From the Founder

Big year ahead for the National Group.

Rising demand for company’s mining equipment and services expected to drive another year of sustainable growth.

National Group has had a strong start to 2024 as it beds down contract extensions and awards, and responds to rising client inquiry levels.

Mark Ackroyd, founder and Managing Director of National Group, says there has been an increase in client activity in the first quarter of 2024.

“National Group has a very full pipeline of work,” he says. “January was extremely busy with tenders for future work and it hasn’t stopped since then. Every week, we’re doing more pricing for more equipment, which is a good sign.”

Mark says National Group expects to announce several contract awards and extensions this year, some of which will take the company in new directions. That follows record revenue for National Group in FY23.

“We’re doing more work in the iron ore sector and expanding our footprint in the renewables sector,” says Mark. “That’s part of our strategy to continue to diversify and grow National Group’s operations.”

Unstoppable spoke to Mark about National Group’s plans for 2024.

Mark, what are some of National Group’s key goals this year?

MA: The big one for me is ensuring we have the right people in the right positions; that everyone continues to buy into the company’s culture; and that we create opportunities for people to grow their career as National grows. We’re looking at a lot of growth ahead, so making sure we have strong foundations to support that growth and maintain our service levels is an absolute priority for 2024.

Why has National Group seen an uptick in client inquiries this year?

MA: It’s partly due to the strength of Australia’s mining sector and also because of National Group’s previous work. We have successfully implemented several major new contracts that were announced in FY22 and FY23 (more information on those contract awards is available here). Our clients continue to extend our work on certain contracts and build on their long-term relationship with National Group. We’re also getting more inquiries from new potential clients, which is pleasing.

What are National Group’s aims in the clean-energy sector?

MA: Building a bigger presence in renewables projects is a long-term strategic goal for National Group. We want to contribute to the sector’s growth through equipment hire and maintenance at critical minerals projects, and also through other services, such as National Heavy Haulage. Our recent contract award to transport batteries and inverters to the Waratah Super Battery project in NSW is an encouraging development for National Group (this issue of Unstoppable has a separate story on that contract).

Clearly, there’s rising demand for equipment and services for clean-energy projects. Longer term, National Group wants to contribute to the decarbonisation of economies by playing a bigger role in clean-energy projects.

How important is diversification for National Group in 2024 and beyond?

MA: A few years ago, we developed and implemented a strategy to diversify National Group by commodity and location. Coal remains a very important commodity for our business, and we continue to be optimistic on the medium-term prospects for Australian coal, particularly for steelmaking. That said, we have recognised the need to reduce our reliance on coal over the long term.

To that end, National Group has increased its work in gold, iron ore and bauxite – and now in renewables through our work at the battery project in NSW. We expect to continue that work in 2024 and for coal to represent a lower proportion of our overall revenue over time. That change will be gradual: the world will need Australian coal for a long time to come, particularly in developing economies.

Why is National Group making such a large investment in its workforce?

MA: It’s partly to keep up with rising demand for our services and also to ensure we are well prepared for several new contract extensions and awards that we expect to announce this financial year and next. I believe National Group will need to double the size of its full-time workforce over the next few years (to more than 360 employees) given the size of our current and anticipated work pipeline. We have invested in more recruitment staff to help with that process (see the separate story in this issue of Unstoppable on National Group’s recruitment plans).

Another reason for our recruitment campaign is to develop more people internally in the National Group way. We have one of Australia’s best maintenance teams in our field, so it makes sense to leverage that intellectual property through internal training, such as our expanded apprenticeship program. We’re also giving our people more opportunity to learn new skills and take on extra responsibility.

What are National Group’s plans for workplace diversity and inclusion in 2024?

MA: A highlight for me over the past few years has been the increase in the number of women working at National Group, not only at our head office on the Gold Coast, but also in our workshops and at mine sites. We want to recruit more women, particularly for maintenance-related roles, and have successfully done so through our apprenticeship program. That work will continue in 2024 and well beyond because it is good for National Group operationally and culturally.

However, it’s not just about gender. We want people from all walks of life to consider building a career at National Group. From Indigenous employees, to older people, or those who have never dreamt of working in mining … there’s varied career options in mining services through National Group.

Corporate Social Responsibility has been a highlight for National Group in the past few years. What are your CSR plans for 2024?

MA: Our CSR work continues to grow and become more structured and resourced. National Group’s ethos has always been to support communities where our employees live and work. Often, that means helping community events in remote towns – and pitching in with financial or in-kind support.

Under Kain Ford’s leadership (Head of Marketing and Partnerships), we’ve taken that CSR work up several notches in the past few years, notably through sponsorships of Indigenous groups and health charities. In 2024, you’ll see National Group supporting Indigenous rugby league teams, mining industry awards (to promote equal opportunity) and other community organisations. We want to do more in this area.

Safety has been another highlight for National Group. What’s happening there?

MA: We’ve very pleased with National Group’s safety performance but take nothing for granted. We achieved several important safety milestones in 2023, such as seven years LTI (Lost Time Injury) free at the Caval Ridge mine site in the Bowen Basin, which covers the entire contract length.

Two years injury free at the Daunia mine site in Queensland and one year injury free at our new Moolarben Coal mine-site contract in NSW were other highlights. We intend to build on that safety performance in 2024 and beyond through our safety compliance processes, governance and training.

How hard is it to maintain National Group’s culture as the company grows?

MA: National Group’s competitive advantage is its agility, problem-solving ability and customer-centric approach. Because National is privately owned and founder led, we can make decisions quickly and put customers at the absolute heart of what we do. This risk is that you start to lose that culture as the organisation grows and many new people join.

I’m pleased to report that hasn’t been the case at National Group. We’ve worked very hard to ensure everyone here has the same customer-focused mindset, from the teenage apprentice who joins, right through to our executive ranks.
We have a really good crew of people who have the right ethics, attitude and willingness to work together, to consistently do a great job for clients.

Most of all, we have developed and maintained an organisational culture that encourages people to grow with National Group as it grows, and share in its success. If we continue to do that that in 2024, National Group will deliver another year of sustainable revenue growth and help our customers deliver extra value.

Yours sincerely,

Mark Ackroyd

Founder and Managing Director

National Group