Speech extract: Resources Technology Showcase, BHP CEO-elect Mike Henry
27 November, 2019
It’s only been a fortnight since it was announced that I will be afforded the immense privilege to lead BHP as its next CEO come January 1. Of course I’ve had a number of questions since about my priorities. And my answer has been pretty consistent. Our highest order priorities remain the same but I want to spend the next six weeks getting out to BHP’s operations and offices globally to discuss views on what we can do to build upon the great work of recent years to become safer, more productive, and more valuable, more quickly.
On the theme of this conference though, I have been specific. Technology is critical to this industry. Technology will do everything I just said. It will help us lift performance. Make us safer. Reduce costs. Grow value.
It’s perhaps fitting that the first operation I visited on this tour was the Jimblebar mine, last week, here in WA. This is where we established our first fully autonomous haulage system back in 2017. Jimblebar is a great reminder for me of the opportunities provided by technology – we have significantly reduced incidents with fatal potential and we have reduced costs.
I have also spent time in the past week here in Perth and up in Singapore, including with our Technology teams. It was uplifting to hear from them the opportunities they see for the future to make this industry even safer, more productive and more competitive.
This one of the reasons why I was so keen to be here today, in spite of my schedule being tipped on its head, so I could make it to this event.
Another reason though is the immense importance of WA to BHP – with three major BHP businesses here: iron ore, oil and gas and nickel. And finally, the importance I place on more effective partnering with the Mining Equipment, Technology and Services (‘METS’) sector. I believe that through more effective partnering between producers and the METS sector, we can both uplift performance in our business and we can enable local METS companies to develop new products and services that allow them to thrive and compete on the global stage.
Read the full speech.