What Paterson & Cooke does

Paterson & Cooke is a private, internationally-operating specialist engineering consultancy founded in 1991 with headquarters in Cape Town, South Africa. The firm provides consultancy and detailed engineering services to global mining operators across tailings and mine waste handling, paste backfill systems (surface plant design through underground reticulation), long-distance slurry and bulk water supply pipelines, mineral processing, marine dredging, and laboratory test work. Documented enterprise clients include Newmont (Leeville paste plant), MMG (Khoemacau Zone 5 paste plant), Lundin Gold (Fruta del Norte), Agnico Eagle (LaRonde filter plant, Macassa), BHP (Global Tailings Task Force and non-conventional tailings studies), Rio Tinto (BHP/Rio Tinto water recovery partnership), and DRDGOLD (Ergo). Engagement models are direct B2B enterprise consulting contracts, ranging from small technical advisory mandates through multi-year EPCM-style project delivery, with quote-based pricing that is not publicly disclosed.

The firm's underlying technical platform is organized around five service pillars (Tailings & Mine Waste, Mine Backfill, Long-Distance Pipelines, Mineral Processing, Mine Services / Engineering Services) supported by six in-house testing laboratories (Australia, Canada, Chile, South Africa, UK, USA). Differentiated technical capabilities include transient hydraulic modeling for underground backfill distribution, surface-to-underground integrated design methodology, binder optimization for ultra-fine tailings (using supplementary cementitious materials such as ground granulated blast-furnace slag and fly ash), pipeline integrity management using pigging-campaign wear-rate data, and dewatering technology selection. Methodology is commercialized in part through Backfill PRO, a proprietary backfill design and analysis tool, and supported by an affiliate relationship with MINEXXT for thickener test equipment.

Revenue derives from professional services fees on a project-by-project basis plus retainer arrangements for long-term technical support, supplemented by recurring revenue from paid training courses (Mine Backfill Design & Operation Course, Slurry Pipeline Principles Course). Go-to-market is enterprise field sales driven by technical reputation, published research at international mining conferences (Paste, Deep Mining, Tailings & Mine Waste, Minefill), training courses, and referrals. Distribution is direct with no resellers or intermediaries; thought-leadership content (technical articles, case studies, videos) functions as the primary marketing channel. The firm operates across five continents from nine offices (Perth, Sudbury, Denver, Santiago, Cape Town, Truro-Cornwall, Madrid, Stockholm, plus Portugal) with regional Managing Directors in each major geography, and is privately held with no parent company, funding rounds, or M&A activity disclosed in the source materials.

Name

Paterson & Cooke

Legal name

Paterson & Cooke

Website

https://patersoncooke.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Private specialist engineering consultancy founded in 1991 providing tailings management, mine backfill design, long-distance slurry pipelines, mineral processing, and laboratory testing for global mining operators, with nine offices and six test laboratories across five continents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mining Engineering Consulting

NAICS

Support Activities for Mining (2131), Support Activities for Metal Mining (213114)

SIC

Mining Machinery & Equip (No Oil & Gas Field Mach & Equip) (3532), Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530)

akta.pro primary industry

Mineral Processing Plant Design & EPCM (Flowsheet Development, Piloting & Scale-up) (IMAKALAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mine Dewatering & Water Management Services (Pumping, Treatment, Tailings Water Return) (IMAKAKAI), Washing, Scrubbing & Classification Equipment (IMAHAMAI)

Keywords

• Slurry pipeline engineering
• Mine backfill systems
• Tailings management services
• Mineral processing consulting
• Mining engineering consultancy

Headquarters

HQ city

Golden

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Engineering Consulting Services: Paterson & Cooke generates revenue through providing specialist engineering consulting services to mining companies. Services span the project lifecycle from conceptual studies and feasibility through to detailed engineering design, construction assistance, commissioning, and operational support. Engagement models include project-based consulting contracts and long-term technical support retainer arrangements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Paterson & Cooke is a specialist engineering consulting firm providing analysis, design, and project delivery services for the global mining industry. Core offerings include tailings and mine waste handling systems, long-distance slurry pipelines (concentrate and bulk water supply), mine backfill process plants and underground distribution systems, mineral processing plant design, marine dredging and pipeline systems, and in-house laboratory and test work services. The firm delivers multi-disciplinary projects from conceptual studies and feasibility through detailed engineering, construction assistance, commissioning, and operational support, complemented by technical training courses and the Backfill PRO software tool.

Product overview

Paterson & Cooke is an international specialist engineering firm providing a comprehensive suite of services to the mining industry since 1991. The company operates as a unified services portfolio organized around core technical disciplines: Tailings & Mine Waste Management, Mine Backfill Systems, Long-Distance Pipelines, Mineral Processing, and supporting Laboratory & Test Work services. These services span from initial concept development through detailed engineering, construction assistance, commissioning, and operational support. The company also offers specialized training courses and the Backfill PRO software tool. With offices across five continents and testing laboratories in six locations, the firm delivers integrated engineering solutions combining process design, hydraulic modelling, transient analysis, binder optimization, and controls engineering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Backfill PRO: A tool offered by Paterson & Cooke for backfill design and analysis.

Products and services

• Tailings & Mine Waste Services
• Mine Backfill Services
• Long-Distance Pipelines
• Mineral Processing
• Mine Services
• Bulk Water Supply
• Dredging & Marine Pipelines
• Laboratory & Test Work
• Engineering Services
• Courses & Training

Quantifiable outcome

• Paste backfill pipeline capacity of 200 t/h achieved at Newmont Leeville Mine with over 10 kilometres of 8-inch diameter paste pipe distribution.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MINEXXTsupportingTechnology or IntegrationMINEXXT is identified as an affiliate of Paterson & Cooke. A video demonstrating the Bench Scale Dynamic Thickener Test features Geoff Seale, Process Manager for MINEXXT, presenting the testing procedure. The MINEXXT bench scale dynamic thickener test equipment is showcased as part of Paterson & Cooke's laboratory testing demonstration content.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Wood Group: Global engineering and consulting firm with mining and minerals capabilities overlapping with Paterson & Cooke, but delivering as part of a much wider industrial and energy portfolio.
• Stantec: International engineering, environmental, and project management firm with mining water and tailings consulting practices, competing as a broad incumbent rather than a specialist.
• Worley: Large global EPCM and consulting firm with mining services including tailings and slurry pipelines, but operating as a broad energy/resources incumbent rather than a niche specialist.
• Golder Associates (a WSP company): Global geoscience and mining environmental consulting firm, now part of WSP, offering tailings, mine water, and geotechnical services as part of a much broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Ausenco: Engineering and project delivery firm serving mining, minerals processing, and pipeline infrastructure. Comparable in tailings, mineral processing, and slurry pipeline engineering delivery.
• NewFields: Mining and environmental engineering consultancy with tailings, water, and geotechnical services. Direct specialist competitor on tailings management and mine water projects.
• SRK Consulting: Independent global mining consultancy offering services across geology, geotechnics, tailings, water, and backfill. Comparable specialist competitor on tailings and underground backfill projects.
• Knight Piésold: Specialist global engineering consultancy focused on mining, water, tailings management, and hydropower. Highly comparable specialist competitor with similar offices, in-house labs, and project-based consulting for tailings dams and slurry systems.
• ATC Williams: Australian specialist consultancy in tailings, mine waste, water, and slurry pipeline engineering. Closely comparable niche practitioner with overlapping backfill, dewatering, and pipeline integrity services.
• Hatch: Global engineering and project delivery firm with a strong mining practice covering slurry pipelines, tailings, and mineral processing. Overlaps directly with Paterson & Cooke in slurry/tailings consulting and EPCM delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PatersonCooke

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles25 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Paterson & Cooke