McLanahan is promoting compact process solutions such as its recessed-plate filter presses and QUICKCHANGE filter cloth system to lift plant efficiency and reduce tailings water loss in existing mines. The QUICKCHANGE design allows individual cloths to be swapped without removing the plate pack, cutting press downtime, manual handling and confined-space exposure during maintenance. For brownfield operations constrained by legacy footprints and power limits, the company is positioning modular dewatering and screening units as bolt-on upgrades rather than full plant rebuilds.

Lithium mining and processing has commenced at Chemical Grade Plant 3 (CGP3) at the Greenbushes operation in Western Australia, operated by Talison Lithium and jointly owned by IGO, Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia and Albemarle. CGP3 adds new chemical-grade concentrator capacity alongside the existing CGP1 and CGP2 trains, targeting spodumene feed from the world‑class Greenbushes orebody. The ramp‑up of CGP3 is integral to lifting total site throughput and stabilising supply to downstream lithium hydroxide refineries in Kwinana and overseas.

Liontown Resources has appointed Vaughan Harris as the first Tjiwarl community apprentice at its Kathleen Valley lithium project in Western Australia, a key site being developed as a hard-rock lithium operation. The apprenticeship, created in partnership with the Tjiwarl Aboriginal Corporation, is structured to provide trade qualifications while Harris works on-site during construction and ramp-up. For mining engineers and project managers, this signals a move towards embedding local Indigenous employment and skills development directly into project delivery and long-term operations planning.