Bridon Bekaert’s team

MEET THE BRIDON BEKAERT TEAM

Bridon-Bekaert The Ropes Group (BBRG) wire ropes are operating in some of the most challenging applications around the globe. BBRG has been manufacturing steel wire in Newcastle for 98 years. Here, we meet the team members behind the brand.

MICHELLE HURLEY INTERNAL SALES MANAGER

Michelle Hurley started with Bridon-Bekaert in 2018, managing the customer service department for the various segments such as mining, cranes, roadside barriers, electrical, and structures. Prior to accepting the position at BBRG, working with wire ropes, she was a product manager for a global equipment manufacturer supplying the petrochemical industry.

Hurley manages the key accounts here in Australia, which cover the large crane, port, and oil & gas operators and producers in the country.

“With BBRG having a strong focus on the Bridon high performance crane ropes, we are stocking the bulk ropes for our new Service Centre to cut, terminate, and test all in-house, which provides the fast turnaround and requirements our customers have come to expect,” she said.

One of the major projects Hurley has successfully completed involved working with the BBRG team both globally and locally to implement the new Service Centre. This was a large undertaking but a very rewarding challenge that has come to fruition. She is continuing to manage the integration of the business offering into the well-established Newcastle manufacturing facility.

With the addition of new people at Bridon-Bekaert, Hurley and the team look forward to assisting you with any rope enquiries you may have.

JORDAN DONKIN INTERNAL SALES OFFICER

Jordan Donkin joined Bridon-Bekaert as internal sales manager in July 2021 and, although new to the world of wire ropes, has 10 years of combined customer service and sales experience in various industries.

“My role here at BBRG has seen me establish relationships with key partners in the crane and industrial space. I manage the import and export orders for the business and work closely with our account managers to grow the Service Centre,” she said.

MICK RETHUS TECHNICAL ACCOUNT MANAGER

Mick Rethus started with Bridon-Bekaert in October 2006 as a field service manager, servicing the mining industry in the northern region of the Queensland Bowen Basin. This involved performing weekly inspections and reporting on the dragline and shovel ropes across various large open-cut mine sites.

“As part of my role I conducted machine audits and developed maintenance plans for maximising rope life for the various large critical plant and machinery. Looking for a new challenge, I have returned to my home state of Victoria full-time and I am now strategically positioned to assist our large customer base within the crane and industrial, oil & gas, and port markets. I’m looking forward to being able to offer technical expertise to customers across the country,” he said.

STUART COXON TECHNICAL ACCOUNT MANAGER

Stuart Coxon started with Bridon-Bekaert as a technical account manager in 2020.

“I jumped at the opportunity to get back into the high performance rope industry. With over 20 years’ experience in the lifting and rigging supply industry, and managing several businesses in that space, wire rope and its applications have always been of great interest. To come to BBRG is a great fit for me,” he said.

“My role involves managing a number of critical key accounts, technically supporting the internal sales team and our customer base. I’m also heavily involved with the day-to-day running of our new Service Centre. This includes staff training, manufacturing, testing, inspections, other services, and compliance to relevant BBRG international and Australian Standards.

“It’s a very exciting time for BBRG Australia and we are looking forward to providing our market sectors with a high-quality performance product backed by technical knowledge with a combined 300 years’ experience.”

ANDREW MORGAN TECHNICAL MANAGER

Andrew Morgan is in charge of the BBRG technical engineering team.

“I’m a mechanical engineer and have been working with BBRG for the past 18 years. Previously, my career was in underground coal mining. I am also the global lead for BBRG in surface mining,” he said.

“I am passionate about manufacturing in Australia. At BBRG, we strive to ensure our customers receive the best rope product and solution for their application. We are active within our customers’ sites to continually ensure the application of our ropes and the equipment they operate on, provide the best opportunity to achieve optimum rope performance.”

JAMES MACKIE PRODUCT APPLICATIONS AND TESTING ENGINEER

James Mackie started with BBRG in 2012 and has over 25 years’ experience in steel wire and rope manufacturing. As part of the BBRG Australian technical team, Mackie is responsible for supporting the local crane & industrial, oil & gas, marine, structural, and underground mining sectors.

“I work closely with our sales team and customers around rope specifications for each application and installation. As BBRG’s NATA representative, I also have technical responsibility for our Newcastle testing laboratory and regularly undertake post-life forensic reporting as part of the BBRG MORE program,” he said.

“Working with our Service Centre team, led by Stuart Coxon, we have recently added proof testing to our NATA Scope of Accreditation and are in the process of adding NDT [non-destructive testing] services to provide a market-leading suite of product specification, supply, and support for our customers.”

RHYS HUGHES TECHNICAL SALES MANAGER

Rhys Hughes is the technical sales manager for BBRG.

“I focus on support for underground mining, cranes, industrial, and oil & gas market sectors. I worked with Bridon prior to the merge with Bekaert and have been in the industry for over 20 years,” he said.

“My role is based around technical solutions for our customers. Typically, I get involved at the specification level to support the customers from the start of their project. We are proudly world leaders in many market sectors from a technology and performance perspective. We are the OEM [original equipment manufacturer] for some of the largest crane manufacturers in the world and we are targeting the Australian crane sector with these new services – something never seen in Australia from Bridon-Bekaert in the past.”

Customer Training Courses 2022

DATES COURSE LOCATION DURATION

18.01. – 19.01.2022 Crane Service and Maintenance including an Introduction to Diagnostics Perth WA

15.02. – 16.02.2022 Crane Service and Maintenance including an Introduction to Diagnostics Perth WA

22.02. – 24.02.2022 LICCON I & II with data bus Perth WA 2 Days

2 Days

3 Days

01.03. – 02.03.2022 Crane Service and Maintenance including an Introduction to Diagnostics Brisbane QLD 2 Days

22.03. – 23.03.2022 Crane Service and Maintenance including an Introduction to Diagnostics Auckland NZ 2 Days

24.03. – 25.03.2022 Influence of Wind including LICCON Work Planner Auckland NZ 2 Days

05.04. – 07.04.2022 LICCON I & II with data bus Perth WA 3 Days

27.04. – 28.04.2022 Crane Service and Maintenance including an Introduction to Diagnostics Sydney NSW 2 Days

03.05. – 05.05.2022 Active rear axle steering Perth WA 3 Days

17.05. – 18.05.2022 Crane Service and Maintenance including an Introduction to Diagnostics Melbourne VIC 2 Days

19.05. – 20.05.2022 Influence of Wind including LICCON Work Planner Melbourne VIC 2 Days

31.05. – 01.06.2022 Influence of Wind including LICCON Work Planner Sydney NSW 2 Days

13.06. – 14.06.2022 Crane Service and Maintenance including an Introduction to Diagnostics Auckland NZ 2 Days

15.06. – 17.06.2022 LICCON I & II with data bus Auckland NZ 3 Days

12.07. – 13.07.2022 Influence of Wind including LICCON Work Planner

26.07. – 27.07.2022 Influence of Wind including LICCON Work Planner Perth WA 3 Days

Brisbane QLD 2 Days

09.08. – 10.08.2022 Crane Service and Maintenance including an Introduction to Diagnostics Sydney NSW 2 Days

11.08. – 13.08.2022 Active rear axle steering Sydney NSW 3 Days

23.08. – 24.08.2022 Crane Service and Maintenance including an Introduction to Diagnostics Perth WA 2 Days

06.09. – 08.09.2022 LICCON I & II with data bus Melbourne VIC 3 Days

20.09. – 22.09.2022 LICCON I & II with data bus Sydney NSW 3 Days

11.10. – 13.10.2022 LICCON I & II with data bus Brisbane QLD 3 Days

18.10. – 20.10.2022 LICCON I & II with data bus Perth WA 3 Days

07.11. – 08.11.2022 Influence of Wind including LICCON Work Planner

09.11. – 11.11.2022 LICCON I & II with data bus Auckland NZ

Auckland NZ 2 Days

3 Days

CONTACT US

For more information and bookings, please contact the Liebherr Mobile Cranes training department via email LAS-MCTraining@liebherr.com or call +61 (2) 9852 1830.