Resource services company Sedgman Limited has acquired all the shares in Perth-based minerals process engineering and project management company Intermet Engineering for $32.75 million.

Sedgman managing director Peter Hay says Intermet is an excellent complementary business for Sedgman and brings an order book and project pipeline of metals projects in Australia, Africa, Asia and South America.

"These projects cover a range of commodities including gold, silver, lead, zinc, copper and iron ore. Intermet's current order book of projects have an installed capital value of about $290 million, along with a strong pipeline of potential projects with an installed capital value of about $600 million."

Intermet is a minerals process engineering and project management company with core capabilities in metallurgical test work, process development and design, feasibility studies, engineering design and costing, and project execution.

The principals of Intermet have many years of engineering experience in the resources industry in a number of domestic and international metals provinces. Intermet also owns an electrical engineering business, Contrelec Engineering. Intermet and Contrelec employ about 80 staff, providing engineering services to mainly emerging resource companies such as Bolnisi Gold, Allied Gold, Anvil Mining, Jabiru Metals and First Quantum.

Intermet managing director Garry Thomas says: "We considered a number of options with respect to the future growth of our business and concluded a merger with Sedgman delivered a number of benefits to both parties. Our ability to leverage off Sedgman's size and expertise will enable Intermet to increase its share of the global metals engineering market".