Mining equipment company for sale after parent business placed in receivership

A West Australian mining services business that collapsed into receivership last month is urgently seeking expressions of interest for a division of the company which provides heavy duty machinery fabrication and maintenance.

The call comes as official figures released last week show the number of insolvencies rose during the June quarter, alongside another collapse in the manufacturing industry.

Robinsons Welding, which offers engineering services to the oil, gas mining and marine industries in Australia and south-east Asia, collapsed into receivership last month. The company makes general and specialised equipment, and helps clients find specialised machinery and fittings.

The business has a number of affiliates, including Carnarvon Mechanical Services. This part of the business focuses on heavy duty maintenance and is now being sold off.

Receivers Grant Thornton claim the division has $2 million in historical turnover, plant and equipment and other assets. Grant Thornton partner Matthew Donnelly was contacted this morning, but was not able to reply prior to publication.

Robinsons Welding managing director Gordon Robinson was also contacted, but a reply was not available.

The business was founded by Gordon and Bev Robinson in 1980, after working in the pipeline industry. Robinsons Welding now comes under the GBR Enterprises umbrella company, which also includes Select Marine and Pipe Fusions Australia.

The company’s primary operation is in the Dongara-Denison region of Western Australia, close to oil and gas fields.

While Western Australia has been seen by many businesses as a haven for smaller companies in the mining sector, there are plenty which suffer as they fail to find work. The industry can also be quite capital intensive, with SMEs running into trouble when finance dries up.