Purchasing Trends and Intentions for Mining Equipment, Parts and Consumables in Australia, 2016

Synopsis
This report provides an understanding of current procurement practices for mining equipment and service suppliers in Australian mining. Areas of analysis include:

 Future trends in expenditure and expectations for increased or decreased spend in five areas: plant and heavy equipment, equipment parts and components, drilling and blasting consumables, maintenance services and IT software, and hardware and services.

 The extent to which preferred supplier arrangements are in place, and predictions for increased centralization of procurement.

 Analysis of location of decision-making practices in Australian mines.

 Forecast changes to the number of supplier relationships over the next 12 months.

 Investigation into the biggest challenges facing buyers and decision makers in sourcing the right products.

 Current methods for acquiring equipment, with developments over time.

 An insight into the types of service contracts Australian miners prefer for heavy mobile equipment.
Summary
Overall trends in the data revealed:

 With spending under pressure, Australian respondents expect stability with their expenditure, with just over half predicting similar levels of spending in 2016 as in 2015.

 Some 84% of respondents expect no change in the number of supplier relationships over the next 12 months. For those expecting changes, 12% expect a reduction in the number of suppliers.

 On average, 68% of respondents make final decisions concerning the purchase of a range of equipment and consumables at the mine site.

 Some 62% of respondents indicated they had a preferred global supply agreement for plant, equipment and supplies. Results show that these agreements become less frequent as the size of the mining company decreases.

 36% of respondents identified that their biggest challenge when sourcing products were factors related to supplier attributes and capabilities, such as availability of parts, logistics and lead times, after-sales servicing and maintenance, and technical support.

 Outright purchasing leads the way and was the most common purchasing method, with 75% of respondents nominating this as their desired purchasing method.

 40% of respondents nominated 'operation and maintenance' as their favored service contract structure for heavy equipment purchased. 'Maintenance only' and 'lifecycle management' contracts were only chosen by 15% (for both) of the respondents.
Scope
This report provides a detailed analysis of purchasing methods and spending trends for Australian mines across plant and heavy equipment, equipment parts and components, drilling and blasting consumables, maintenance services and IT software, hardware and services.

Survey respondents came from seven different states and territories, with Western Australia, Queensland and New South Wales accounting for 88% of the respondents. This included four main commodity groups and a range of surface and underground mining operations.
Reasons To Buy
 Compare the methods Australian miners use to acquire equipment.

 Plan ahead based on general expectations within the Australian mining industry for future expenditure, and how this varies by segment, such as mine type, commodity, company revenue and state.

 Understand future plans in the Australian mining industry to rationalize or extend their supplier networks.

 Understand where decision making is located, be that at either the mine site or corporate head office.

 Identify the major challenges Australian miners face when sourcing equipment, and incorporate solutions to these in your sales, marketing and product strategies.

 Understand the types of service contract structures Australian miners prefer for their heavy mobile equipment.
Key Highlights
 With spending under pressure, Australian respondents expect stability with their expenditure, with just over half predicting similar levels of spending in 2016 as in 2015.

 Some 84% of respondents expect no change in the number of supplier relationships over the next 12 months. For those expecting changes, 12% expect a reduction in the number of suppliers.

 On average, 68% of respondents make final decisions concerning the purchase of a range of equipment and consumables at the mine site.

 Some 62% of respondents indicated they had a preferred global supply agreement for plant, equipment and supplies. Results show that these agreements become less frequent as the size of the mining company decreases.

 Overall, 36% of respondents identified that their biggest challenge when sourcing products were factors related to supplier attributes and capabilities, such as availability of parts, logistics and lead times, after-sales servicing and maintenance, and technical support.

 Outright purchasing leads the way and was the most common purchasing method with 75% of respondents nominating this as their desired purchasing method.

 40% of respondents nominated 'operation and maintenance' as their favored service contract structure for heavy equipment purchased. 'Maintenance only' and 'lifecycle management' contracts were only chosen by 15% (for both) of the respondents.