Dale Elphinstone inducted into the Mining Hall of Fame
Dale Elphinstone became the first person outside the US to be inducted into the prestigious National Mining Hall of Fame in Denver, Colorado, on Saturday, November 2, 2024.
Dale and wife Cheryl were joined by children, Kelly and Adam, and family friends to celebrate this amazing achievement.
Dale has never been afraid of a challenge. He often says, “We did it because we didn’t know we couldn’t”.
Since 1975, when he modified Cat surface mining equipment to suit underground applications out of his Father’s shed on their Mooreville Road, Burnie farm, the Elphinstone name has been synonymous with underground mining.
Founded by Dale and wife Cheryl in 1975, Elphinstone produced its first fully designed and manufactured underground mining products, 4 x 13-tonne articulated dump trucks, sold to Agnew Mining in 1983.
Three years later, in 1986, the first Elphinstone-designed and manufactured underground load haul dump (LHD), the R1500, was sold. One short year thereafter, in 1987, the Company exported its first machine overseas to the Henderson molybdenum mine in Clear Creek County, Colorado.
Elphinstone continued to develop and refine its underground mining equipment range, which led to its specialisation in LHDs and articulated dump and ejector trucks. All products were manufactured using Cat components and sold via Cat Dealers globally.
Between 1975 and 1995, Elphinstone delivered underground mining machines to over 50 locations around Australia and more than 35 global export sites across five continents.
Elphinstone’s success quickly drew the attention of Caterpillar, and the two parties established a 50/50 joint venture in 1995, creating the business known as Caterpillar Elphinstone Pty Ltd. Five short years later, Caterpillar exercised an option to purchase the remaining 50% of the business in 2000 and eventually replaced the Elphinstone name with the Caterpillar trademark.
Together, Elphinstone and Caterpillar manufactured more than 5,000 underground and surface mining vehicles from facilities in Burnie over the past 45 years.
Caterpillar has never been far from the Elphinstone story and Dale’s relationship with Caterpillar began in 1966 at the age of 15 joining the Victorian and Tasmanian Cat Dealer, William Adams as an apprentice. During his trade training came employment as a Resident Service Mechanic across Tasmanian and King Island mine sites, and for a period with Canadian Cat Dealer, Finning.
Some 20 years after commencing his apprenticeship with the Cat Dealer, Dale’s progressive thinking and entrepreneurialism enabled him to realise his lifelong dream of becoming a Cat Dealer Principal – cemented with his 1987 purchase of the same Victorian and Tasmanian dealership, William Adams.
The Elphinstone Group is today made up of 11 businesses in which the Group owns or holds a controlling or substantial interest. The Group employs approximately 3,000 people and has combined annual revenues approaching 2.0B Australian dollars. The companies that are part of The Elphinstone Group include William Adams (Cat), Phu Thai (Cat), Energy Power Systems (Cat), United Forklift and Access Solutions (Cat Lift Trucks), Sitech, UPG (Ultimate Positioning Group), Elphinstone Pty Ltd, Engenco, Gekko, Drac Mechanical and Mine Energy Solutions.
Now, almost 50 years later, Elphinstone is once again an established Cat OEM customer, manufacturing specialised Underground Mining Support Vehicles, Mine Extraction Devices (MED), Electrical Harnesses, and surface mining solutions including the Haulmax 3900 extended distance off-highway haulage truck and W35 Water Tank Module customised to suit Caterpillar articulated trucks.
The journey continues thanks to the loyal and dedicated team at the Elphinstone Group.