When a load-haul-dump (LHD) goes down underground, the cost is rarely limited to the repair bill. It includes the ore that does not come out of the heading during shift, downstream crews waiting for tram cycles, and pressure on maintenance planners to find a fix faster than the supply chain wants to move.
For underground coal and hard rock operations, the difference between a fleet that stays productive and one that bleeds availability often comes down to who is doing the diesel, hydraulic, and structural work behind the scenes.
UNITECH Industries, based at Rathmines in the Lake Macquarie region of New South Wales, has spent close to three decades building that capability and positioning itself as an engineering and workshop partner for the equipment that keeps underground mines moving.
A workshop built for heavy underground plant
The scale of UNITECH’s Rathmines facility says something about the type of work it is equipped to handle. The site spans 2,800m² of workshop space and 400m² of office space. One section is serviced by a 40-tonne overhead crane alongside 5-tonne and 3-tonne jib cranes, while another has 10-tonne and 3-tonne cranes.
That is not incidental capacity. Lifting equipment at that scale allows a workshop to disassemble and reassemble LHDs and chock carriers rather than merely service smaller components.
The facility includes 12 dedicated bays for diesel repairs, with at least five specifically sized for large plant such as LHDs and chock carriers. A further three bays are dedicated to overhauling drilling equipment, rebuilding components, and working on hydraulics.
For an underground operator, having that breadth of bay capacity under one roof matters because major overhauls rarely involve only one discipline. A diesel engine rebuild often reveals hydraulic or structural issues that must be addressed during the same visit. A workshop that must outsource each component introduces delays and coordination risks that a mine’s maintenance schedule can rarely absorb.
Engineering depth behind the repairs
What distinguishes UNITECH from a straightforward repair shop is the engineering capability behind the workshop floor. The company’s drafting team, led by a senior draftsperson, uses SolidWorks to produce detailed mechanical designs, working through dimensions, materials, and specifications before anything reaches the fitters.
That process matters most when a part is obsolete, a design needs modification for specific site conditions, or an operator needs a custom attachment engineered rather than sourced from a catalogue. Translating a maintenance problem into a manufacturable design and having the same business build and assemble it closes a gap that many mining equipment suppliers leave to third parties.
UNITECH’s equipment range reflects the same custom-engineering focus. Alongside diesel equipment, the company works across bolting and drilling equipment, quick-disconnect attachment systems, grouting equipment, and water-handling solutions. These are all product categories in which underground-specific conditions — tight clearances, ground support requirements, dust, and water ingress — tend to require more tailored engineering than surface equipment.
International backing, local delivery
UNITECH Industries is backed by its China-based parent company, Jikai Equipment Manufacturing (SZSE:002691), a relationship the business says combines international manufacturing expertise with local Australian engineering delivery.
For mine sites managing critical spare-parts inventories, that combination is relevant in practical terms. Access to established manufacturing relationships can support component and parts availability, while the local drafting, fabrication, and workshop team handles the site-specific engineering and turnaround that offshore manufacturing alone cannot provide.
The company also uses a system known as WIMS, which it says supports asset management and is said to give clients ongoing visibility over equipment condition and support planning decisions.
Quality and safety as operating disciplines, not paperwork
UNITECH Industries says it holds an ISO 9001:2015 quality assurance certification and is working to extend that certification across its full range of operations.
For an underground mining client, third-party quality certification for a workshop undertaking structural and hydraulic overhaul work is not merely a box-ticking exercise. Underground plant failures carry safety consequences beyond lost production, and a documented quality system gives operators a basis for auditing a supplier’s processes rather than relying on reputation alone.
That focus extends to the company’s work health and safety (WHS) program, which covers policy development, ongoing review of site procedures, monitoring of WHS performance against defined action plans, and assessments of how purchasing decisions around new plant, equipment, and substances affect risk.
For a business whose core work involves heavy lifting, diesel systems, and pressurised hydraulic components, that level of structured safety governance is a meaningful consideration for clients evaluating a maintenance and fabrication partner.
With roughly 30 years in the sector and a workshop built specifically for the scale of underground mining equipment, UNITECH Industries occupies a niche between equipment manufacturers and generalist repair shops, undertaking the overhaul, fabrication, and custom design work that keeps ageing underground fleets in service.
Image Credit: miningmagazine.com
