Proactive and transparent partnerships are driving the Australian mining industry into a new era of efficiency and sustainability.
MAX Plant and MACA have shared a long-standing partnership that has seen the deployment of more than 150 pieces of equipment over the years. It’s a relationship steeped in trust, with MAX Plant proving itself as a reliable original equipment manufacturer (OEM) capable of supplying Tier 1-spec machinery and solutions.
Having worked with MAX Plant for decades, MACA operations manager – crushing Asmir Kursumovic thoroughly understands the company’s recipe for success.
“We’ve partnered with MAX Plant since the early 2000s because they’re flexible, versatile and design-driven,” Kursumovic told Australian Mining.
“We give them a particular scope, they review that scope, and they give us a quality solution that is both reliable and cost-effective.
“They can deliver to Tier 1 clients such as BHP, Fortescue, Atlas Iron and Rio Tinto but also provide solutions for Tier 2 and 3 customers as well, whether the plant has a throughput of 1.5 million tonnes per annum, 15 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa), or anything in between.”
Kursumovic said MAX Plant has a “wealth of knowledge” to handle any mineral processing request, with company founder Craig Pedley and his team able to quickly coordinate the design and development of a solution.
“As a contractor, part of our success comes from the quick responses, the quick mobilisations and the quick plant designs which need to be shared with our mining clients,” he said.
“MAX Plant has all the necessary capabilities in-house, meaning they can quickly draft up designs and drawings aligned to MACA and (parent company) Thiess standards.
“We can’t afford to sit back and wait, so for MAX Plant to be able to deliver these requirements in-house makes our life so much easier.”
MAX Plant’s ability to quickly deliver solutions to the right specifications is essential to meeting the demands of Tier 1 mining companies. This is reflective of the strong MACA–MAX Plant partnership.
Image: MAX Plant
“MAX Plant wants to understand the MACA and Thiess design and manufacturing standards, as well as our strategy and plan as a business,” Kursumovic said. “In practice, this means MAX Plant can design machines to the correct specification right from the outset.
“For example, if I need a JM1310 jaw crusher, MAX Plant already has full understanding of the required kit and specification. This is based on previous communication, previous projects and previous expectations of our equipment. This enables MAX Plant to turn around their solutions quickly by leveraging the relationship and understanding we have built over the years.”
Kursumovic said the partnership’s success has also been fuelled by its transparency, which is further supported by the fact MAX Plant is a family-owned business.
“I can go straight to Craig, the CEO, whenever I have a query or request, which is a huge confidence booster,” he said. “This means I can be comfortable in what’s been put in place, whether I have a simple question or I require an actual design change.
“Beyond that, Craig’s team have always been open and transparent when engaging with us. It doesn’t matter if they are engaging with me or other MACA staff – everyone receives the same communication and treatment.”
As MACA and Thiess coordinate new projects and contracts, MAX Plant is in the engine room, designing and manufacturing bespoke solutions to the right specifications.
Kursumovic said some of MAX Plant’s solutions are “mind-blowing”.
“We’re in a process now where MAX Plant is refurbishing and redesigning some of our equipment for a new project we’re looking to mobilise in the next few months,” he said. “MAX Plant is regularly rebuilding equipment and changing structures to suit different projects, because every project asks for something unique, whether it’s the size of the plant or the specific operating conditions.
“MAX Plant is an outside-the-box designer and manufacturer which proactively considers the operational outcomes of their solutions ahead of time. This means their solutions can hit the ground running right from the beginning of a project.”
It’s not just about providing a solution for new projects but also ensuring the continuous improvement of existing projects.
“MAX Plant is always engaging with our operational team to see how they can help,” Kursumovic said. “When we’re after a plant adjustment, we engage with MAX Plant, as the OEM, to come up with a solution.
“I’ll provide the operational scope for that adjustment and MAX Plant will go away and do the calculations and design and, 99.9 per cent of the time, they’ll come out with a solution that adds immense value.
“For one project, we had three or four different continuous improvements in a year, which involved adding extra features such as walkways, platforms, access points and egress points.”
As much as it prioritises operational improvements, MAX Plant also prioritises safety in its adaptations.
“We’re always looking at how we can eliminate confined spaces and working at heights,” Kursumovic said. “Craig and his team are always quick to adopt these considerations and implement them in their designs and future builds.
“This adds huge value to a solution that has already been optimised from an operational standpoint.”
MAX Plant and MACA’s partnership was on full display when they were tasked with supplying equipment to a Tier 1 client’s iron ore operation. The partners delivered a 12Mtpa plant with a spring capacity of up to 15Mtpa “in record time”.
“The infrastructure involved with this project was huge,” Kursumovic said. “MAX Plant welcomed me to their manufacturing facilities, where I was intimately involved in the verification process to see how the plant was built.
“I was able to meet the engineering and fabrication team and see how they go about their work. I needed to ensure the plant was meeting the client’s exact specifications, so having that visibility was important for the success of this project.”
Kursumovic said MAX Plant and MACA are currently working on two other projects to supply equipment to separate WA iron ore operations, suggesting the companies “would be flat out” in the next year or two, further proof – if any were needed – that this partnership is firing on all cylinders.
This feature appeared in the April 2025 issue of Australian Mining.