Our History
Our History
Schlam’s history began when it was originally established in 1996 as Schlam Welding.
Barry Schlam saw a need for high quality precision welding and fabrication services in the South West industrial sector of Western Australia. Schlam Welding quickly established a reputation for outstanding quality and service throughout the area by the time Barry’s son Ryan joined the company in 2001.
Today, we’ve grown to become one of Western Australia’s largest family-owned mining services companies and you’ll find our products and maintenance people at work across mines on six continents.
With an ambition to be at every mine in the world, we’re still working to become the business we want to be.
1996
Schlam Welding established by Barry Schlam in Yarloop to deliver high quality precision welding and fabrication services in the South West industrial sector of Western Australia
2001
Ryan Schlam begins working for the company alongside his father
2008
Company begins working at the Newmont Boddington Gold Mine
2011
Name of the company changed to Schlam Engineering
State-of-the-art 2,000 square metre facility opened in Waroona 120 kilometres south of Perth
2014
Creation of an in-house engineering team
Schlam boilermakers sent to Zambia to provide maintenance and training services including teaching the local workforce how to maintain dipper buckets
2015
Waroona facility expanded to allow the company to take on larger projects
Purchase of a majority stake in The Pilbara Clean Machines (TPCM) and sister company Unique Blasting and Coating (UBC)
Acquisition of RIM Engineering, a premier line boring company in the Pilbara
Mobile line boring added to Schlam’s suite of services
Schlam opens Pilbara branch in Newman
2016
DT HiLoad acquired from Ausdril by Schlam, marrying a manufacturing company with service provider
Tom Price facility opened
A team of 52 skilled boilermakers, eight experienced trade assistants and four supervisors participate in a shutdown at a gold mine in WA’s Southwest
100th bucket refurbished at Waroona
Schlam begins work at Rio Tinto Iron Ore’s (RTIO) West Angelas Mine
2018
DT HiLoad begins delivering Hercules dump bodies to BHP in the Pilbara
Ryan Schlam signs agreement with manufacturing partner in Longyan, China
2019
The Honourable Sue Ellery MLC, Minister for Training and Education visit Schlam Engineering’s workshop in Waroona to meet that company’s apprentices and trainees
First Barracuda bucket built in Waroona
2020
Company celebrates four years LTI free at RTIO West Angelas
First Hercules dump body built at partner facility in Colombia commissioned
Renamed as Schlam bringing all the companies under the same brand focusing on Payload, People and Engineering
1000th Hercules dump body manufactured in Australia
Largest ever Hercules dump bodies built in Australia delivered to site
Matt Thomas brought on as Chief Executive Officer to guide company into the future
State-of-the-art surface treatment facility installed in Waroona