What GBG Group does

GBG Group is a privately held geophysical consultancy founded in 1982 in Cambridge, UK and now operating principally from offices in Castle Hill (NSW) and Willetton (WA), with additional presence in the UK and USA. The firm delivers subsurface imaging, environmental, infrastructure and land development services to mining majors, engineering consultancies and government clients across three integrated business units: Geotechnical Engineering, Environmental Engineering and Non-Destructive Testing.

The technology stack is built around a multi-technique geophysical portfolio used in combination, including Ground Penetrating Radar, Electrical Resistivity Imaging, Frequency- and Time-Domain Electromagnetics, seismic methods (refraction, MASW, marine), magnetometry, and a comprehensive NDT suite (impact echo, ultrasonic, cover-meter, Schmidt Hammer). GBG owns its equipment fleet and pairs data collection with in-house processing and interpretation. The flagship product, Tailings First, packages these capabilities into a life-of-facility tailings dam management offering delivered to miners such as BHP, Rio Tinto, Oil Search and Newcrest.

The business model is professional-services based: bespoke project engagements are quoted against scope, with a bi-annual newsletter and case-study-driven website serving as primary demand-generation. Named customers span enterprise mining (BHP, Rio Tinto), engineering and consulting firms (Advisian, GHD, Cardno), energy (Queensland Power Plant) and government (WA Public Transport Authority, Perth Metro councils). A complementary revenue stream rents out owned equipment and trained operators when not deployed on internal projects.

Name

GBG Group

Legal name

GBG Group

Website

https://gbg-group.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GBG Group is a privately held Australian geophysical consultancy delivering subsurface imaging, environmental, infrastructure, and non-destructive testing services to mining, engineering, energy and government clients via offices in NSW and Western Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geophysical Consulting Services

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360), Support Activities for Mining (213)

akta.pro primary industry

Geotechnical Investigation & Site Characterization (Boreholes, In-situ Testing, Lab Testing) (IMAFAOAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Geotechnical & Subsurface Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAB), Geotechnical Site Investigation & Engineering Geology (Borings, Lab Testing) (EUAHAFAE)

Keywords

• Geophysical consulting
• Non-destructive testing
• Tailings dam management
• Subsurface investigations
• Ground penetrating radar

Headquarters

HQ city

Castle Hill

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Geophysical Consulting Services: Project-based professional services for geophysical investigations, consulting, and non-destructive testing. Revenue is generated through bespoke consultancy engagements tailored to client project requirements across geotechnical, environmental, and NDT applications.
2. Staff and Equipment Hire: GBG offers equipment rental (seismic, marine, magnetics, resistivity, NDT equipment) and staff hire services when not needed for their own projects. Equipment includes Geode seismic systems, magnetometers, resistivity machines, GPR antennas, and marine equipment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

GBG Group is a geophysical consultancy that delivers tailored subsurface and structural investigations for geotechnical, environmental, infrastructure, mining, marine, and non-destructive testing (NDT) applications. The company combines multiple geophysical techniques—including Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), Electrical Resistivity Imaging (ERI), Frequency-Domain and Time-Domain Electromagnetics (FDEM/TDEM), seismic methods, magnetometry, and NDT—to characterize ground conditions, assess structural integrity, and map contamination. Its flagship offering, "Tailings First," is a comprehensive lifecycle service for tailings dam management combining geophysical methods, geotechnical characterization, hydrogeological modeling, and airborne data capture. GBG also hires out equipment and trained staff to third parties.

Product overview

GBG Group is a geophysical consultancy offering tailored geophysical investigation solutions. The core offering consists of six main service areas: Environmental/Hydrogeology/Archaeological, Infrastructure and Land Development, Marine/River/Transition Zone, Structural/NDT/Utility Locating, Unmarked Grave Location, and the flagship Tailings First product for tailings dam management. The company operates across three main industries: Geotechnical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, and Non-Destructive Testing. Services are delivered through a comprehensive suite of geophysical methods including Electrical & Electromagnetic, Ground Penetrating Radar, Non-Destructive Testing, Potential Methods, and Seismic Methods. The company also offers equipment hire and staff hire services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tailings First: A unique product combining industry-proven geophysical methods, geotechnical physical characterisation, hydrogeological modeling and assessment, and airborne methods for tailings dam management. Past clients include BHP, Rio Tinto, Oil Search, Newcrest, Advisian, GHD and Cardno.

Products and services

• Tailings First
• Environmental, Hydrogeology and Archaeological Services
• Infrastructure and Land Development Services
• Marine, River and Transition Zone Services
• Structural, Non-Destructive Testing and Utility Locating Services
• Unmarked Grave Location Services
• Staff and Equipment Hire

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Ecological AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGBG works closely with Ecological Australia on groundwater model creation, subsurface system confirmation and ongoing evolution. This partnership supports the Tailings First product's groundwater impact studies component for tailings dam management.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Fugro: Global geoscience and survey firm delivering geotechnical, geophysical, and site-characterisation services to offshore, mining, and infrastructure markets at much larger scale – provides overlapping capability but as part of a far wider portfolio than GBG's specialist focus.
• Jacobs: Global professional services firm with significant geotechnical, environmental, and infrastructure advisory practices – competes in the same mining, transport, and contaminated-site investigations GBG supports, with much greater resourcing depth and balance-sheet capacity.
• Tetra Tech: International consulting and engineering firm with strong environmental, water, and infrastructure practices – routinely bids into the same contaminated-site, groundwater, and rail-infrastructure investigations that GBG supports, but at much greater scale.
• GHD: Australia-headquartered engineering consultancy and one of GBG's named customers – operates overlapping site-investigation, environmental, and infrastructure practices that sometimes compete with GBG directly while also outsourcing specialist geophysics to GBG.
• SLR Consulting: Global environmental and advisory consulting firm with mine-site, tailings, and infrastructure practices – broader than GBG but routinely competes for and runs site-investigation, environmental, and NDT scopes overlapping GBG's service lines.
• WSP Global: Global engineering consultancy whose tailings and geotechnical heritage (via the Golder Associates acquisition) competes directly for tailings management and site-investigation mandates that GBG supports with geophysical methods.

Direct peers

• Resource Potentials: Perth-based geophysics consultancy providing airborne and ground geophysical surveys (magnetics, EM, gravity, seismic) for mineral exploration – directly comparable to GBG in methodology and target customer base across Australian mining.
• Zonge International: US-based geophysical services provider with Australian operations conducting electrical, EM, magnetotelluric, and seismic surveys for mining, exploration, and engineering clients – close functional overlap with GBG's electrical and electromagnetic methods practice.
• Sander Geophysics: Ottawa-headquartered airborne geophysical survey company operating magnetometer, gravity, and radiometric platforms for mining, infrastructure, and engineering markets – directly comparable to the airborne data-capture layer of GBG's Tailings First offering.
• Southern Geoscience Consultants: Perth-based geophysical consulting firm focused on mineral exploration using magnetic, gravity, EM, IP, and seismic methods – a direct Australian competitor to GBG's mining-geophysics practice with comparable service offerings and customer type.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gbggroupgeophysics

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 GBG Group