METC ENGINEERING

Redefining Effective EPCM

A flexible, fresh approach to the world of engineering, procurement and construction management

It is well documented that mining, one of the world’s oldest industries, is at the slower end of the scale when it comes to embracing change. While the process of extracting minerals from the ground has been mechanised beyond any recognition since commercial activities first began, the uptake of digital technology, for example, has taken longer than many other industries.

Another (not mutually exclusive) characteristic long associated with the sector is the relative domination of large multinational corporations up and down the value chain. Resource rich and often able to survive fluctuations in commodity prices, corporate giants’ sheer size can also come at a cost – namely in the form of agility and flexibility.

It is against this backdrop that Steve Cathey and his business partners John Edwards, Ross Manning and Nick Tatalias decided to set up Metallurgical Engineering Technology and Construction (METC) in 2017.

“We had been working together for several years and the takeover of our employer MDM by Foster-Wheeler, then Foster-Wheeler by Amec, and finally Amec by Wood, all in the space of three years, made us realise that we had to forge our own future and could not rely on large corporate companies to offer a stable future,” Cathey recalls.

“All set into taking the leap of faith, and Ross goes and resigns two months prior what the four of us agreed upon! The rest is history.”

Based in Sandton, South Africa, METC specialises in the design and building of metallurgical process plants, its team combined having worked on more than 75 such sites across the African continent throughout their careers.