As the mining sector is forging ahead at full force, Australian industry heavyweight, Drake, has appointed Khali Lake as its new General Manager to tap the full potential of the current boom and continue to build on the Drake success.
Replacing Greg Allison, who has spent the past 23 years with Drake, Khali Lake did not waste time since he joined the Queensland-based company last month. “I am new to the industry so I had to learn a lot about the heavy haulage and transport equipment sector. Now I’m all fired up to help the Drake brand grow and add a new chapter to its long and successful history,” he says, pointing out that he has already become a strong advocate of the Drake philosophy.
“Drake is growing at an incredible speed, which is quite unique to the manufacturing industry. When you invest in a Drake, you invest in over 50 years of knowledge and no-compromises quality, and people appreciate that.
“Traditionally, our key clientele is associated to the mining and construction sector and we will see a lot of growth in that field in the year to come. We also have an incredibly loyal customer base who specialise in heavy haulage across Australia,” says Khali, who holds a double degree in accounting and management and has recently worked as Chief Operating Officer at JB Attachments.
Due to growing demand in WA, Drake is planning to open a local branch to provide additional customer service, support, repairs and parts. “We are certainly ramping in Perth and will open a facility there in the next 12 months,” he says.
Back in Queensland, where the Drake story began half a century ago, the team is working hard to develop “the next big thing” in Australia’s transport scene. In 2011, Drake teamed up with Italian company Cometto to create an Australian version of Cometto’s ANT model – a fully modular self-propelled trailer for the construction and mining industry capable of handling loads up to 1000 tonnes. Drake will be supplying design input, marketing, modification and distribution to bring the Italian made vehicle to market.
Specialising in engineering and manufacturing a variety of heavy haul transport equipment, Cometto has gained global renown for carting NASA’s space shuttle and the French Ariane 5 rocket. Now the Italian company is joining forces with Drake to build “the ultimate workhorse for the mining industry. “It will be quite ground breaking and certainly become our key focus over the next two years,” says Khali.
“I am convinced that the Cometto joint venture will enable Drake to reach that next level,” he adds.
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