Goldfields NDT lands contract for Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter shutdown

The Kalgoorlie Smelter shutdown starting on October 18 will involve local company Goldfields NDT, owned by Dirk De Beer.

After testing equipment for companies in a range of industries for several years, which included fabrication, chemical plants and aviation, Mr De Beer used his redundancy payment to settle in Kalgoorlie-Boulder and realise his dream of owning his own business.

At 28 years old, he set up a desk in his home garage and invested in tools and a converted telecoms service ute, which turned into his business, also known as Goldfields NDT — with NDT standing for non-destructive testing.

Non-destructive testing is testing and analysis used to evaluate materials and structures for defects without causing damage to the original part.

Landing contracts with BHP’s Nickel Smelter in Kalgoorlie and other mining companies, Mr De Beer’s small business took off.

His business has expanded over the past decade from being a sole trader with a second-hand ute to Mr De Beer now the managing director of a business employing about 20 people.

Last year, Mr De Beer opened a purpose-built workshop on the outskirts of the Super Pit and is now looking to hire an additional four staff who reside in Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

“I started in this industry as a bachelor and am now married with two boys — we have built our ‘forever home’ in Kalgoorlie,” Mr De Beer said.

“It’s more than just business, it’s personal too, and I have a great team of people around me.

“With businesses like BHP supporting us in the early days, we can now support them with local expertise when skilled resources are scarce — that early investment has allowed us to get to a position where we can grow the business and invest back into the community,” he said.