Iron Bridge

Iron Bridge is an active magnetite operation situated 145 km south of Port Hedland within the Pilbara region of Western Australia, near Marble Bar. The terrain is characterised by remote, arid Pilbara landscape with unsealed gravel access roads branching from the Great Northern Highway. The extreme remoteness, combined with fine red-dust abrasion, imposes severe wear loads on mobile equipment, filtration systems, and sealed enclosures — making dust-rated components and high-cycle filter replacement a persistent procurement priority across all surface assets.

The operation runs as a continuous open-pit producing asset, generating demand across two core dimensions:

• Extractive services: earth-moving and land-clearing, production drilling and blasting, haul fleet maintenance, dry-circuit crushing and grinding plant maintenance, magnetite processing consumables
• Logistical and workforce services: FIFO workforce management, airstrip ground-handling, catering and camp facilities, slurry pipeline inspection and maintenance, raw-water pipeline integrity services
• Mechanical services (lubrication, hydraulics, fixed cranes), electrical and data cabling, satellite communications, and materials-handling equipment (hoists, winches) complete the vendor ecosystem

Iron Bridge employs a dry crushing and grinding circuit — incorporating gyratory crushers — to produce high-grade magnetite concentrate, dry process rejects, and wet tailings. The concentrate is pumped as slurry through a dedicated 135 km slurry pipeline to Port Hedland for dewatering and export. A 240 km raw-water pipeline from the Canning Basin underpins process water supply. The intensive conveyor and pipeline network demands continuous mechanical integrity programmes, wear-liner replacement, and valve and pump maintenance across extended linear infrastructure corridors.

Iron Bridge carries a high crystalline silica exposure risk (>40% in situ), placing it under active WorkSafe WA oversight for dust controls and respiratory protection compliance under the WHS (Mines) Regulations 2022 (WA). The operation is a designated site within Fortescue's Real Zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions target for 2030, prioritising renewable energy integration. Tailings management encompasses both dry process rejects and wet tailings streams, requiring engineered tailings storage facilities, ongoing geotechnical monitoring, and proactive progressive rehabilitation aligned with WA regulatory requirements.