OUR SERVICES:
SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS
CHEMECH'S CREDENTIALS
Operations and project teams often have gaps in their metallurgy and mineral processing capability and need to outsource specific tasks to Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). Many external SMEs however find it difficult to align with their client’s practical requirements and fail to provide pragmatic advice or solutions.
This is a key difference with Chemech, as their technical expertise has been forged in operations and backed with extensive engineering design experience, resulting in a unique practicality to their metallurgical and mineral processing advice.
As credible metallurgy and mineral processing SME’s, Chemech offer extensive subject matter knowledge, lots of practical experience, and a demonstrated track record of success to add weight to their advice. They have excellent communication skills, with a particular talent for explaining and simplifying complex issues to aid management decision making.
SME's need the right combination of experience, diligence and technical competency. Chemech's long and successful careers have forged these characteristics and their clients can attest to this.
OUR EXPERTISE
AS SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS, WE CAN OFFER
Independent technical review of studies and projects identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and risks for owners. This includes identification of fatal flaws, potential opportunities to reduce capital and operating costs, and opportunities to improve operability and maintainability.
Expert witness advice in legal disputes.
Failure/fault assessments in operating facilities.
EXAMPLES OF OUR SME ENGAGEMENTS
Between 2019 and 2025, Gold Fields engaged Chemech as subject matter experts for a number of site investigations and improvement projects at their Gruyere and Agnew sites. At Gruyere, Chemech assessed the poor availability and performance of the pebble crushing and gravity circuits, highlighting a number of design-related issues and proposing a number of improvement options. Gold Fields acted on these recommendations and went on to replace the pebble crushing circuit in 2023.
At Agnew, Chemech provided an independent assessment on their aging crushing plant providing a number of improvement and upgrade options (Agnew replaced the plant in 2022). Chemech also provided an independent review of a tailings disposal system failure, highlighting a number of design deficiencies and providing options to improve operation and reduce the risk of future failures.
I've been working with Chemech for over 20 years, consistently relying on their expertise for support with a wide range of site issues and projects, or sometimes just bouncing ideas off them. Their operational, metallurgical and plant design knowledge is exceptional, and there hasn’t been anything they haven’t been able to assist with. Chemech responds immediately and communicates complex problems in a way that’s clear and actionable. They’re not just technical experts—they’re practical, approachable, and genuinely invested in helping site troubleshoot, optimise, and debottleneck the plant.
- Matt McKee-Duff, Manager - Processing, Gold Fields Agnew Operations
Chemech’s specialised multidisciplinary skills were also recognised by Newcrest who engaged them as subject matter experts for an independent review of the metallurgy and process plant design of their new molybdenum recovery plant at Cadia. Risks identified and recommendations made by Chemech were accepted, and Newcrest progressed the design and successfully commissioned the plant in 2022. Newcrest also engaged Chemech in 2022 as an Expert Witness for a complex legal matter related to the design and execution of their Cadia expansion project.