Top 15 Famous Companies in Perth
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Continuing on our series of Famous Companies in Australian cities, we move from Famous Companies in Sydney to Perth – the largest city in Western Australia.
Home to the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Football Clubs – two of the largest fan bases in the country – and some of the largest arts events happening here, Perth has a significance of its own.
Perth is the biggest city in Australia; in fact, it is part of the biggest state of Australia as well, which accounts for almost one-third area of the continent.
Around 80% of Western Australia’s population lives in Perth alone.
And that is the reason, Perth dominates the state’s economy.
The major industries include mining, agriculture, and services, and more recently shipbuilding and maintenance have also seen a significant rise. (Source: Wikipedia)
As a reader of our blog which focuses on startups, it is quite important to highlight that Perth has become a center of Australia’s tech-focused startups since the turn of the century.
The city boasts startup names such as Appbot, Agworld, Healthengine, and Touchgram, which have earned global fame and recognition.
The city of Perth has significantly developed and modern infrastructure and other than hardcore mining and agriculture industries, it has a vibrant presence of Media houses and is a hub of many cultural activities and events.
Tourism is one of the most important parts of the city’s identity and economic activity, welcoming almost 3 million tourists (both domestic and foreign) annually. (Source: Wikipedia)
With this brief overview of the city of Perth, let’s now take a look at the major companies which dominate the economic activities here.
Woodside Energy
CEO: Meg O’Neill
Year of Establishment: 1954
Market Cap: $62.17 billion (2022)
Industry: Oil & Gas
Once listed as the 1328th-largest public company in the world by Forbes Global 2000, Woodside Energy Group Limited is Australia’s largest independent oil and gas company. (Sources: Company’s official website | Forbes)
Woodside was originally named Woodside (Lakes Entrance) Oil Co NL after the small town of Woodside, Victoria.
The name later evolved to Woodside Petroleum before finally adopting its current brand name.
Until 1995, Woodside Petroleum was one of the famous companies located out of Melbourne.
However, The company’s head office was moved to Perth from Melbourne in the same year and now they are a part of our Perth not Melboune list :).
The company has oil and gas exploration, development and operating activities within and beyond Australia including the US, Canada, Senegal, South Korea, New Zealand, Ireland and some other countries in Africa.
Growing out of its smaller beginnings, in the 1960s the company joined forces with Shell and Burmah Oil to form the North West Shelf consortium.
In the latest development, the company finalised its merger with BHP in June 2022, and the new entity was listed on the New York Stock and London Stock exchanges. (Source: The Market Herald)
Fortescue Metals Group
CEO: Elizabeth Gaines
Year of Establishment: 2003
Market Cap: $53.27 billion (2022)
Industry: Mining, Iron ore
Fortescue Metals Group Limited (FMG) is an iron ore company which is currently the world’s fourth-largest iron ore producer since 2017. (Source: Mining Connection)
The company owns massive holdings of 87,000 km2 in Western Australia, which makes it a bigger tenement holder than both BHP and Rio Tinto combined!
The company claims to be one of the world’s lowest-cost iron ore producers.
With a current annual shipping rate of 180 million tonnes, it has delivered 1.7 billion tonnes of iron ore to its customers the world over. (Source: Company’s official website)
Despite specializing in iron ore dealings, the company has not limited itself to one metal only and has also embarked upon a diversification plan.
In 2017, the company announced the beginning of the early-stage and low-cost exploration of copper, gold, and lithium.
The exploration rights were granted in three regions
- South Australia
- New South Wales
- Ecuador
Expanding further, the company announced the creation of Fortescue Future Industries in 2020 to produce energy in various countries based on solar technology.
In the same spirit, the company is about to complete a hydrogen-manufacturing facility in Aldoga, Queensland, which is expected to be the largest of its kind in the world. (Source: ABC News)
Wesfarmers Limited
CEO: Robb Scott
Year of Establishment: 1914
Market Cap: $51.05 billion (2022)
Industry: Retail, chemical, fertilisers, industrial safety
Wesfarmers Limited was established in 1914 as a cooperative for providing services to Australian farmers.
Later, it turned into a giant conglomerate of 60+ companies.
In 1984, Wesfarmers was registered as a public company. Fast forward to today and it presently ranks 9 in the ASX-200 index.
Wesfarmers now owns various business divisions including
- Kmart departmental store
- Target store
- Wesfarmers Chemical, Energy & Fertilisers (WesCEF)
- Wesfarmers Industrial and Safety
- Australian Pharmaceutical Industries
South32
CEO: Graham Kerr
Year of Establishment: 2015
Market Cap: $18.61 billion (2022)
Industry: Mining
South32 is a globally diversified mining and metals company.
That means that the company has not restricted itself to one or two metals exploration but has a highly diversified portfolio consisting of 10 commodities.
Here is the list of all these commodities:
- Bauxite
- Alumina
- Aluminium
- Metallurgical coal
- Manganese
- Nickel
- Copper
- Silver
- Molybdenum
- Gold
- Lead
- Zinc
Diversification is not just limited to commodities alone. The company is listed on three stock exchanges: the Australian Securities Exchange and the London and the Johannesburg Stock Exchanges.
South32 was split from BHP Billiton in 2015 to allow for better management and growth strategies.
The company currently operates in Australia, South Africa, Mozambique, Colombia, and the US.
Mineral Resources Limited
CEO: Paul Brown
Year of Establishment: 1992
Market Cap: $13.56 billion (2022)
Industry: Mining
Mineral Resources Limited (MinRes) is a mining services company that was formed in 1992 as PIHA Pty Limited.
PIHA was a manufacturing and contracting business that had expertise in the construction of pipelines and site infrastructure within the mining industry.
In 1998, the company was awarded the world’s longest underground slurry pipeline contract, known as the Century Zinc Slurry Pipeline contract, spread at 304 km. (Source: Company’s official website)
(FYI: A slurry pipeline is a specially engineered pipeline used to move ores, such as coal or iron, or mining waste, called tailings, over long distances).
PIHA was incorporated as Mineral Resources in July 2006 on ASX.
The company was a merger of pipeline manufacturing and contracting businesses PIHA, Crushing Services International (CSI), and Process Minerals International (PMI).
Minerals Resources operates two hard rock lithium mines in Western Australia; Mount Marion in the Goldfields, and Wodgina in the Pilbara.
IGO Limited
CEO: Mining
Year of Establishment: 2000
Market Cap: $11.31 billion (2022)
Industry: Mining
Formerly known as Independence Group NL, IGO Limited is a mining and exploration company that is listed on ASX 100.
The company owns the Nova nickel-copper-cobalt operation in Western Australia.
It is also invested in lithium mining joint ventures with Tianqi Lithium Corporation and produces battery-grade lithium hydroxide in a processing refinery at Kwinana.
The company claims to be “focused on creating a better planet for future generations by discovering, developing, and delivering products critical to clean energy.” (Source: Company’s official website)
Northern Star Resources
CEO: Stuart Tonkin
Year of Establishment: 2003
Market Cap: $8.99 billion (2022)
Industry: Mining
Northern Star is a global gold producer operating in regions of Australia and North America.
The company deals in the operations of underground and open-pit gold mines.
It was founded in 2003 to explore ore deposits in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia, but later in 2010 turned into a gold mining company with the acquisition of Paulsens Gold Mine.
The company finalized a major merger in February 2021 with Saracen Metal Holdings.
As a result, the latter was delisted from the ASX and only Northern Star Resources continued to be incorporated into the listing as a sole shareholder.
Northern Star owns and operated three world-class gold production centers, namely:
- Kalgoorlie
- Yandal
- Pogo
All are located exclusively in the low sovereign risk jurisdiction of Australia and North America.
Iluka Resources
CEO: Tom O’Leary
Year of Establishment: 1998
Market Cap: $4.12 billion (2022)
Industry: Mining
Iluka Resources is an Australian-based mineral sands company with expertise in its exploration, development, mining, processing, and marketing.
The company was formed in 1998 as a result of a merger between Westralian Sands and the titanium mineral business of RGC (Renison Goldfields Consolidated).
Iluka is the largest producer of zircon and titanium dioxide-derived rutile and synthetic rutile globally. (Source: The Telegraph)
With over 70 years in operation, the company has also established itself as a major dealer of rare earth elements. (Source: Company’s official website)
In September 2008 the company signed a multi-million deal with rail freight operator El Zorro to carry containerized mineral sands from Portland in the southwest of Victoria to Melbourne, with Iluka claiming that rail transport was cheaper than the road. (Source: ABC News)
Iluka is listed in ASX and holds a 20% stake in Deterra Royalties, the largest ASX-listed resources-focused royalty company.
Paladin Energy
CEO: Ian Purdy
Year of Establishment: 1993
Market Cap: $2.53 billion (2022)
Industry: Mining
Paladin Energy is one of the only independent, publicly listed, large-scale uranium producers in the world. (Source: Company’s official website)
It currently has one operating mine in Namibia, Africa.
Other than the uranium mine in Namibia, the company also owns a large global portfolio of uranium exploration and development assets in Australia and Canada.
The company claims the assets to be technically advanced and bear the potential for recovering in-demand resources. (Source: Company’s official website)
The company was earlier listed on the Australian, Namibian, Munich, Berlin, Stuttgart and Frankfurt Exchanges.
But presently, it is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) and the Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) under the symbol PDN.
However, since July 2017, the company has filed for insolvency due to its high debt and consistently low uranium prices and the company is in the process of restructuring.
BWP Trust
CEO: Andrew Ross
Year of Establishment: 1998
Market Cap: $2.51 billion (2022)
Industry: Real Estate
BWP Trust is a real estate investment trust that invests in and manages commercial properties throughout the country.
The Trust focuses on providing premium commercial real estate investments.
The majority of the Trust’s properties are retailing properties.
Bunning Warehouses is the prime property of the Trust. The Trust owns 65 Bunnings stores. Other than Bunning, the Trust also owns six large format retail showrooms.
Bunning, as you might already know, is the leading retailer of home improvement and outdoor living products in both Australia and New Zealand.
The BWP Trust and its managed Bunnings Warehouses are the subsidiaries of Wesfarmers Limited.
Regis Resource
CEO: Jum Beyer
Year of Establishment: 1986
Market Cap: $1.12 billion (2022)
Industry: Gold Mining
Regis Resources is a gold producer and explorer with its beginning in a tenements portfolio in 1986.
However, the tenements were for prospective gold locations in the Yalgoo area of Western Australia.
In 1994, Regis Resources began substantial acquisition in the Duketon Belt of Western Australia by entering into joint ventures and solo ownerships. The Duketon Belt was until then considered unexplored.
Presently, the company’s main assets are the fully-owned Duketon Gold Project and a 30% share in the Tropicana Gold Mine. (Source: Wikipedia)
Monadelphous Group
CEO: Robert Velletri
Year of Establishment: 1972
Market Cap: $1.25 billion (2022)
Industry: Construction, Engineering
Monadelphous is an engineering group that provides construction, maintenance, and industrial services to the resources, energy, and infrastructure sectors.
The company employs people across multiple countries including Australia, Chile, China, Papua New Guinea, Mongolia, Philippines. But the headquarters remain in Perth.
The company has numerous subsidiaries in the engineering and construction services operating throughout Australia.
Monadelphous is an Australian engineering group headquartered in Perth, Western Australia, providing construction, maintenance, and industrial services to the resources, energy, and infrastructure sectors.
Silver Lake Resources Limited
CEO: Les Davis
Year of Establishment: 2004
Market Cap: $1.06 billion (2022)
Industry: Gold Mining
Silver Lake Resources is a gold explorer and producer based in Perth, Western Australia.
The company is named after Lake Lefroy which shimmers in the summer sun, hence the name Silver Lake.
The company deals in all three sequential activities related to gold exploration, mining, and processing.
Its operations in the complete chain of gold processing give the company special strength in the gold mining industry.
The company’s key activities include:
- Deflector
- Mount Monger gold field
- Murchison gold field
- Copper Lakes Project
- Great Southern Project
The company has more than a billion dollar worth of market cap which makes it a key player in the gold mining industry.
Austal
CEO: Robert Cavanagh
Year of Establishment: 1988
Market Cap: $866 million (2022)
Industry: Shipbuilding & Defence
Austal is an Australian-based global shipbuilding company and defence contractor that specialises in the design, construction and support of defence and commercial vessels.
As of 2017, Austal has designed and constructed over 260 vessels for various defence forces and commercial fleet operations.
The key customers of the company include:
- Australian Border Force
- Condor Ferries
- Royal Australian Navy
- Royal Navy of Oman
- United States Navy
Austal has three major ship-building facilities.
- Defence vessels are designed and constructed in Henderson, Western Australia and Mobile, Alabama
- Commercial vessels are constructed in Balamban, Philippines
Mount Gibson Iron
CEO: Peter Kerr
Year of Establishment: 1996
Market Cap: $509 million (2022)
Industry: Mining
Mount Gibson Iron is an Australian direct shipping-grade producer of iron ore products.
The company has assets in the Kimberley and Midwest regions of Western Australia.
In Kimberley, the main mining operation is in the Koolan Island hematite operation. The mine was earlier operated by BHP from 1963 to 1993.
Mount Gibson acquired the mine and re-established production in 2007 and has since then exported more than 25 million tons of grade ore from it.
Following its sales from Koolan Island, Mount Gibson Iron is the highest-grade producer of direct-shipping Iron ore in Australia.
With this, we come to the end of our list of famous companies in Perth.
Stay tuned for more such interesting lists in the future.
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