Brian Perry Civil

CATEGORY 3: Projects with a value of between $20 million and $100 million

PROJECT: Portland Cement Plant – Silo 9 Project. CONTRACTOR: Brian Perry Civil

Collaboration key to success

The Silo 9 project was an EPC contract for a 6000-tonne cement storage silo with associated in-feed and out-feed equipment to enable the client, GBC Winstone, to use the supply chain advantages provided by a newly-purchased, larger-capacity coastal ship.

The client supplies half of the country’s cement from its 100-year-old plant in Whangarei and distribution is via this ship to numerous transfer terminals at provincial ports around the country and thence by road to customers.

The project was carried out by Brian Perry Civil and conducted on a partnering basis between sister companies within the Fletcher Building empire as it proved impossible to find international vendors prepared to offer a turnkey solution.

Scope included major civil works (piling, structures and wharf modifications), silo, mechanical and marine works, electrical and control systems. Technical and performance requirements were demanding for the in-house design team.

The contract was awarded in August 2015 and the plant successfully commissioned in April 2017, within the original cost estimate.

The job was conducted on an estimated-cost, painshare/gain-share basis in a true collaborative, partnering relationship between sister companies within the FBL empire.

This model had been tried before, often unsuccessfully, as sisters tend to fight or run to mother rather than sort things out themselves. The programme was tight, driven by the benefits to be gained from the new ship. Here was a chance to prove the benefits of a true partnering arrangement.

Technical and performance requirements were demanding and made even more difficult by experienced international vendors not prepared to accept any design or performance contracts for the project. They were content to be plant suppliers only with all the design and performance risk carried by the client/contractor.

This appears to be a trend as turnkey contracts are inherently very risky especially if the project is not in the vendor’s country of origin. The situation called for the best of New Zealand’s technical expertise and practical, can-do approach.

The keys to success were the collaborative aspect, which fostered teamwork and a best-for-project approach together with Brian Perry Civil’s strengths, complemented by the engagement of the right calibre process, mechanical and electrical expertise including many local consulting and contracting companies. l