RME's transformative year in review – 2023

RME Year in Review – 2023 

As the sun sets on a transformative year at RME, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the milestones that have defined our journey in 2023. Join us as we revisit the highlights of the year. 

Safety, always 

Consistently, safety and wellbeing are company cornerstones for RME. Safety is our reason for being and the 'why' governing our actions. This is reflected in our commitment to safety awareness for our people, systematically eliminating operational hazards, and eradicating fatal risks for our Customers and reline crews. 

Our aspiration evolved 

2023 saw RME’s aspiration statement updated with an important addition: to improve the human condition through responsible access to metals at a lower cost. The inclusion of 'responsible' reflects the ethos that has always underpinned our safety-centric purpose and culture, and now this formally extends to the stewardship of our planet and communities. This addition signals our intent to balance industry advancements with ecological responsibility. As we continue our ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) journey, RME is dedicated to making meaningful progress. We understand that sustainable business practices are not only essential for the well-being of our planet and communities but also for the long-term success of our company and the many mines and livelihoods it supports. 

Relining from outside of the mill is now a reality 

RME’s global cohort is incredibly proud and energised to have materialised our vision of being able to reline from outside of the mill. This advanced capability is the culmination of years of work by our team. Not only do we have many RME personnel to thank, but also our mill liner and bolt partners, our progressive safety-first Customer, and their enthusiastic mill relining crew. This achievement marks a significant milestone for our industry. Empowering mill operators to reline concentrators without the need for personnel inside yields valuable safety and efficiency advantages. These benefits will result in substantial improvements in mill availability, ushering in a new era of concentrator performance – visibly, defensibly, and sustainably.. 

Fast, reliable, safe solutions are available for every mill 

2023 also saw the official release of our expanded RUSSELL liner exchange machine range with accessible, future-proofed solutions for every mill and mine site. This includes additional RUSSELL Mill Relining Machine models with RME AutoMotion™ upgradability and a wider choice of RUSSELL Mill Liner Handlers for small mill solutions. RME also began actively promoting RUSSELL HPGR Transporters and the RUSSELL V range, developed for stirred grinding technologies that are gaining interest due to their increased energy efficiency. 

Learning from our Customers 

Once again, engaging with our Customers throughout 2023 has been the highlight of our year and a valuable source of inspiration and insight. We participated in several industry tradeshows, strengthening our connections and knowledge base. These events included MEI’s Comminution conference (Apr, South Africa), Austmine (May, Australia), World Mining Congress (Jun, Australia), Gecamin’s Mineria Digital (Aug, Chile), SAG (Sep, Canada), Metplant (Nov, Australia), IMARC (Nov, Australia) and Adtrium’s Congreso Molitec (Nov/Dec, Chile). 

Digital transformation 

2023 saw RME complete a major digital transformation project that established a future-proofed enterprise resource planning (ERP) environment and streamlined related processes across our global operations. Our goals for this significant project were about, and remain, increased operational effectiveness and agility, driving enhanced collaboration across our teams and supply chains, and making it easier to connect and share our mill relining technology expertise and services with our Customers. 

Social impact 

The growth and development of RME’s global workforce not only contributes to our business success but also plays a pivotal role in fostering positive social impact, as we actively support and uplift lives and livelihoods in the communities where we operate. RME also continued its long-standing ‘where art meets engineering’ sponsorship of the Downlands Art Exhibition in Toowoomba, and saw numerous staff volunteer their time to charitable causes including Blind Golf and the McGrath Foundation in support of breast cancer patients. We also contributed via donations to several charities including the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, school bags for children living in the PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI)-managed Tomawin Dormitory for the Amungme Tribe in the Highlands, CHATREE Thailand and the Smile Foundation in Bali. 

Thank you for being a part of our journey 

It is an extraordinary time to work in the resources sector. As highlighted by a speaker at a recent mining conference, we confront the dual challenge of 'keeping the ice in Antarctica while ensuring the world's lights can stay on' – and doing so cost-effectively.  

While our role in concentrator maintenance is a chapter in a larger playbook, it is an honour to help our Customers improve the efficient and sustainable production of the metals and minerals that are essential to decarbonising our economies. 

Meeting this challenge will demand many things from us, including the transition to cleaner forms of energy, a renewed focus on asset and maintenance optimisation, consistently delivering durable equipment with extended lifespans, the implementation of advanced technologies that continually enhance safety and productivity – amid even more ambitious production targets. 

In retrospect, 2023 stands out as a truly pivotal year marked by technology innovation, industry collaboration, and substantial progress for RME. As we bid farewell to the challenges and triumphs of the past year, we anticipate an even more promising future. Our commitment to eliminating fatal risks for every one of our Customers remains unwavering, and we embrace safety, reliability and efficiency as a shared, unifying commitment. 

We express our sincere gratitude to you for being an integral part of our journey in 2023. We wish you a safe and blessed festive season and we look forward to reconnecting in 2024.  

Customer support over the holiday season 

RME's global offices will be closed from 23 December 2023 to 7 January 2024. However, we remain available for Customer support via our 24/7 telephone support contacts.  

APAC/Rest of the World: +61 408 334 600 

South America: +56 2 2963 7870 

North America: +1 385 218 1115 

South Africa: +27 78 048 3374 

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Best regards, 

John Russell, Cherylyn Russell, John Howard and Eddie Bosnjak 

RME’s Chief Executive Team