Australian mining and construction contractor Macmahon is facing up to a 50% drop in profits and has lost CEO Nick Bowen after suffering its second major contract failure on a Pilbara iron ore development.
Bowen resigned as Macmahon reduced its after-tax profit guidance for the year ending June 2013 to $A20-40M, down from the $67M forecast of a month ago. The company achieved record profit of $56.1M for FY2012.
Chairman Ken Scott-Mackenzie says the major factor in the sudden turnaround is the looming loss on a $90M railway earthworks contract for Hope Downs joint venturers Rio Tinto and Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting.
Scott-Mackenzie says Macmahon is facing significant additional costs after agreeing to changes to a 52km extension of the Lang Hancock Railway.
Macmahon previously lost heavily on a joint venture contract with Leighton Contractors to duplicate 220km of heavy railway line in the Pilbara for BHP Billiton.
Rio Tinto says delivery of the HD4 program at Hope Downs has not been affected by the rail contract difficulties.
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