HEPI will use QME 2026 in Mackay to showcase integrated lifecycle solutions that combine its global engineering network with on-site support to extend equipment life and cut unplanned downtime for Bowen Basin mines. The company is focusing on reliability and total cost of ownership for heavy mobile and fixed plant, targeting higher uptime on critical assets such as haul trucks, excavators and processing equipment. For maintenance and asset managers, the pitch centres on engineered upgrades, condition-based maintenance and rebuild strategies to defer capex and stabilise operating costs.

Hitachi Construction Machinery Australia will showcase its EX1200-7 BH hydraulic excavator at QME 2026 in Mackay, ahead of rebranding to LANDCROS in April 2027 while retaining its Japanese manufacturing base. The EX1200-7 BH, a backhoe configured for large-scale overburden and ore loading, targets high-production truck–shovel operations typical of Queensland coal and metalliferous mines. For mine planners and maintenance teams, the launch signals continuity of Hitachi’s existing fleet support under the LANDCROS name, with implications mainly for parts, dealer networks and long-term asset management contracts.

South32 exceeded its 2026 financial year production guidance across several key operations while advancing a portfolio shift towards base metals, including the proposed sale of its aluminium value chain assets. Aluminium output beat guidance by about 1 per cent, with stronger-than-planned performance at Sierra Gorda and other units supporting the result. Capital is being redirected into copper and zinc growth projects, signalling future mine planning, resource allocation and processing upgrades will increasingly prioritise sulphide ore bodies and downstream base metals capacity over alumina and aluminium smelting.