WE ARE MOLYCOP.

WHAT WE STAND FOR

We proudly stand side-by-side with the people who dedicate their lives to the discovery, exploration and development of precious resources in order to make daily life and the future brighter, for everyone.  Above all else, we value uncompromising safety, positively impacting local communities and greater environmental sustainability through every aspect of our company.

WHY WE DO IT

Our Story

1917

Molycop's Australian operations, began with The Commonwealth Steel Company (Comsteel), which established its original facility on the Waratah site in Newcastle Australia in 1917. Molycop pioneered Electric Arc Furnace steel-making with the installation of the first EAF in the southern hemisphere on the site. The facility originally manufactured parts for the rail industry such as wheels, axles and other rail gear. During the Second World War, the facility produced over 200,000 shells and other munitions, along with over 2 million steel helmets for the Allied soldiers.

1920

Back in the 1920’s, the development of the first grinding ball fortuitously began. A plant manager of a local cement company, looking to use punchings from the bolt and nut shop as grinding media for grinding cement clinker, approached the Sheffield Steel Works in Kansas City. From that humble encounter, the need to create a new product set forth collaborations between engineers at Sheffield and forging equipment manufacturers to develop the first automated ball forging equipment.

1930

During the 1930’s, further product development saw the Armco’s Sheffield Steel business of Kansas City produce the first heat-treated grinding ball alloyed with molybdenum and copper. The innovative new ball significantly improved wear performance versus the quality levels of that time. In 1940 this new ball was patented and appropriately trademarked as Molycop®.

1961

From 1961, after Armco built its first grinding ball operation outside the USA in Talcahuano Chile, Molycop started to grow exponentially. During the next 40 years, Molycop strategically opened grinding ball plants all over the globe, located in places such as Peru, Mexico, Canada and Indonesia, forming an international network of facilities and relationships that are still prevalent today.

2002

Between 2002-2007, ownership changes occurred when the Anglo American subsidiary, Scaw Metals (South Africa), purchased Molycop in 2002, while the original Kansas City ball plant had restarted as an independent company in 2003, which was then later acquired by OneSteel in 2007.

2011

In January 2011, under ARRIUM ownership (formerly OneSteel), all of our grinding media manufacturing facilities merged into a common Molycop organisation, creating the largest grinding media company in the world.

2017

As of 2017, now under the ownership of American Industrial Partners, Molycop comprises 12 manufacturing facilities spread across the globe, utilizing the best available technologies, strategically located to efficiently supply all major global mining regions with a strong commitment to social and environmental responsibility.

2019

Molycop’s long history has formed a company with industry leading products and a unique international footprint. From here, Molycop is focused on the future, expanding our current capacities to serve the increasing demand being generated by a diverse range of mining operations worldwide and continuing to develop innovative mining consumables products and associated services that will shape and improve the mining industry for many generations to come.
1917 2019

THE EXECUTIVE TEAM.

Together, our Executive Team bring years of industry and manufacturing experience, leading our commitment to establishing a safe and happy workplace while always delivering on our promise to the customer.

Chief Executive Officer

Jim Anderson

Joined Molycop in 2017. 30 years manufacturing experience. Based in Omaha, USA.

Chief Financial Officer

Patrick Koley

Joined Molycop in 2019. 15 years in Industry. Based in Omaha, USA.

Chief Commercial Officer

Lance Dawber

Joined Molycop in 1995. 22 years in Industry. Based in Santiago, Chile.

Pres. Australasia

Michael Parker

Joined Molycop in 2013. 36 years in Industry. Based in Newcastle, Australia.

Pres. EU, Africa, Middle East

Felix Fornaguera

Joined Molycop in 2018, 15 years in industry. Based in Bilbao Spain.

Pres. North America

Steven Gorst

Joined Molycop in 2018. 5 years industry experience. Based in Calgary Canada.

Chief Legal Officer

Rita Ibrahim

Joined Molycop in 2013. 10 years in Industry. Based in Sydney, Australia.

Chief Human Resources Officer

Paul Griffiths

Joined Molycop in 2012. 30 years in Industry. Based in Sydney, Australia.
Want to join the team?

Careers

At the heart of Molycop are our employees and their success is our success. At Molycop, we seek the best and brightest talents from all cultural backgrounds to join us in furthering our potential as an industry leading company and strive to offer unique opportunities only a company with a global footprint can provide. Work with us

The future of mining

The future of mining is always changing and we’re about making change for the better. At Molycop, we endeavour to be innovative and ahead of the curve with a constant focus on forward momentum - so we can lead the transformation of the mining sector and improve the way things get done. Explore

Sustainability

Molycop positively impacts people, supports local communities and aims to minimize pollution through every aspect of our company. We are committed to the pursuit of greater sustainability in a fashion that allows superior efficiency of resources, achieves the highest standard of environmental performance Explore