Orway Mineral Consultants

What Orway Mineral Consultants does

Orway Mineral Consultants is a Perth-headquartered specialist consulting firm founded in 1983, wholly owned by ASX-listed engineering group Lycopodium Limited, that designs and optimises comminution circuits for the global mining industry. The firm pioneered widespread acceptance of SAG milling in the Australian mining sector and has since installed more than 150 comminution circuits and optimised more than 200 worldwide across gold, copper, nickel, iron ore, lithium, uranium, PGMs and mineral sands operations on six continents. Its client base includes First Quantum Minerals, Gold Fields, AngloGold Ashanti Australia, Perseus Mining and Resolute, with ongoing project lifecycles spanning flowsheet design, commissioning, audits and long-term optimisation support.

The firm's technical core is its proprietary power-based comminution modelling approach, calibrated against an industrial database comprising over 15,000 tested samples from roughly 750 projects across more than 90 countries and 610 surveys on 163 operating circuits. Since 2018 this capability has been extended through MillROC (Mill Remote Optimisation Consulting & Coaching), offered via the OrwayIQ joint venture with Molycop, which relays live operating data from mine sites to Orway's consultants and applies proprietary models and machine learning techniques for continuous circuit optimisation.

Orway generates revenue primarily through professional consulting engagements (process design, commissioning, optimisation audits, due diligence and training), complemented by recurring MillROC remote optimisation retainers delivered by a senior team of principal metallurgists and engineers out of offices in Perth and Mississauga, Ontario. Pricing is project-specific and quote-based, with no publicly disclosed fee schedule, and the firm relies on direct enterprise relationships, technical publications, conference presentations, case-study content and Lycopodium's engineering network for demand generation.

Name

Orway Mineral Consultants

Legal name

Orway Mineral Consultants Pty Ltd

Website

https://orway.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Orway Mineral Consultants is a Perth-based, Lycopodium-owned specialist consulting firm founded in 1983 that designs, commissions and optimises comminution circuits for global mining operators across gold, copper, nickel and other minerals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mineral Processing 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)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Comminution circuit design
• Mineral processing consulting
• Grinding circuit optimization
• Metallurgical engineering services
• Hydrometallurgy consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Perth

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. Professional Consulting Services: Orway generates revenue through specialized mineral processing consulting services including process design, circuit optimization, commissioning support, technical auditing, due diligence, and training. Services are delivered by expert metallurgists and process engineers, typically billed on a project basis or through ongoing retainer arrangements for long-term client relationships like MillROC support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Orway Mineral Consultants provides specialized consulting and engineering services for the global mining industry, focused on comminution (crushing and grinding) circuit design, modelling, and optimization. Its services include process design and studies, commissioning, optimisations, audits and due diligence, customized training, and the proprietary MillROC remote optimisation platform, complemented by expertise in beneficiation and hydrometallurgy. The firm serves mining companies developing or operating mineral processing plants across gold, copper, nickel, uranium, iron ore, and other commodities.

Product overview

Orway Mineral Consultants is a consulting firm offering a suite of mineral processing services built around its core competency in comminution circuit design and optimisation. The portfolio consists of Process Design & Studies (flowsheet development, scoping and feasibility studies), Commissioning services, Optimisations/Audits/Due Diligence, the proprietary MillROC remote optimisation platform, and Training services. These are complemented by specialist expertise in Beneficiation (flotation, gravity separation, ore sorting) and Hydrometallurgy (leaching, SX, metal recovery). The services work together to provide end-to-end support from early-stage studies through to ongoing operational optimisation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MillROC: Remote Optimisation Consulting & Coaching (MillROC) is a consulting system exclusively available to Orway clients that enables performance monitoring data to be relayed from mine sites to Orway's consultants for ongoing circuit optimisation support.

Products and services

• Process Design & Studies Flowsheet development, scoping studies, and engineering design services for mineral processing projects across commodities including alumina, gold, nickel, copper, cobalt, graphite, lead, lithium, zinc, platinum group metals, iron ore, uranium, phosphates, and mineral sands, targeted at mining companies planning new or upgraded processing plants.
• Commissioning Commissioning services for new and upgraded mineral processing circuits, including management of tail-end construction, sequencing of start-up actions, installation checks, testing, and training of client teams, for mining operators ramping up new plants or brownfield upgrades.
• Optimisations, Audits & Due Diligence Onsite and remote optimisations, technical audits, and due diligence services for proposed and existing mineral processing projects worldwide, including review of production data, control philosophy, and operating practices, for mining operators and project financiers.
• MillROC (Mill Remote Optimisation Consulting & Coaching) Remote optimisation consulting and coaching service for comminution circuits, enabling real-time performance monitoring data to be relayed from mine sites to Orway's consultants with live circuit mass balances, proprietary models, and machine-learning-based analysis tools, delivered to mining operators seeking continuous performance improvement.
• Training Customised education and training packages designed to improve workforce understanding and knowledge of onsite crushing and grinding circuits, targeting plant operators, metallurgists, technicians, and operations management at mining operations.
• Comminution Services Comminution circuit design, testwork program development, circuit audits, and optimisations covering crushing, HPGR, AG & SAG mills, rod & ball mills, fine grinding, and scrubber design, delivered to mining operators seeking specialized circuit engineering support.
• Beneficiation Services Process design, modelling, and optimisation services for flotation, gravity separation, and ore sorting across minerals including phosphate, cobalt, copper, gold, lead, nickel, PGM, and zinc, for mining operators requiring downstream separation optimization.
• Hydrometallurgy Services Specialist hydrometallurgical processing services for nickel/cobalt, copper, platinum group metals, uranium, gold, and metalloids including leaching, purification, solvent extraction, precipitation, and refining, for mining operators planning or operating hydrometallurgical plants.

Quantifiable outcome

• Throughput increase of 10-38% achieved through optimization projects
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MolycopcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Orway IQ is a joint venture company combining the skills of Orway Mineral Consultants and Molycop. This partnership enables the exclusive provision of MillROC (Remote Optimisation Consulting & Coaching) services to mining clients worldwide. Brian Putland and Fred Kock serve as founding Directors of this joint venture.
• Lycopodium LimitedcoreOthersOrway Mineral Consultants Pty Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lycopodium Limited, a global engineering company. Lycopodium provides engineering services to mining, mineral processing, and process industries. Orway frequently works with Lycopodium Engineering on project delivery, including case studies such as Black Swan and Tropicana where Orway provided process design and commissioning services to Lycopodium.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• FLSmidth: FLSmidth is a major mining and cement equipment OEM with growing process optimization, digital and aftermarket services. Its comminution modelling and plant optimization capabilities overlap with Orway's offerings, typically delivered as part of larger equipment or EPC packages.
• Hatch: Hatch is a large global engineering consultancy with deep comminution, pyrometallurgy and process design capabilities serving mining clients worldwide. It overlaps with Orway on circuit design and optimization but as part of a much broader engineering portfolio.
• Wood: Wood (formerly Amec Foster Wheeler) is a global engineering and consultancy with a minerals and metals practice spanning process design, comminution and project delivery. It competes with Orway on broader EPCM scopes but as one of many service lines.
• Metso: Metso is a global mining equipment OEM that has expanded its services and process optimization offerings, including comminution consulting and digital optimization. It competes with Orway when mining clients procure integrated equipment-plus-services solutions.

Others

• Molycop: Molycop is a global supplier of grinding media used in SAG and ball mills, and is Orway's joint-venture partner in OrwayIQ (the vehicle through which MillROC is delivered). It is a partner rather than competitor but is included given the strategic interlock on MillROC.
• SGS: SGS provides metallurgical testing, mineral services and consulting for the mining industry. While its core focus is laboratory testing and commercial analysis, its process consulting offerings sit adjacent to Orway's flowsheet and optimization work.
• Bureau Veritas: Bureau Veritas operates a Mineral Testing and Environmental Services business serving mining clients globally. It competes more on testing and assaying than on comminution circuit design, but is a recurring alternative for ore-characterization scopes Orway would otherwise handle.

Direct peers

• GHD: GHD is a global engineering, architecture and consulting firm with a substantial mining and minerals processing practice. It competes with Orway on process design, optimization and commissioning scopes across Australia and other regions.
• Ausenco: Ausenco is a global engineering and EPCM firm with a strong mineral processing practice covering comminution, hydrometallurgy and process design. It directly competes with Orway on process design and optimization scopes for base-metals and gold projects.
• Sedgman: Sedgman (a CIMIC Group company) provides mineral processing engineering and EPCM services for coal, iron ore, gold and base-metals projects. It competes with Orway on process design and optimization scopes within Australia.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orway-mineral-consultants

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Orway Mineral Consultants