BME Increases Global Footprint With Indonesian JV

According to group CEO Seelan Gobalsamy, the JV will combine BME’s innovative technology, products, and solutions with the local networks, experience, and resources of PT. Multi Nitrotama Kimia (MNK). 

“The JV creates an integrated offering with an expanded suite of products and services for both surface and underground mines. For us, it is all about partnering with an organisation that understands the Indonesian market, that can bring local knowledge to bear, and which has the relevant mining licences we can leverage, in order to help them improve their operations,” he says.

“In addition, it allows both organisations to move all their customers under a single roof, ensuring that the customer experience is significantly improved. At the same time, there are many new customers in this market that can be unlocked, and we believe that offering access to BME’s state-of-the-art technologies – like electronic blast systems, digital blasting tools and unique emulsion formulations – will play a huge role in helping us to achieve this.”

Gobalsamy suggests that building BME’s business out in this region is key going forward, noting that Indonesia is an important part of this strategy. He says the companies’ value systems are well aligned, and that BME not only hopes to grow its presence in this market, but may also consider exploring other territories
with the JV.

“We are aware that mines here want to undertake larger blasts, more accurately, and with better fragmentation, something that our technologies enable. There is also an immense focus on reducing carbon emissions and working more sustainably. Here, the fact that we leverage used oil in our emulsions makes them more environmentally friendly by reducing carbon emissions.”

The JV will also afford MNK entry into the explosives market and access to the global best practice explosives technologies we deploy. As far as skills go, explosives is a highly regulated industry, so BME is careful and systematic regarding the intense knowledge transfer it is undertaking with MNK.

“We have engineers across the world who develop, research and innovate all the time, and this is the knowledge and skills we are bringing to the local Indonesian market. We employ a combination of global engineers who provide knowledge at a high level and a full team on the ground to transfer skills to the local engineers.

“At BME, we set out on a path several years ago with the goal of expanding the business globally, and this JV demonstrates a significant step forward on this path towards international expansion. Together with our existing expansion in Canada, this JV puts us on the front foot as far as our global strategy goes, and allows us to take our unique explosives solutions to the rest of the world,” he says.