Orica Earnings Bolstered by Growth in Premium Products and Technology

Orica has expanded its mining services business around a leading global market share in explosives. Earnings are leveraged to mining volume and commodity prices. The Australian explosives duopoly affords relatively high margins and returns; however, these are coming under pressure as Orica's more lucrative three- to four-year contracts mature and are replaced with longer-duration and lower-margin contracts. Orica benefits from resources development activity in Latin America, South Africa, and Russia. Non-Australian explosives usage also depends on construction demand, which is somewhat less cyclical.