Director of PT. Promincon Indonesia
Stephen found his start in the industry in an unusual way – he was working at a newspaper when a friend of his got a job on an exploration drill rig. It sounded like an adventure and it took him from a hands-on driller to a general manager of multinational companies.
Across his career, he has managed drilling businesses in Australia, Thailand and Laos, before settling into his current role as a Director of PT. Promincon in Indonesia in 2024.
Stephen has extensive experience in Asia and an understanding of the industry from the ground up, which he credits with teaching him the importance of forward planning and time management. Now he is in charge of PMC that owns a fleet of 23 heli-portable and three underground rigs and provides diamond coring and geotechnical work to its clients.
Grigor Topev: It’s a pleasure to have you as our guest interviewee at Coring Magazine! What led you to choose diamond drilling as your career path?
Stephen Dann: I was working in a totally unrelated field – at a newspaper – when a mate of mine got a job on an exploration drill rig. It sounded like an adventure, so I thought I would give it a go. Getting a start wasn’t easy but continual badgering of the late John Emerson finally got me a start on April Fool’s Day 1981.
GT: Could you share some insights into your early years in the industry?
Stephen Dann: The job was as a water truck driver/offsider on a Longyear 44 situated around 200 km (124 mi) west of Coober Pedy (South Australia) in the Great Victoria Desert. Our water supply was from a bore on the Commonwealth Hill sheep station around 120 km (75 mi) away. There were no roads, just tracks across the sand dunes, pushed in for us by a contractor, and it was about a 10-hour return trip for a 2000 gal (7571 l) load of water. We had a three-man crew with two old caravans with no heating or air conditioning and temperatures would range from over 40°C (104°F) in the summer to 0°C (32°F) or below in the winter.
GT: Can you tell us more about your professional journey and the drilling companies you have worked with over the years?
Stephen Dann: I spent my first 15 years with Western Mining Corporation Exploration (WMC) where I advanced through the ranks from Multipurpose Driller to Supervisor, before joining Boart Longyear in 1996. I then had 12 great years with the company going from Manager Special Projects to managing drilling businesses in Australia, Indonesia, Thailand and Laos.
Since then, I have worked for a couple of smaller companies, then at BHP overseeing up to three different drilling contractors before joining Asiadrill (Indonesia) in 2012 for six years. From there I returned to Kalgoorlie Australia for a brief period with Ausdrill, then back to Indonesia with Global Drilling (Indodrill). I had a couple of years off thanks to COVID-19 and semi-retirement before heading back to Indonesia for my current role with PT. Promincon Indonesia (PMC).
GT: From your extensive field experience, what would you say is the most valuable skill you’ve learned?
Stephen Dann: From the early days when drilling logistics in the desert were difficult, I learned that forward planning and time management were a crucial part of a smooth operation. Foreseeing issues that may arise and having a Plan B in place, just in case, made the workday easier and more productive.
GT: You have worked in multiple countries. Was there a particular location that left a lasting impression on you?
Stephen Dann: I have been fortunate throughout my career to work with and have the support of some fantastic people, many of whom are still great mates to this day. Running Thailand and Laos for Boart Longyear whilst based in the beautiful city of Chiang Mai would have to be one of the highlights.
GT: Which country posed the toughest working conditions, and why?
Stephen Dann: Every country comes with its own unique issues, whether it is the logistics of distance working in the remote parts of Australia, or the weather in the tropics. Trying to explain to an accountant in Salt Lake City why the rigs had been shut down for five days in Laos because we had had 12 in (30 cm) of rain in an afternoon, or to the Global Safety Manager why the accident report said ‘a ghost pushed me, and I fell off the walkway’ was sometimes a challenge.
GT: Could you share a challenging drilling-related issue you’ve successfully overcome and thus, it has become a life lesson for you?
Stephen Dann: Being sent to a job in northern Queensland that had been having multiple issues with ground conditions, lost core and production made me look at a completely different way of diamond coring than what I had been used to. I think this instilled in me that sometimes you need to think out of the box and to not be focused on what you have always believed is the ‘right way’ of doing things.
GT: In your opinion, what is the most effective and practical tool for ensuring drill site safety?
Stephen Dann: Creating a proper Safety Culture from the beginning is critical in running a safe operation. When everyone is working to the same standards, it ensures new employees know exactly what is expected of them. Leading by example is critical for this to work, be it the Helper, Driller, Supervisor or Senior Management, everyone works to the same rules. PMC achieved seven years LTI-free in September 2024 at PTAR’s Martabe Site.
GT: Do you have a favorite type of drilling and why?
Stephen Dann: Being a diamond driller from the start, I guess, it is my favorite, although in exploration we predominantly used multipurpose rigs, so you had to know how to drill RC, aircore, etc. as well.
GT: What are your thoughts on directional drilling?
Stephen Dann: It’s a specialized skill that I did not have a lot to do with in my time as a driller, using mainly Hall-Rowe and casing wedges when required. Being able to hit a target the size of a car at 2000 m (6562 ft) deep or more using different barrel configurations, drilling speeds and downhole motors is an impressive feat. This presents significant cost savings to the client when drilling multiple branches off a parent hole.
GT: We’d love to hear more about PMC’s story.
Stephen Dann: PMC was originally founded in 2011 and provides diamond coring and geotechnical work to our clients. Nowadays, PMC owns a fleet of 23 man-/heli-portable rigs with capabilities ranging from 200 to over 1200 m (656 to 3937 ft), as well as three underground rigs.
PMC’s biggest and longest running contract has been for PT Agincourt’s Martabe Gold Mine in North Sumatra. Since 2013, PMC has drilled around 700 000 m (2 296 588 ft), with the busiest year being 2021 when we had up to 15 rigs operating and we drilled 117 000 m (383 858 ft). The majority of the work is heli-portabe.
PMC also supplies rigs for numerous geotechnical drilling projects.
GT: What are your goals for PMC for the next years?
Stephen Dann: Whilst it may sound a bit cliché, providing job stability for our workforce and positive returns for our owners in what is a very demanding market are the key goals.
GT: As the market is relatively foreign to our readers, they would love to learn what are the unique characteristics of the Indonesian diamond drilling market.
Stephen Dann: As it is an archipelago of islands, Indonesia presents numerous issues in regard to mobilizing equipment and supporting jobs logistically. A single job may require transport by truck, ferry and helicopter to get supplies to the site and can take from days to weeks. Dealing with mountainous terrains, local communities, wet season weather, including floods and landslides, as well as navigating local labor regulations, local governments and environmental issues, etc. can make for fun times!
GT: Which are the biggest players offering diamond drilling in Indonesia?
Stephen Dann: Over my 27 years of involvement in Indonesia the market has changed significantly both on the Client and Contractor sides. In the early days, the Clients were the big Australian, American and Canadian explorers, such as Normandy, Newcrest, Newmont, BHP, Rio Tinto, etc. The drilling companies were predominantly owned or run (or both) by expats. Boart Longyear was a significant player along with Pontil (now Major Drilling) as well as other contractors, such as Maxidrill, Indodrill, and BMP, all being run and owned by expats.
Now, some of the main mining companies have withdrawn from Indonesia, while others have sold out their interests to local companies, and few of the big players remain. Local Indonesian drilling companies have advanced significantly in terms of size, quality of equipment, safety standards, etc., and are now far more competitive holding a large portion of the work. So, I think it will become harder and harder for foreign-/expat-run companies to compete against the ever-evolving Indonesian companies.
GT: What is your opinion of this ongoing trend of consolidation within the Australian market in particular?
Stephen Dann: Consolidation seems to be somewhat cyclical like the drilling business itself. Larger companies buy up small well-run companies, but more often than not those small companies reappear under a different name with the same management. I believe there will always be a place for the smaller well-managed companies and I have a great deal of respect for those willing enough to take on the challenge.
GT: Being the Director of PMC, what are your daily responsibilities? Which of them do you find the hardest? Why?
Stephen Dann: Keeping the company running smoothly on a day-to-day basis in a safe, cost-effective manner is my prime responsibility. Dealing with local entities, who have a different perception of how to do business, is probably the hardest thing to deal with. Agreements can become long drawn-out negotiations which quite often result in nothing after a lot of effort.
GT: How often do you visit your crews in the field and, being an executive, what are the issues you must tackle?
Stephen Dann: I make a point of getting to site almost every month. Being from a drilling background, I enjoy going to the rigs, although the mountainous terrain is getting harder to climb. It’s important to see how we are progressing and what issues the site is dealing with. I also use this time to meet with the Client and get their perspective on how things are going.
GT: What are the qualities that in your view make a great leader of a drilling company?
Stephen Dann: My opinion is that understanding the industry you are in from the ground up provides you with a solid basis to be a good leader. Having the knowledge of what people are going through out in the field makes it far easier to make decisions in relation to the operations.
GT: Is there something you think you still have to learn or improve?
Stephen Dann: I don’t think we should ever stop learning and seeking new ways and new ideas. Technology in our industry has advanced significantly during my time and you need to stay in touch with the latest developments, even if they are not directly applicable to the environment you operate in.
GT: What qualities do you look for in a driller, and do you have any advice for young people looking to succeed in the industry?
Stephen Dann: The willingness to learn and adapt is a key attribute along with being a team player. A good sense of humor also certainly helps at times! This industry is not easy, although the advancements in working and living conditions have certainly improved over the years. Spending long periods away from family and friends, missing birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and funerals is all part of the job, and you need to be able to be resilient to this. If you work hard, the opportunities and rewards are there for advancement and to travel the world with your skills, if you so desire.
GT: Lastly, outside of the drilling industry, what are some of your interests or hobbies?
Stephen Dann: When at home, I am a keen gardener looking after our couple of acres of fruit and nut trees and harvesting what the birds, kangaroos and rabbits haven’t already eaten. For relaxation (?), I play golf which is a great time to catch up with mates, have a few beers, and solve the problems of the world.
For more information visit: ptpmc.com
