Finalists in 2021 include Atlas Iron, iCutter Industries and Sandvik. Atlas Iron attracted plenty of attention for its record-breaking contract to Indigenous business East-West Pilbara (EWP) for load and haul, and drill and blast services for the new Miralga Creek mine in Western Australia. The Hancock Prospecting subsidiary saw EWP as the best choice for the job as it is directly connected to the Traditional Owners of the land on which Miralga Creek will operate, the Nyamal people.
The Roy Hill iron ore mine has been selected after it delivered a record equivalent annual run rate of 60 million tonnes in the June quarter of 2021. This was despite a range of restrictions that hampered the wider industry, including inclement weather, COVID-19 restrictions and a skills shortage. New programs at Roy Hill included a new autonomous haulage system, a new crusher and overland conveyor system, and the continuation of the award-winning Wet High Intensity Magnetic Separator (WHIMS).