Rio Tinto proudly produces five iron ore products in Western Australia (WA) – including the Pilbara Blend, which is the world’s most recognised brand of iron ore and used in steelworks as sinter plant feed or direct blast furnace feed. The Yandicoogina products have 58 per cent iron content and low impurities and produce a high-iron sinter. It is primarily used within East Asia and Southern China, as the base load in their sinter blend.

The company upgraded the Yandicoogina Mine Site Workshop in the Pilbara region of the State, in order to be able to keep up with the growing demand for iron ore.

BG&E provided structural engineering services, including the concrete, steelwork and piping design for a new two-bay heavy vehicle workshop at the mine site.

The workshop consists of a 30-metre by 25-metre by 17-metre steel framed structure with an associated tool store and pipe rack. The workshop floor comprises a 400-millimetre thick reinforced concrete slab. Steel fibres were used in the slab, in place of the traditional bar and mesh reinforcement.