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Breaking new ground - Multotec Australia’s strong debut at the 64th IQA conference
The 64th Institute of Quarrying Australia (IQA) National Conference was held from October 15th to 17th in Adelaide, South Australia. The theme of this year’s conference was “Innovate and Create”, bringing together industry knowledge and innovation in the realm of sustainability and digital transformation.
For the first time, Multotec Australia exhibited at the IQA conference, focusing on diversifying our business into the aggregates and quarries sector by leveraging the wealth of products and expertise within our Group. We were able to put together a strong exhibition that attracted a wide breadth of punters from quarry operators, managers and procurement officers to teenagers looking for pathways into the extractive industry.
This year's show allowed us to connect with a market where the Multotec name and brand are still emerging. Our focus for the exhibition was to leverage the recognition of established brands already familiar in the market, some of which are part of the Group's portfolio.
To further embed the Multotec name into the industry, we were invited to speak on the panel for the IQA Careers Board, which gave young school leavers insight into pathways within the extractive and aligned industries. The IQA has thousands of members with an average age of 52, which highlights our shared concern about an ageing workforce. This signifies the importance of engaging with the next generation to expose them to opportunities in the extractive industries.
The students, all aged 15 to 17, asked the panel hard-hitting questions about quarrying, mostly about how much they could get paid and how many big machines they could drive. However, some of the students did show a keen interest in engineering or design.
We consider this show a success and are currently planning a similar showing for the IQNZ (New Zealand) show in 2025.
The aggregate market has the potential to fill the shortfalls we are experiencing in the mining industry with volatile commodity prices and mines going in and out of receivership.
Australia’s need for infrastructure, like roads and buildings is outpacing extraction rates, and Multotec is positioning itself to supply this demand.