ABOUT US

Company History

Onyx Projects is a privately owned company and was established in 2007. Its four founding directors have a combined experience of more than 80 years delivering greenfield and brownfield projects in mining and minerals processing, iron and steel, petrochemicals, oil refining, chemicals, manufacturing and water treatment facilities in Asia, Australasia, Europe, North America and South America. This experience has been gained in both operating and engineering/construction company environments.

Key Personnel

Phil Ions - Managing Director and Project Director

Qualifications - HTec Mechanical/Production Engineering (UK)

Phil has over 26 years of extensive project management, engineering management and construction management experience on major greenfield and brownfield projects in Australasia, Europe, North America, South America, and South East Asia. Notable Australian greenfield projects managed by Phil on an EPCM basis on behalf of Aker Kvaerner include Project Director - Boddington Gold Mine Expansion Project LNTP Phase (AUD1.8 billion), Perth, WA; Project Director – HIsmelt Project (AUD400 million), Kwinana, WA, and Area Manager - No 6 Blast Furnace Project (AUD450 million), Port Kembla, NSW.

Phil has also managed major EPC brownfield projects on behalf of Aker Kvaerner including Project Manager - Stelco E BF Reline (CDN120 million) – Ontario, Canada, and Area Manager - BS Port Talbot No 4 BF Rebuild, South Wales, UK.

Photograph courtesy of HIsmelt Corporation Pty

 

Ian Beaumont - Director and Project Manager/Engineering Manager

Qualifications - B.Eng (Hons), C.Eng; MIMechE (UK)

Ian is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer with over 20 years of experience gained in the Mining, Petrochemical, Water & Waste Treatment and Iron & Steel industries.

Ian’s roles and responsibilities have included project management, management of feasibility studies, engineering management, equipment specification/procurement and the supervision of construction and commissioning activities .

Ian’s recent key roles include Engineering Manager – BME Project (AUD300 million), Perth, WA; Area Manager - HIsmelt Project (AUD400 million), Kwinana, WA; Chief Mechanical/Piping Engineer, Aker Kvaerner Stockton, UK.

 

Rob McGregor - Director and Principal Instrumentation and Control Engineer

Qualifications - M.Eng, CEng; MIET (UK)

Rob is a Chartered Control and Instrumentation Engineer with over 21 years experience and has extensive team leadership experience on a range of brownfield and greenfield industrial projects within the mining, metals and mineral processing and oil/petrochemicals industries in Australia and overseas.

Rob has detailed technical knowledge of field instrumentation, control, safety, electrical and communication systems, and a thorough knowledge of industry standards and best practice techniques. Throughout his various roles, Rob has also gained practical experience with hazard analysis, risk assessment and safety system applications.

Rob’s recent key experience includes Lead Engineering roles on Boddington Gold Mine Expansion Project (AUD1.8 billion), Perth, WA; Rio Tinto Brownfields Mine Expansion Project (AUD300 million); HIsmelt Project (AUD400 million), Kwinana, WA; and Olympic Dam Expansion Project (AUD2 billion), Adelaide and Roxby Downs, SA. Rob also has over 10 years site based brownfield project and operations experience with BP on major petrochemical and oil refining facilities in the UK and Europe.

 

Ian Barker - Director and Principal Mechanical Engineer

Qualifications - B.Eng (Hons), CPEng; MIEAust

Ian is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer with over 15 years of engineering management, construction management and commissioning experience on major greenfield and brownfield projects in Australasia, Europe, North America and the Middle East.

Ian’s experience extends to overall management of project plant areas with values up to AUD200 million, including responsibility for cost control, scheduling, plant layout, equipment and package plant specification, construction scope of work preparation, construction supervision and commissioning.

Recent key roles include Shutdown Manager – Rio Tinto Brownfields Mine Expansion Project (AUD300 million), Perth and Tom Price, WA; Area Manager, Central Ironmaking Unit – HIsmelt Project (AUD400 million), Kwinana, WA; and Area Manager – Stelco E Blast Furnace Reline (CDN120 million), Ontario, Canada.

Photograph courtesy of HIsmelt Corporation Pty

Jerry LaRosa - Principal Process Engineer

Qualifications - MS Chem. Eng, BE Chem. Eng, Snr Mem AIChE (US)

Jerry has over 20 years experience in process design and project development for the iron making, energy, petrochemical, synthesis gas and refining industries. Jerry’s experience includes developing pilot plants to commercial scale, calculating material and heat balances, preparing process flow diagrams, P & IDs, equipment, and instrument specifications, and assisting in the start-up of ironmaking, petrochemical, and power generation plants. Jerry’s computer modelling experience includes Thermoflow (GT-PRO, GTMASTER, PEACE) combined cycle power plant heat & material balance and economic software, Aspen PLUS, SIMSCI PRO/II and Hyprotech HYSIM process simulation software, and ICARUS 2000 and ICARUS Process Evaluator capital cost evaluation software.

Jerry’s recent key roles include Principal Process Engineer for 250 ktpa CO2 Sequestration Feasibility Study (Confidential Client), Principal Process Engineer - Rio Tinto Brownfields Mine Expansion Project (AUD300 million), Lead Process Engineer - HIsmelt Project (AUD400 million), Kwinana, WA.

 

Patrick Cross - Principal Controls System Engineer

Qualifications - B Eng - Electronics, B App Sc - Computing

Over 15 years experience in the design, software development, testing, installation and commissioning of process control systems for hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical facilities in the minerals processing industry. Has undertaken recent control system projects for Iluka (Gingin, Waroona), Newcrest (Telfer), and BHP Billiton (Olympic Dam) as Instrumentation and Control Section Manager on behalf of SKM. Was Senior Process Control, Instrumentation and Communications Engineer for WMC Resources at Olympic Dam between 1999 and 2005.