Regional Production Hub to Supply Domestic and International Markets

At a ceremony today in Forrestfield, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, Boart Longyear Limited (ASX: BLY), the world's largest integrated mineral exploration products and services company, opened its latest global manufacturing plant.

WA Minister for Finance, Commerce and Small Business the Hon. Simon O’Brien, officiated at the plant opening, which was also attended by many of BLY’s major customers and by company officials. The new 6000 square metre plant consolidates and expands BLY’s manufacturing and engineering capability in Western Australia to meet increasing Australian customer demand and to service the needs of a growing export market throughout the Asia Pacific region, Africa and the Americas.

The Forrestfield plant will deliver state-of-the-art manufactured products such as multi-purpose exploration drill rigs and tooling equipment for reverse circulation drilling while delivering incremental capacity through the implementation of highly efficient manufacturing processes.

The facility already employs more than 100 people in the Company’s manufacturing, engineering and sales functions, with employee numbers slated to rise by around 15 per cent over the next few years.

“This great new facility consolidates Boart Longyear’s Western Australian manufacturing operations under one roof on an expanded and more efficient site,” said Mr Kent Hoots, Vice President Asia Pacific for Boart Longyear.

“The new plant will enable us to better accommodate our customers’ needs and meet demand for our products on a timely basis and at the lowest possible cost. We are excited to have made this investment in the success of our products and to be long-term providers of local employment in this safe and secure workplace”, said Mr Hoots.

About Boart Longyear

Boart Longyear is a 120-year-old global mineral exploration company that provides mineral exploration services and drilling products for the global mining industry and also has a substantial drilling presence for water exploration, environmental sampling, energy, and oil sands exploration.

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, with sales of US$978 million and over 9,000 employees worldwide, the company conducts contract drilling services in 40 countries, and provides mining products to customers in over 100 countries. Regional offices and operations are located in Asia Pacific, EMEA, Latin America, and North America.

The company can be found on the Web at www.boartlongyear.com

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