In resource transport, uptime is productivity. An unplanned outage on a workforce bus does not just affect a trip; it disrupts shift schedules, site commitments and the operational rhythm of a remote site.
As mining transport fleets incorporate high-voltage electric vehicles, the technical training behind them carries an added dimension: safety. VDI Australia’s appointment of a National Quality, Customer Support and Training Manager directly addresses both.
Mike Blundell steps into the newly created National Quality, Customer Support & Training Manager role that brings together quality assurance, customer support coordination and operator training under a single national remit.
Blundell brings almost 20 years of experience in the heavy vehicle sector, including 13 years specifically in the Australian bus industry, across technical service, aftersales operations and customer competency development.
The role encompasses quality assurance, customer support coordination and operator training — with a particular focus on the technical competencies required to safely operate and maintain modern bus fleets operating in high-demand environments.
“As VDI grows nationally, our responsibility to operators extends well beyond delivery,” VDI managing director Peter Woodward said.
“This role is about being deliberate and accountable in how we support fleets over their full life — through consistent service quality, practical training and a customer experience that reflects the standards operators expect from their best partners.
“Mike’s appointment signals our commitment to building long-term relationships grounded in capability, trust and real operational support.”
VDI is addressing the shift to high-voltage systems through partnerships with registered training organisations to deliver nationally accredited qualifications — not internal manufacturer certificates. For technicians working on mining transport fleets, that distinction matters.
“The credential matters beyond the training room. For a technician working on high-voltage systems, a nationally recognised qualification carries real professional accountability — it is verifiable, portable, and it sets a standard that protects both the individual and the operator’s business,” Mike Blundell, VDI’s National Quality, Customer Support and Training Manager said.
“VDI is working with partners to deliver competency training for our service staff and to collaborate and assist our customers’ technical and operations teams to reach the highest standards in the industry with this new technology,” Chief Operations Officer at VDI Australia John Soars said.
“As we blaze a path forward, we will share our learnings and experience with our partners. This new appointment will speed up that process and create the learning culture that allows us to excel in our operational and critical safety deliverables — for VDI and our partners.”
The upskilling extends to VDI’s own service and technical staff, ensuring the support chain behind resources transport fleets holds the same standard it demands of operators.
“Our own team carries the same obligation. As we move deeper into new technology vehicles, our service and technical staff need to be fully across high-voltage safety and EV systems — not just our customers’ technicians.
“We’re upskilling in parallel, so when an operator’s workshop is being trained, we’re learning alongside them,” Blundell said.
For resources transport operators, the appointment signals a supplier building the safety, training and support infrastructure that high-utilisation, remote fleet operations require.