Mader's Maintenance Center
- Marie Boyé
- Apr 29, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 21
February 2024
In February 2024, I visited a company called Mader Group in Perth. I discovered Mader in 2022 and loved the company for its innovative, employee-centric, and empowering culture.
Introduction
Mader is a leading contracting company that specializes in mobile and fixed plant equipment maintenance and support. They offer a one-stop shop of services to keep equipment powering 24/7. The company was originally providing mechanical assistance to Australian mining clients but is currently diversifying the core activities across geographies and industries (US, Canada, electrical, rail, truck, marine, oil & gas, ancillary…).
Its top strength lies in its faculty to provide timely and prime maintenance directly on the ground. The simplicity of the business model and their ability to replicate it across geographies and ranges of services is the key factor in their development and future growth. The decentralized corporate organization acts as a backbone to their expansion and their people-centric culture as a strong barrier to entry.
On the ground
We met at the Maintenance Center in Perth which is located a few kilometers away from the headquarters in an industrial area. I spotted the building from afar thanks to the big logo and the large, impressive maintenance cars parked in front of the entrance. The waiting room was simple but welcoming. Mining magazines, Mader’s booklet, and mental health assistance flyers were placed on a coffee table.

Operational briefing
We went to the first floor to meet the operating team (~10-15 people) that manages the daily operations of mechanics on the ground across Australia and the rest of the world.
Various softwares were introduced to me (My Tokn, Mix Teleactiv, Roster,…). All examples of how Mader leverages innovation and technology to serve its staff and clients. They emphasized the importance of delivering on-time and flexible maintenance services to their clients (direct link between client projects, fleet deployment, and individual time sheets). Above all, they developed proprietary technologies inside the roasters (maintenance vehicles) to make sure every person was safe on the ground. For example, if one of the employees drives a car and suddenly goes to 0 mile/h it directly sends a text to the manager who calls the driver to check if he is safe. If they detect an accident or an anomaly, they immediately escalate to send help on the ground.
Through the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) solution, “Mader was able to support employees using their own devices, this increased engagement and reduced device provisioning expenses”.
They mentioned a partnership with “Three Gears” that offers epic activities to entertain employees and their families. A few of them had been on a helicopter trip the week before and showed me pictures! Here is an example of what it looks like.
Maintenance Center
Once the operational briefing was done, we put on a yellow jacket and a pair of glasses to enter the Maintenance Centre. This one was built in 2022 to serve clients who don’t want the repair to be done on the ground or want the maintenance before it breaks. They also repair Mader’s rosters there.
The workshop was just behind the office, filled with big machines inside and in the parking lot. Motivational music was playing loud and everybody was eating freezies while working on different parts of a huge truck. It was surprisingly very clean, fun and welcoming.

Take aways
I’ve got a few more proofs that Mader main focus is its employees’ well-being. This is one of their main strength since they operate in an industry that has a high staff turnover. They always seem to be focused on the next step while keeping this innovative drive. They foster an environement that pushes you to get better but also to have fun. I hope to see more of their installations in the future!
While spending time in Perth (and its airport), I noticed the numerous mechanics coming back home on Friday night. This (and the thousand miles of desert I could see from the plane), made me realize why operating a maintenance business in Australia is so different that anywhere else: it is immense, empty and wild.
Like I wrote in my first post (below), there are many reasons why I love this job. But the ground investigation is one of the most exciting part to me. I am happy and grateful I got the chance to experience a bit of it!

PS: The support I received from different professionals means a lot to me. Many thanks to Natasha who took the time to show me around!
Look at the size of that tire!!!
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