Colin I work in industrial automation and have worked all over...

Colin I work in industrial automation and have worked all over australia, USA and UK, mostly in factory automation and robotics (not mining). I would love to know the full details of the gold mines you worked on because in my experience automation of any type simply does not run as management (who are usually not involved in technical issues) predicts.
Are you saying that you worked on three different gold mines in PNG, each of which nominated a start date for production some year or two before that date, and in all three cases the plant was in production on or before that nominated date? If that is the case then maybe you have been lucky or spoilt. I dont mean that as any criticism, good luck to you if you get to work in that kind of environment. Have you worked on any others elsewhere or other than these 3. I am certainly aware that there are some companies who install this type of equipment and know what they are doing so they possibly can achieve that type of result. Ultimately cant argue with your views or frustration, i am more curious what this company is you have worked with who can actually finish a job on a nominated day. Very rare in my working experience.