability, stocking Robit’s complete range of Top Hammer, Down-the-Hole (DTH), Reverse Circulation (RC), and geotechnical drilling consumables. This range includes button bits, shank adapters, rods, couplings, DTH hammers and bits, drill pipes, casing systems, and anchoring products, all available locally.
The impact of the new facility has been immediate. Orders that once required sourcing from Perth or overseas can now be fulfilled same-day or next-day, significantly reducing operational delays.
Robit is also working with customers on consignment stock and tailored supply arrangements, aligning inventory with site-specific drilling schedules.
Complementing the warehouse is a dedicated in-house bit-grinding facility, a key differentiator in the Kalgoorlie-Boulder branch’s offerings.
In hard-rock drilling, button bits gradually lose efficiency as tungsten carbide buttons wear flat. Once wear flats exceed roughly one-third of the button diameter, penetration rates drop and the risk of cracking increases.
Rather than discarding worn bits, Robit’s regrinding service restores them to operating specification, maintaining original geometry and hole accuracy.
The financial implications of this offering are significant. Regrinding typically costs a fraction of replacement, with well-maintained bits delivering cost reductions of up to 60 per cent over their service life, Robit said. In many cases, proper grinding practices can double bit service life, a critical advantage in high-cost, high-demand drilling environments.
Beyond physical infrastructure, the Kalgoorlie-Boulder branch is staffed by Robit’s drilling specialists, who provide application advice, performance analysis and troubleshooting support. This includes guidance on selecting the right bit, hammer and rod configuration for local ground conditions, a factor that can materially influence cost-per-metre outcomes in the abrasive rock types common across the Goldfields.
Robit also supports product trials and ongoing performance monitoring, drawing on technical expertise from its global manufacturing bases operations in Finland, South Korea and the UK. With its Kalgoorlie-Boulder expansion, the company is reinforcing a broader strategy, pairing global capability with local presence.
For operators in WA’s Goldfields, that translates to faster access, longer-lasting tools and on-the-ground expertise, all geared towards keeping drills turning in one of Australia’s most demanding mining environments.
This feature appeared in the May issue of Australian Mining magazine.
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