About Us
About Us
H&N’s directors and associates have a wealth of experience in Australasian and international development projects across the resource, rail, industrial and construction sectors. Work and project locations have included USA, Canadian, UK, European, South American, African, PNG, New Zealand, New Caledonian, Indonesian, Malaysian, Indian, Vietnamese, and Chinese markets.
H&N operates through long term relationships and alliances built on trust with key industry specialists with broad experience, capability and detailed understanding of client needs. We assist boards and senior executives with project development and related due diligence, M&A deal structuring, including board support services, to identify a clear way forward from transformation through to business integration services.
TMSC is our consulting business. “The Mineral Sands Consultancy” has hard won experience covering many aspects of international resource and engineering business development requirements from organisational and operational review, through to development planning, logistics, and process improvement.
TMSC’s consulting activities cover management review, process and project definition, right through to detailed logistics and product market evaluations and pricing. Our experience covers both strategic and detailed operational and commercial risk management for both businesses and projects from major EPCM, D&C, commissioning, operations and maintenance management. We work with exploration and development companies, international public and private companies, and government authorities.
how we work
Our business model is designed to be flexible to meet our client’s key needs during each major phase of the project development cycle. This may commence with the engagement of TMSC as a consultant to guide any or all the following key activities –
- Supporting more local SMEs with the managing business and commercial risk and compliance and supporting achievement of high rates of profitable growth despite the global market challenges.
- Guiding the development of organisational capability including strategic and opertional skills necessary to ensure delivery of high rates of profitable growth despite unusual market uncertainties.
- Development of an agreed strategic vision to align the team and set appropriate project developemnt and delivery frameworks,
- Scoping & mapping of the overall development plan and pathways from resource evaluation through to market take-off agreements including assessment of value-add oppertunities to maximise economic valuations and bankability,
- Completion of quality pre-feasibility studies to deliver the agreed project vision and ensure that follow-on major studies are appropriately scoped. This phase ensures a tight project focus, prevents unnecessary works and rework costs, and helps maintain project development schedules. This includes establishment of the broad processes and technical parameters (including geological, metallurgical, process and technical support services), and validation of the market model and product pricing assumptions.
- Guide completion of required Definitive Feasibility Studies (DFS), EIS, Social Studies, including product market trials and buyer introductions etc, project modelling, marketing, and communications support to help best position the project for funding/sale as per client requirements.
- Provision of project management, commercial and EPCM support services from design supervision, to commissioning and operations management, business imporvement, and control.
Our Expert Team
Trevor Hines Managing Director (FIEAust, BEng(Hons), MBA)
Trevor is a professional business development resource and engineering industry executive with over 30 years broad based executive management experience. His has worked extensively in international markets in resources development, engineering, strategic, commercial and operational management. His roles have covered boutique SMEs (from retail to consulting engineers), junior development companies and multiple majors with international large-scale engineering operations and projects in the resource, heavy haul rail, and industrial sectors. The work scope included participation, input, and guiding acquisitions, integrations and business disposals, and in various privatisations and re-listings.
His 30 years’ experience commenced with a leading resource industry engineering product and service provider Bradken. Trevor’s role developed to Executive Manager Engineering for 12 local and international operations, then to running their International Mining Products Business and the Engineering construction businesses. Trevor also became the Senior Engineering Consultant for the Mineral Sands Consultancy working on various design, construction, projects and feasibility studies for projects in Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Indonesia, and Africa as noted above. Work included many feasibility studies and projects such as design, development and construction management and commissioning of an ilmenite (Iron-titanium) production proving plant for Fletcher Titanium and Nissho Iwai Corporation/Sojitz for feeding an anatase and iron production plant.
Trevor has more recently provided an ASX listed Company with a Pre-feasibility study for its Fiji Iron Sands Project. Prior to this he supported and guided completion of a revised BFS, Environmental and social studies and secured EPCM contract arrangements for a remote PNG Gold Mine owned by another ASX listed entity. The revised BFS and development plan delivering significant cost savings. He has worked extensively on early stage development and approvals of a global scale chrome-magnetite development project in the New Caledonia for a US listed company and has recently three years predominantly in Indonesia on various diamond/gold/coal projects in Kalimantan, Tin with PT Timah, and an Iron Sand project (West Nusa Tenggara). This work included acquisition of Indonesia’s largest diamond mine Cempaka Diamonds which was in distress.
Trevor has successfully run and developed engineering and resource related businesses operations with over 2500 personnel and has considerable experience in developing high performing teams, operations improvement and business turnaround (McKinsey, Alexander Proudfoot, Crosby, Dupont, etc). He is now managing director of H&N Investments Pty Ltd and The Mineral Sands Consultancy where the team and alliance partners have helped guide key clients along the path to successful business and project development.
Harold Hines – Director (FAusIMM)
Harold is a professional mining and resource industry executive with over 50 years’ experience in the industry. Harold was the founder of H&N Investments Pty Ltd and The Mineral Sands Consultancy which has served clients internationally from scoping studies to design and commissioning of various plants around the world from Africa and Indonesia to India and the USA. His experience covers all aspects of key mineral sands developments from green field developments to brown field operations improvements and expansions.
His work has included over 20 years of direct hands-on process operations and management of multiple mineral sands operations from Cudgen RZ, Murphy Ores to all of Consolidated Rutile’s/Sibelco’s North Stradbroke Island Operations. He has spent over 35 years consulting to blue chip companies such as Anglo American, DuPont and Shell Billiton and many others including Kerr McGee Corporation, Westralian Sands/Iluka etc.
Harold has also served on the board of Austpac Resources developing processes for enhancing synthetic rutile and bi-product iron sands plus mill scale through roasting and associated production processes for BHP, Japanese and New Zealand Steel companies. Harold’s experience and knowledge is unsurpassed having worked on projects all over the world from Africa to Vietnam, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Americas. He has detailed knowledge of resource development, mine development, operations management and control, and an excellent understanding of the market interface and issues relating to approvals, permitting for all manner of mineral sands operations.
Our Networks
Clients may also seek access to H&N Investments’ extensive networks to support client connection and successful commercial negotiation With major project service providers and funders to help bring the project to an earlier successful completion. Alternatively, H&N may be engaged for specific strategic management support and advice.