What Wallis Drilling does

Wallis Drilling Pty Ltd is a Perth-headquartered, family-owned drilling services contractor operating one of Australia's largest private minerals drilling fleets of more than 55 rigs and 300+ employees. The company provides Air Core, Reverse Circulation (RC), Diamond Core, Grade Control, Blast Hole, Rotary Air Blast, and Mud Rotary drilling services to major mining and exploration customers including Rio Tinto, BHP, Fortescue, Woodside, Alcoa, and historical clients such as CRA, principally on the basis of long-term, project-based contracts measured by metres drilled. Wallis's service offering is differentiated by proprietary drilling technology originating with its 1974 invention of the Aircore drilling system (winner of an Australian Design Award in 1978), an in-house engineering and fabrication capability at its Midvale workshops, and a continuously refreshed in-house rig portfolio that now includes the Mantis series (MT60, MF60, 80, 100, 101, 200), the Wallis 300RC and Wallis 400RC (with autonomous drilling modes, automatic rod handling, and the Wallis Auto-Sampler), Red Bit technology, and a custom iPad-based Digital Daily Drilling Report that streams real-time drilling data to clients.

Revenue is generated through professional services contracts on a quote-based, take-rate structure tied to metres drilled, with exclusive discounts offered to AMEC members for Q1 2026 (25% off Aircore and 15% off Diamond Core). The company goes to market via direct enterprise sales supported by dedicated drilling managers (Kim Wallis for Exploration, Chris Verran for Iron Ore and Mine Services) and an online quote-request channel, with no third-party resellers or intermediaries. The customer base is concentrated in iron ore (Pilbara, Western Australia), coal seam gas (Queensland and New South Wales), and selected international mining markets across Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and historically Asia, Europe, and North America. The fleet is supported by long-standing ISO 9001, 14001, and 45001 certifications (held since 2003), ISO 55001 (asset management, since 2019), and active industry association memberships, all of which pre-qualify Wallis for major mining tenders.

Name

Wallis Drilling

Legal name

Wallis Drilling Pty Ltd

Website

https://wallisdrilling.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Wallis Drilling is a privately-owned Australian mining drilling services contractor operating a fleet of 55+ proprietary rigs across Air Core, Reverse Circulation, Diamond Core, Grade Control, Blast Hole, and Mud Rotary techniques, serving major resource customers including Rio Tinto, BHP, Fortescue, and Woodside in Australia and selected international markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mineral Drilling Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Mining (2131), Mining and Oil and Gas Field Machinery Manufacturing (33313), Mining Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333131), Drilling Oil and Gas Wells (213111)

SIC

Mining Machinery & Equip (No Oil & Gas Field Mach & Equip) (3532), Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530), Oil & Gas Field Machinery & Equipment (3533), Oil & Gas Field Services, Nec (1389)

akta.pro primary industry

Exploration & Production Drilling Services (RC, Core, Directional, Sonic, Auger) (IMAKAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Drilling Rigs & Drill Systems (IMAHAMAA), Drill Tools, Bits & Downhole Equipment (IMAHAMAB)

Keywords

• Mineral exploration drilling
• Aircore drilling services
• Reverse circulation drilling
• Diamond core drilling
• Drilling rig manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Perth

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Drilling Services: Provides drilling services including air core, reverse circulation, diamond core, grade control, blast hole, rotary air blast, and mud rotary drilling to mining and exploration companies. Revenue generated through project-based contracts measured by metres drilled.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Wallis Drilling provides specialized drilling services and designs/manufactures proprietary drilling rigs for mining and exploration companies. Their service portfolio includes Aircore, Reverse Circulation, Diamond Core, Grade Control, Blast Hole, and Mud Rotary drilling delivered through a fleet of 55+ rigs and 300+ employees. They also manufacture their own rigs including the Mantis Series and Wallis 300RC/400RC platforms at their Perth engineering and fabrication facility.

Product overview

Wallis Drilling offers a comprehensive portfolio of drilling products and services. Their proprietary Mantis Series (Mantis 80, 100, 101, 200, MT60, MF60) represents their in-house designed Air Core drilling rigs featuring varying levels of automation from basic to semi-automated capabilities. The Wallis 300RC and 400RC form their Reverse Circulation rig family, with the 400RC being the most advanced featuring full autonomous drilling modes. They also operate third-party rigs including Schramm T685WS, Boart Longyear LF90, and Epiroc SmartROC for specialized applications. Beyond equipment, Wallis provides a full range of drilling services including Air Core, Reverse Circulation, Diamond Core, Grade Control, Blast Hole, and Mud Rotary drilling. Their digital daily drilling report service enables real-time client reporting via a custom iPad application. The company maintains over 55 rigs in their fleet and provides services across Australia and selected international markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aircore Drilling Services
• Reverse Circulation Drilling Services
• Diamond Core Drilling Services
• Grade Control Drilling Services
• Blast Hole Drilling Services
• Mud Rotary Drilling Services
• Digital Daily Drilling Report

Quantifiable outcome

• Metres drilled for major iron ore clients with automated 300RC rigs improving production while reducing injuries

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Australian Drilling Industry Association (ADIA)coreOthersIndustry association membership for drilling industry advancement and advocacy. Wallis team members serve on the WA Committee of ADIA. Received ADIA Safety Innovation of the Year (2023) and ADIA Engineering Excellence Award (2023) for Mantis 200 rig.
• Association of Mining and Exploration Companies (AMEC)coreOthersExclusive partnership offering AMEC members 25% off Aircore drilling and 15% off Diamond Core drilling for Q1 2026. Grant Wallis serves as Council Member. Wallis Drilling actively participates in AMEC safety committee.
• Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA (CMEWA)minorOthersWestern Australian chamber representing mining and energy companies. Industry advocacy and networking association.
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA (CCIWA)minorOthersWestern Australian chamber of commerce providing business support, networking, and industrial relations services.
• Clontarf FoundationminorOthersNot-for-profit organization supporting Indigenous young men through education and employment pathways. Wallis supports through employment and training opportunities.
• Stacked WAminorOthersWorkplace training and employment support program in Western Australia. Wallis proudly supports this initiative.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Epiroc: Swedish mining and infrastructure equipment manufacturer that produces blasthole, production and exploration drilling rigs (e.g., SmartROC). Wallis operates Epiroc machines and competes with the company's drilling services arm on certain tenders.
• Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions: Manufacturer of drilling rigs (incl. through its acquisition of Schramm) and supplier of drilling tools and consumables. Competes with Wallis' in-house rig manufacturing on blasthole and production drilling equipment.
• Major Drilling Group International: Canada-headquartered drilling contractor providing surface and underground diamond drilling, RC and grade control services globally. Comparable to Wallis in mining-method coverage and large-fleet enterprise contracts.
• Boart Longyear: World's largest mineral drilling services and products company, offering diamond core, RC and blasthole drilling alongside its own manufactured rigs. Competes with Wallis in Australian exploration tenders and is a key reference point for proprietary diamond drilling tools.
• Ausdrill (Perenti): Australia's largest diversified drilling contractor, offering RC, diamond, grade control, blasthole and underground drilling. ASX-listed (PRN); competes directly with Wallis for Pilbara iron ore tenders but on a much larger scale.
• Foraco International: Global mineral drilling services provider operating in 25+ countries with a fleet of more than 300 rigs. Competes with Wallis for international exploration contracts in Africa, South America and the Middle East.

Direct peers

• Strike Drilling: Australian drilling contractor specialising in RC and diamond core drilling for the mining industry, with presence across Australia and Africa. Closely comparable fleet and customer base to Wallis, and a frequent competitor on exploration tenders.
• DDH1 Drilling: Perth-based drilling contractor focused on RC, diamond and aircore exploration drilling for the Australian mining sector, with a comparable fleet and a similar enterprise customer base. Direct competitor for Rio Tinto, BHP and Fortescue tenders.

Regional players

• Terra Drilling: Perth-based drilling contractor providing RC, diamond and aircore services to the Australian exploration sector. Similar fleet size and customer base, with overlap in iron ore and gold exploration work.
• Capital Drilling: Drilling contractor active in Australia and Africa providing RC, diamond and grade control services to major and mid-tier miners. Comparable customer profile and cross-continental footprint to Wallis' international operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Wallis.Drilling
• Facebookfacebook.com/wallis.drilling
• LinkedInau.linkedin.com/company/wallis-drilling
• Instagraminstagram.com/wallisdrilling

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Wallis Drilling