Raisebore Australia

What Raisebore Australia does

Raisebore Australia Pty Ltd is a privately held, founder-owned raiseboring drilling services contractor headquartered in Somerton Park, South Australia. Founded in March 1994 via management buy-out by current Managing Director Rod Bertram, the company operates a 13-machine fleet of Atlas Copco Robbins raiseborers (including the only 91RH units in both 415V and 1000V variants in Australia) capable of reaming raises from 0.66m to 6.0m diameter across conventional, up-reaming (box-holing), and down-reaming methods. It also owns the only 'intrinsically safe' raiseborer certified for underground coal use in Australia, with proprietary methane monitoring at the reamer head.

The company serves three primary verticals: metalliferous and hard-rock mining (the majority of work, including copper, gold, polymetallic, and uranium operations such as BHP Olympic Dam, BHP Cannington, MMG Rosebery, Glencore Mount Isa, Newcrest Ridgeway, and Aeris Tritton), underground coal mining across NSW and Queensland, and civil construction (hydro-electric, water infrastructure, and tunnels, including the Bogong Hydroelectric Scheme and Avon Dam Reservoir projects). Geographically, projects are delivered across seven countries — Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Portugal, West Africa, and India — via a wholly owned international subsidiary, Raisebore International Pty Ltd, established in 1997.

Revenue is generated through project-based, quote/tender contracts for raiseboring scopes covering provision of rigs, crews, and consumables, with multi-year engagements available (e.g., a two-year India contract). Distribution is direct enterprise field sales to mining operators and civil principals, supplemented by subcontracting under tier-one civil contractors (e.g., McConnell Dowell). The company differentiates on proprietary safety technology, the largest privately owned raiseboring fleet in Australia, and a tenured operator workforce, with cumulative operational track record of more than 132 km drilled and 116 km reamed as of July 2016.

Name

Raisebore Australia

Legal name

Raisebore Australia Pty Ltd

Website

https://raisebore.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Raisebore Australia is a privately owned, founder-led raiseboring drilling services contractor that operates a 13-machine Atlas Copco Robbins fleet to deliver large-diameter ventilation, ore-pass, and escapeway shafts for metalliferous mining, coal mining, and civil construction clients across Australia and seven international markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Raisebore Drilling Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Mining (2131), Site Preparation Contractors (23891)

SIC

Oil & Gas Field Machinery & Equipment (3533), Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600), Oil & Gas Field Services, Nec (1389)

akta.pro primary industry

Drilling & Rock Excavation Equipment (Rotary/Top-Hammer, Jumbos, Raiseborers) (IMAKANAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Shaft Sinking, Raise Boring & Underground Development Works (IMAKAOAC), Energy & Power Projects (Oil & Gas, Renewables, Power Generation) (TLACAIAB), Heavy Machinery & Oversized Equipment (Cranes, Excavators, Presses) (TLACAIAH)

Keywords

• Raisebore drilling services
• Mining shaft drilling
• Underground ventilation shafts
• Coal mine raiseboring
• Civil construction boring

Headquarters

HQ city

Somerton

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Project-based raiseboring services contracts: Revenue generated from contracted raiseboring services for mining (metalliferous/hard rock and coal) and civil construction clients. Contracts are project-based, ranging from single-shaft works to multi-year engagements (e.g., two-year India contract). Pricing is quote-based/tendered rather than productised, with scope covering provision of raiseborers, crews, and consumables.
2. International project services: Cross-border delivery of raiseboring services in New Zealand, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Portugal, West Africa, and India, generating international project revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Raisebore Australia provides specialised raisebore drilling services for the mining (metalliferous/hard rock and coal) and civil construction sectors. Service delivery covers the full raisebore cycle — pilot drilling, spudding-in, conventional raiseboring, box-holing (up-reaming) and down-reaming — using a fleet of 13 Atlas Copco Robbins rigs and reaming raises from 0.66 metres to 6.0 metres in diameter. International project delivery is handled through wholly owned subsidiary Raisebore International Pty Ltd.

Product overview

Raisebore Australia delivers a single unified service offering — raiseboring — rather than a modular software platform. The service is delivered through a portfolio of tightly related operational stages (Pilot Drilling, Spudding-In, Conventional Raiseboring, Box-Holing/Up-Reaming, and Down-Reaming) which together constitute the end-to-end raisebore cycle. These service stages are applied across three target market sectors — Metalliferous & Hard Rock Mining, Coal Mining, and Civil Construction — and are backed by a fleet of Atlas Copco 91RH raiseborers (including the 415V and 1000V units) operated to OEM-recommended best international practice and relevant Australian and international standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Metalliferous & Hard Rock Mining Raiseboring Raisebored shafts (ventilation, ore passes, escapeways) for metalliferous and hard rock mining operators, with diameters from 0.6m to 6.0m and depth capability demonstrated at 865m. Services are delivered to copper, gold, polymetallic and uranium mine operators across Australia and internationally.
• Underground Coal Mining Raiseboring Underground seam-to-seam raiseboring for coal mining operations, including ventilation raises, escapeways and material transfer openings, using 'flame-proof' and 'intrinsically safe' equipment with methane monitoring at the reamer head. Available only from Raisebore Australia in Australia.
• Civil Construction Raiseboring Raisebored shafts for hydro-electric power schemes, underground gas storage, subway/motorway tunnel exhausts, underground elevator shafts and water infrastructure (e.g., reservoir shafts), from 0.6m to 6.0m diameter. Delivered directly to infrastructure principals or as a subcontractor to tier-one civil contractors such as McConnell Dowell.
• Conventional Raiseboring Services Standard raiseboring method using a dedicated raisebore rig to drill a pilot hole and then ream it upward or downward to produce a vertical or near-vertical shaft between two levels, delivered to enterprise mining and civil construction clients.
• Down-Reaming Raiseboring Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Drilled 132+ km and reamed 116+ km of shafts (as of July 2016)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core / flagship, minor (historical) and minor.

• Atlas Copco (Robbins)core / flagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 February 2014Raisebore Australia is the only company in Australia to own Atlas Copco 91RH raiseborers in both 415V (acquired Jan 2010) and 1000V (acquired 2014) variants. Receives onsite training from Atlas Copco representatives in Sweden and the United States, plus ongoing market-leading technical support. The 1000V 91RH acquisition expanded the fleet to four 5.0m diameter machines, three 3.5m machines, and six slot machines.
• JS Redpath Ltdminor (historical)Strategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998In 1998, Raisebore Australia accepted a 50% Joint Venture Partnership offer from JS Redpath Ltd to launch Raise Contractors International. The JV purchased equipment for raises up to 5 metre diameter and diversified the fleet with five Alimak systems. In 2000, Raisebore Australia bought out Redpath to wholly own Raise Contractors International, subsequently selling the Alimak systems.
• MasterdrillingminorOthersMasterdrilling publicly commented on Raisebore Australia's coverage of the raise boring industry in Australia, indicating peer-level industry engagement; no formal commercial partnership is described.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Epiroc (formerly Atlas Copco Mining & Rock Excavation): OEM supplier of the Atlas Copco Robbins raisebore rigs operated by Raisebore Australia and a strategic technology partner. While primarily an equipment manufacturer, Epiroc also offers contracted drilling services and tooling in adjacent categories, creating indirect competitive overlap.
• Macmahon Holdings: ASX-listed mining services contractor with underground and surface capabilities, including raise boring exposure. Larger, publicly listed peer that can leverage group capacity to compete for raisebore and shaft packages on major Australian projects.
• Barminco (Perenti Global): Major Australian underground mining services contractor (part of Perenti Global) offering raise boring as part of a broader production and development portfolio. Competes on raisebore tenders but typically as a complement to its larger mechanised mining offering.
• DMC Mining Services (Downer EDI): Diversified underground mining contractor within Downer EDI providing shaft sinking, raise boring and mine development across Australian and international operations. Larger parent balance sheet enables it to bid on multi-disciplinary scopes where raiseboring is one work package.

Direct peers

• Redpath Mining: Global underground mining contractor offering shaft sinking, raise boring and lateral development; historical JV partner with Raisebore Australia (Raise Contractors International, 1998-2000). Directly competes in raisebore and shaft sinking scopes across multiple mining jurisdictions.
• Byrnecut Group: Specialist underground mining contractor headquartered in Perth, providing raise boring, shaft sinking and production development to Australian and international miners. Direct competitor for raisebore scopes on hard-rock projects.
• Masterdrilling: South Africa-headquartered raisebore and vertical drilling specialist with active commentary on the Australian raiseboring market and a global multi-rig fleet. Most directly comparable competitor to Raisebore Australia in core raiseboring services for hard-rock mining.
• Cementation Canada / Cementation Americas: Shaft sinking and underground mine construction contractor with raisebore capabilities operating globally, including in Australia. Competes for shaft development scopes on deep metalliferous projects similar to those serviced by Raisebore Australia.

Emerging players

• Pybar Mining Services: Australian underground mining contractor offering raise boring and mine development to mid-tier miners. Smaller and more regionally focused than Raisebore Australia but competes on similar raisebore scopes across NSW, QLD and WA hard-rock projects.

Others

• Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions: Global mining OEM supplying rock drilling equipment, raise boring tools and consumables. Acts as a supplier and adjacent competitor in raiseboring tooling and is referenced in industry peer commentary; comparable as an adjacent industry participant rather than a direct services competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Raisebore Australia