EZ Industries facts for kids
| Industry | Mining |
|---|---|
| Fate | Taken over by North Broken Hill Peko |
| Founded | 1916 |
| Founder | Amalgamated Zinc |
| Defunct | 1984 |
| Headquarters |
,
Australia
|
| Products | Zinc, lead |
| Subsidiaries | Emu Bay Railway Energy Resources of Australia (31%) |
EZ Industries, originally known as the Electrolytic Zinc Company, was an important Australian company. It focused on digging up (mining) and processing zinc, a metal used in many everyday things. The company played a big role in Australia's mining industry for many years.
Contents
How EZ Industries Started
The company began in 1916. It was created by another company called Amalgamated Zinc. They named it the Electrolytic Zinc Company. Their main goal was to run a large factory called the Risdon Zinc Works. This factory was located in Risdon, Tasmania, right next to the Derwent River.
The Risdon Zinc Works was a very important place. It took raw materials from mines and turned them into useful zinc. This process is called refining.
Growing and Changing
Over time, the company grew and changed its name. In February 1957, the Electrolytic Zinc Company officially became EZ Industries.
As the company expanded, it needed better ways to move its products. In 1967, EZ Industries bought the Emu Bay Railway. This railway helped them transport zinc and other materials from their mines and factories to ports for shipping.
New Mines and Transportation
EZ Industries continued to expand its operations. In February 1983, the company opened a new mine called the Elura Mine. This mine was located near Cobar, in New South Wales.
To get the zinc from the Elura Mine to their processing plants, EZ Industries built a special railway line. This new line was about 45 kilometres long. It connected the Elura Mine to the main railway network, known as the Main Western railway line. From there, the zinc could be moved all the way to Newcastle. At Newcastle, the zinc was loaded onto ships and sent to the Risdon factory for further processing.
The End of EZ Industries
In 1984, a big change happened for EZ Industries. Another large company, North Broken Hill Peko, took over EZ Industries. This meant that EZ Industries stopped operating as a separate company.
Before the takeover, EZ Industries also owned a part of another important mining project. They had a 31% share in the Ranger Uranium Mine. This share was held through their investment in a company called Energy Resources of Australia.
