In 2013, AusProof manufactured the world’s first 35kV coupler for a mining client in Africa – a product the company continues to evolve to this day.
AusProof couplers aren’t your everyday plugs for household appliances. Instead, they are scaled up to meet the high demands of the mining industry.
Spanning more than 14 different models, AusProof couplers cover a vast spectrum of voltages, from 660, 11,000, 22,000, all the way up to 35,000 volts.
What sets these products apart isn’t just their size and capacity, but their continuous evolution.
Speaking with Australian Mining, AusProof managing director Aston Marks reflected on how the company’s culture is driven by endless improvement.
“Over the years we’ve constantly tried to make our products better,” he said. “It’s always been in our nature and DNA to give our products a fresh look and ask ourselves what new features are needed to meet the evolving demands of the industries we serve.”
In making improvements, AusProof listens closely to its clients to identify changes that need to be made.
This saw AusProof add a handle to its heavier couplers to make them easier to carry, which came about purely because of client feedback.
However, as Marks explained, what works for one customer might not work for another.
“Some customers prefer the coupler without the handle, so we adapt the coupler to suit them,” he said. “Other customers might want to add extra features, which we can easily facilitate for them.
“We are constantly taking on customer feedback and making adjustments, which sees us regularly release new models and product iterations.”
As it constantly evolves its product portfolio, AusProof is also pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the mining sector through its coupler design and development.
Image: AusProof
Just take AusProof’s record-setting 35-kilovolt (kV) coupler.
After being approached by an overseas sand mining operation, AusProof was tasked to develop a product to float a wash plant in the middle of a dam.
“No one in the world had developed a coupler capable of doing what this project needed,” Marks said. “The client knew about us and trusted our products. So we developed the world’s first 35kV coupler.”
With no other product on the market able to handle this level of power, AusProof was able to push the boundaries, and after 15 weeks in development, the coupler was released.
In the 10 years since its development, AusProof’s 35kV coupler remains the only product of its kind in the world.
“Ten years has passed and AusProof remains uniquely capable of supplying a coupler of this rating, which is proof that we know what we’re doing,” Marks said. “We’ve established a niche market here in Australia, which means we can support the Australian mining industry with high-quality homegrown products.”
The 35kV coupler is just one of AusProof’s many offerings.
To complement its range of low and high-voltage couplers, AusProof is currently working on a new product to support longwall mining.
Marks said these are valuable opportunities for AusProof and can create further awareness around what the company offers.
“There’s only half a dozen products like this in Australia, so this is a really exciting opportunity and will see us further assist the mining industry,” Marks said.
AusProof not only manufactures and supplies cable couplers and accessories for the mining industry, but the company also takes great pride in its after-market support and services.
The company offers a training scheme, ideal for toolbox talks, that aims to improve AusProof product understanding to increase asset longevity, prevent damage and boost site safety.
AusProof customers are treated as partners, whereby both parties are constantly communicating to get the best out of a product. This open exchange can inform the creation of new parts and solutions.
So what’s next for AusProof?
While Marks was tight-lipped about future projects, he made it clear there are more innovations to come, with several products poised to reach the next level.
As the mining industry demands more power and reliability, AusProof will continue to forge ahead and explore the unknown.
This feature appeared in the March 2025 issue of Australian Mining.
