PRIME EPC EXPERTISE
PRIMERO EPC EXPERTS
Michael Gollschewski, Managing Director, and Andrew Gordon, Executive General Manager, provide an update on Primero Australia’s comprehensive engineering, procurement, and construction capabilities within the Minerals, Energy, and Technologies division of NRW Holdings
Writer: Jack Salter | Project Manager: Ryan Gray
Primero is a leading player in the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) sector.
After speaking with two of the leaders of the company, it looks like they are strategically placed to propel it into the future.
Michael Gollschewski, Managing Director of Primero, has over 35 years of experience in the resources sector as an executive, senior leader, and engineer in operations and
major projects within Australia and internationally.
Primero forms part of the Minerals, Energy, and Technologies (MET) division of NRW Holdings, an ASX200 company (ASX: NWH).
NRW Holdings acquired Primero in 2021, and the MET division was established in 2023, with Mr Gollschewski also leading its operations as COO.
The MET division also includes
DIAB Engineering (DIAB), RCR Mining Technologies (RCR), and Overflow Industrial (OFI), each contributing unique expertise to create a fully integrated suite of capabilities.
“It’s quite unique in the sense that we haven’t homogenised the brands, so they can stand on their own two feet and provide services independently,” highlights Mr Gollschewski.
“We’re conscious of not homogenising the brands as they
each have their own reputations and offerings in the market. We use the synergies of the group where it makes sense, but we stridently avoid trying to integrate and standardise things for the sake of it to achieve so-called economies of scale.”
Mr Gollschewski has witnessed firsthand the company’s development within NRW Holdings, which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year.
“Primero has grown quite rapidly and has the full capability to take on studies right through to full EPC contracts,” he notes.
“Without the backing of NRW, there
“PRIMERO HAS GROWN QUITE RAPIDLY AND HAS THE FULL CAPABILITY TO TAKE ON STUDIES RIGHT THROUGH TO FULL EPC CONTRACTS”
– MICHAEL GOLLSCHEWSKI, MANAGING DIRECTOR, PRIMERO AND COO – MET DIVISION, NRW HOLDINGS
wouldn’t have been the opportunity for Primero to expand and take on larger projects.”
MASTERS OF ITS DESTINY
Mr Gollschewski saw a great advantage in recruiting Andrew Gordon, Executive General Manager, to lead the Primero Australia division. Indeed, Mr Gordon has over 30 years of experience within the construction and services industries in greenfield and brownfield operations across various market sectors, including oil and gas, mining, and minerals in Australia as well as overseas.
“Our ability to self-perform EPC work means that we’re masters of our own destiny,” he states.
As a leading multidisciplinary EPC contractor, Primero specialises in delivering comprehensive, vertically integrated solutions to the mining, energy, and resources sectors across Australia and North America.
The company provides end-toend services, from feasibility studies through to design, procurement, construction, operations, and maintenance.
“Our ability to provide a full-service offering is a key differentiator,” continues Mr Gordon.
CENTRALISED PROCUREMENT
For large-scale projects, Primero Australia assigns dedicated procurement teams to manage specific areas such as mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation. At the same time, a centralised procurement system is used to maximise cost efficiency.
“When procurement is centralised and resources are shared across multiple projects, we gain economies of scale, making us more competitive in tenders,” explains Mr Gordon. “It also ensures consistency in procurement processes and strengthens supplier relationships through repeat engagements.”
Primero maintains an internal database of approved suppliers, streamlining the sourcing and purchasing of equipment and materials.
Whilst a number of larger contractors have moved away from this model and towards engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM), Primero sees the value of being an EPC.
Mr Gordon is likewise keen to emphasise a fundamental and often misunderstood difference between EPC and EPCM.
“Both are the same in terms of project scope, however the critical differences are in the delivery and the historical commercial models. With EPCM, the prime contractor self-performs the engineering and procurement but manages the
“We value strong, respectful relationships with our suppliers,” Mr Gordon adds. “By keeping them informed about upcoming projects and ensuring we receive accurate pricing, we create a more reliable and efficient procurement process.”
“OUR ABILITY TO SELF-PERFORM EPC WORK MEANS THAT WE’RE MASTERS OF OUR OWN DESTINY”
– ANDREW GORDON, EXECUTIVE GENERAL MANAGER, PRIMERO AUSTRALIA
construction through a third party; with EPC, the prime contractor selfperforms all facets,” he explains.
“Historically, the EPCM contract model has been cost-reimbursable, whereas EPC has been lump sum, however this is changing as the market recognises the challenges and one-sided nature of this arrangement.
“A key aspect is control of the interfaces, priorities, and sequencing of the work. We’re not concerned about the interfaces between ourselves and other contractors because it’s all vertically integrated. From our position, we think there are large benefits for the client in having one contractor responsible for the
full scope of delivery, rather than managing multiple contractors across the entirety of the project scope,” Mr Gordon continues.
Indeed, with expertise spanning the entire project life cycle, Primero enables clients to realise their strategic goals and collaborates closely with them through every phase, facilitating seamless consistency and efficiency throughout.
The company’s commitment to excellence drives its efforts to meet the required standards, delivering reliable results for clients.
An adaptable approach also allows Primero to tailor its services to client needs, which supports fast project completion.
LANDMARK CONTRACT
This is exemplified by the AUD$972 million EPC contract awarded to Primero Australia for the Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines (KCGM)
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AN OVERVIEW OF THE MET DIVISION
Primero – A multidisciplinary engineering business that specialises in the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of global resource projects across the mineral processing, energy, and non-process infrastructure market segments.
DIAB – An engineering and fabrication services provider to the metals and mining industries that offers specialist maintenance, industrial engineering, and construction services.
RCR – A leading original equipment manufacturer (OEM) that offers innovative materials handling design capabilities.
OFI – Specialises in industrial electrical engineering, automation, switchboard design and manufacture, instrumentation, and electrical design and construction across a number of sectors, including mining and resources, government and defence, fuels and explosives, infrastructure, utilities, and industrial processing.
Growth Project.
Scheduled for completion by Q3 2026, it is the company’s biggest EPC contract to date, under which Primero Australia is responsible for the design, procurement, construction, and commissioning of the process plant facilities at one of the country’s largest open pit gold mines.
The project will double the throughput of the Fimiston processing plant, which is owned by Northern Star Resources (NSR), from 13 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) to 26 Mtpa.
“The subtlety in that is we are not just adding another 13 Mtpa – we’re actually building a 26 Mtpa plant that will replace the current one when it’s
ready and then tie into some existing facilities that will remain on stream,” Mr Gordon reveals.
“The nature of the commercial arrangement under which we will perform the works shows the growing change in the market to a more sustainable model which includes a combination of lump sum and incentivised target cost estimates,” he adds.
Primero Australia can also leverage the skills and capabilities of the MET division at the project to provide a fully integrated end-to-end solution.
“For example, RCR equipment such as pan feeders and conveyors have been incorporated in the design. DIAB have also performed pre-works to get the site ready for construction,” informs Mr Gollschewski.
FULL-SERVICE OFFERING
Elsewhere, the Finniss Lithium Project is one of the best examples of Primero Australia’s vertically integrated
services, offering a complete lithium processing solution to address the rising demand for battery minerals.
“This was a project we took from study through to a full EPC contract to deliver the process facility just south of Darwin in the Northern Territory. Once the plant was complete, we then operated for two years, so that was about a six-year process with that particular client,” outlines Mr Gordon.
Primero Australia has additionally worked on multiple phases of the Pilbara Minerals expansion project, including the P480 and P680 projects at their wholly owned Pilgangoora lithium mine, located in the resourcerich region of Pilbara in Western Australia (WA).
“We’ve delivered two expansion projects for Pilbara Minerals in the region over the last couple of years, and they’ve been very happy with our performance in that time.”
Another speciality for which Primero has become a noted player is in non-process infrastructure (NPI) for
the minerals sector.
The company’s reputation has in large part come about through contracts with Rio Tinto on its GudaiDarri and Western Range projects, and it is hopeful this will continue with a successful contract award on the HD1 project.
In terms of other project scopes, Primero Australia continues to work with major iron ore producers who have a large programme of works to be executed over the next three to five years, presenting huge opportunities.
“Another area of expertise that is relatively unsung and generally not overly visible is our engineering capability. We have over 200 engineering and design resources across our locations in Australia and North America, including an enviable hydrometallurgical process team of around 30 people that we consider second to none, which gives us credibility across various commodities including iron ore, lithium, gold, and other critical battery
minerals,” Mr Gordon acclaims.
The company also works in the energy and renewables space, exemplified by the engineer and build of the Hazer Commercial Demonstration Plant in WA and a vanadium electrolyte pilot plant recently built for AVL.
The former showcased Primero Australia’s technical expertise in hydrogen processing, a key component of the energy transition and push towards low-emission power sources.
“We delivered FEED work for Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) on their first hydrogen electrolyser plant in Gladstone, and Woodside on their hydrogen refueller plant in Kwinana,” Mr Gordon adds.
CAN-DO CULTURE
Primero Australia is currently focused on expanding its presence along the eastern seaboard, with an established base in Brisbane.
Additionally, Primero has
successfully extended its operations into North America, and now has operations in Montreal, Toronto, and Houston, further strengthening its global presence.
“We’re still quite WA-centric, but we believe there is a desire for our services along the east coast, so we’re continuing to develop that. The way we’ll do it at this stage is most likely organically,” notes Mr Gollschewski.
Another key target for 2025 is Primero Australia’s safety performance, which it has been studiously developing over time.
For example, the company recently implemented an integrated critical
risk management programme specifically designed to prevent workplace fatalities.
“You can never be safe enough; it’s always something that continues to evolve. We want to keep that safety journey moving forwards, specifically as it relates to our people on our projects,” Mr Gordon affirms.
As a growing company that is part of a wider group, Primero Australia also has an ongoing focus on improving and upgrading its business systems.
Most importantly, it wants to continue to grow its internal resources and employee base whilst maintaining
a positive can-do attitude.
“One of the things we pride ourselves on is our can-do culture. We are committed across the full scope for the client, so we are collectively responsible, roll our sleeves up, and get it done.
“Maintaining this culture is one of the keys to a successful outcome,” Mr Gordon concludes.
Tel: + 61 8 6500 9500
info@primero.com.au
primero.com.au
