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Our Story

In March of 1995, Major Drilling Group International Inc. undertook its initial public offering, listing shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange.  However, our story begins 15 years before that…

The Early Years

In the first twenty years of its history, Major Drilling pursued a strategy of expanding geographically as a conventional drilling company.  We acquired several mineral exploration drilling companies in Eastern Canada between 1980 and 1985. Our strategy in these acquisitions was to buy equipment at a reasonable price, strengthen the Company by adding talented and experienced personnel and increase the geographic reach and client diversity of the business.

Company Founded
Company Founded

Formed with the acquisition of Ideal Drilling (1980) Ltd., based in Bathurst, New Brunswick.

Acquired Dominik Drilling
Acquired Dominik Drilling

Acquired Dominik Drilling (1981) Inc., based in Val d’Or, Québec.

Hosking Diamond Drilling & New Affiliates
Hosking Diamond Drilling & New Affiliates

Acquired Hosking Diamond Drilling Ltd., located in Rouyn, Québec. In the same year Kennebec Drilling Ltd. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Maine Diamond Drilling, Inc., became affiliates of the Company.

International Expansion
International Expansion

In the early 90s, we expanded into Mexico and South America. Moving into these markets required us to reconsider our expansion through acquisition strategy because there were few local drilling companies that met our standards. Instead of purchasing local drilling companies as we had done in the United States and Canada, we incorporated foreign subsidiaries and grew them organically.

Venezuela
Venezuela

Incorporated Majortec Perforaciones S.A. in Venezuela.

Mexico
Mexico

Established Major Drilling de Mexico S.A. de C.V.

South America
South America

Incorporated in the Guyana Shield Region of South America.

Argentina
Argentina

Incorporated in Argentina.

Expanding Operations & Acquisitions
Expanding Operations & Acquisitions

Beginning in 1997, our focus turned to expanding our Canadian operations beyond Eastern Canada and also looked to Australia, with its strong tradition in the mining sector. Acquired the J.T. Thomas group of companies, which operated primarily in British Columbia and the Northwest Territories. Acquired the Australian-based mineral exploration drilling company Pontil Pty. Limited. This company, through a subsidiary, also carried on business in Indonesia. Lastly, entered the manufacturing and distribution business after acquiring control of UDR Group Limited.

Drilling In Chile & Acquiring Midwest
Drilling In Chile & Acquiring Midwest

Commenced drilling operations in Chile and completed the acquisition of the Midwest group of companies in Canada.

Opened Operations In Tanzania
Opened Operations In Tanzania

Acquired a Tanzanian company.

Moving Into The 21st Century
Moving Into The 21st Century

In 2000, we shifted our focus from geographical expansion to a strategy of dominating specialized drilling. The shift in strategy was based on the realization that most of the ore bodies that will be discovered and explored in the coming years will be difficult to access. We then began a substantial build up of our specialized capabilities and our specialized fleet, complimented with strategic acquisitions of specialized drilling firms.

Acquired Ausdrill Limited’s Eastern Australian Drilling Division
Acquired Ausdrill Limited’s Eastern Australian Drilling Division

Acquired, from Ausdrill Limited, certain drilling assets and contracts located in Eastern Australia and New Zealand.

Opened Operations In Mongolia
Opened Operations In Mongolia

Incorporated a subsidiary in Mongolia, Major Drilling Mongolia XXK.

Acquired Raematt Drilling
Acquired Raematt Drilling

Acquired the drill rigs, related equipment, inventory and drilling contracts of Raematt Drilling Pty. Ltd. in Australia.

Acquired Dynatec Corporation’s Western US Drilling Division
Acquired Dynatec Corporation’s Western US Drilling Division

Acquired the drill rigs, related equipment, inventory and drilling contracts of Dynatec Corporation Drilling Service, in the Western United States. This acquisition has allowed the Company to establish a presence in a large and important North American mining region.

Acquired Longstaff In Southern Africa
Acquired Longstaff In Southern Africa

Expanded its presence in Southern Africa by acquiring the Longstaff group in Southern Africa, Botswana and Namibia.

Added To The S&P/TSX Composite Index, Expanded Chile & Ecuador Ops
Added To The S&P/TSX Composite Index, Expanded Chile & Ecuador Ops

Standard & Poor’s Canadian Index Operation added Major Drilling to the S&P/TSX Composite Index. Company’s Chilean subsidiary purchased an exploration drilling company, Harris y Cia Ltda., and acquired the assets of Paragon del Ecuador S.A.

Acquired Forage À Diamant Benoit Ltée
Acquired Forage À Diamant Benoit Ltée

Acquired Forage à Diamant Benoit Ltée based in Val d’Or, Québec.

Acquired North Star Drilling LLC & Began Environmental Drilling Services
Acquired North Star Drilling LLC & Began Environmental Drilling Services

Acquired North Star Drilling LLC. and also entered the environmental drilling services sector by acquiring SMD services of Huntsville, Alabama.

Acquired Bradley Group
Acquired Bradley Group

Acquired Bradley Group Limited based in Rouyn Noranda, Quebec.

Acquired Assets Of Taurus Drilling
Acquired Assets Of Taurus Drilling

Acquired the assets of Taurus Drilling located in Canada and the USA, representing the company’s entry into the underground percussive market.

Acquired Norex Drilling Limited
Acquired Norex Drilling Limited

Acquired Norex Drilling Limited located in Timmins, Ontario.

Acquired McKay Drilling
Acquired McKay Drilling

Acquired McKay Drilling located in Perth, Australia.