Roads & Infrastructure February 2022

FEBRUARY 2022

CHALLENGING THE NORM

Wirtgen’s surface miners make the cut for civil construction

MACHINERY SHOWCASE Introducing some of the latest earthmovers and excavators BUILT TO CONNECT Astec Australia’s Managing Director on the company’s 50-year innovative journey

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FEBRUARY 2022 CONTENTS

COVER STORY

49 AfPA member profile Russell Clayton from GHD shares some insights from his experience in the pavement industry.

14 Wirtgen surface miners make the cut for civil construction Global Civil and Mining’s Managing Director shares his company’s experience with Wirtgen surface miners.

EARTHMOVERS AND EXCAVATORS

17 Performance meets design The new short radius ‘dash seven’ series excavator range from Kobelco is impressing veterans within the industry.

20 Customer focused engineering John Deere’s experts review some of the customer-focused features included in the Series-II Excavator series.

23 A new addition to an acclaimed series JCB’s latest X Series heavy line excavator, the 245XR, introduces zero tail swing technology to improve safety, efficiency for operators.

26 The future of bulk earthworks How Telematics can help businesses effectively manage their operations.

INFRASTRUCTURE IN FOCUS

28 Port of Townsville’s channel upgrade The Port of Townsville’s Channel Upgrade project is set to expand the services of what is already northern Australia’s largest commercial port.

ROADS REVIEW

30 We explore the trends within the roads and infrastructure industry which are driving innovation and change.

INNOVATION SPOTLIGHT

32 Innovation in road maintenance How Asset Vision’s updated platform uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to facilitate road inspection from the safety of one’s vehicle.

INFRASTRUCTURE SUSTAINABILITY COUNCIL Kobelco has introduced a new short radius excavator range. Read the story on Pg 17.

36 Astec: 50 years of innovation A look at Astec’s history of innovation and what the latest business restructuring means for the group.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

38 Megaprojects and the delivery dilemma How a collaborative approach, blended with artificial intelligence, can help minimise project risks.

SAFETY IN FOCUS

40 Building the safe zone 1300TempFence’s National Category Manager on safety compliance for traffic barriers.

51 Net zero future: A decade for action Accelerating the journey towards lowcarbon infrastructure is only possible with a systems-based approach, a new collaborative report argues.

NATIONAL PRECAST

52 National Precast member profile A look at Reid Construction Systems’ 100 years as a provider of innovative concrete and reinforcing solutions to the industry.

54 National Precast outlines three-year strategy Introducing National Precast Concrete Association’s new Board and strategies for the next three years.

EVENTS

42 Keeping a keen eye on safety Shamir Australia’s safety lenses have been protecting the eyes of the construction industry.

57 ‘No-Dig Down Under’ makes comeback The No-Dig Down Under Conference and Exhibition is to be held at the International Convention Centre in Sydney in March.

ASSET MANAGEMENT

CONTRACTS AND TENDERS

44 Modern asset protection UAA’s policy is supporting insurance brokers and their clients to protect valuable assets.

58 A summary of the major contracts awarded for major infrastructure projects across the nation.

ASPHALT NEWS

REGULARS

46 Building the roads of future SAMI Bitumen Technologies is conducting pioneering research and trials of some unique pavement products for greener roads.

4 Editor’s note 6 News 12 People on the move

AfPA

48 Paving the way for bitumen safety Main Roads Western Australia on implementing AfPA’s ‘Be Bitumen Safe’ training program and the benefits so far. roadsonline.com.au

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PUBLISHER Christine Clancy christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au MANAGING EDITOR Sarah Baker sarah.baker@primecreative.com.au EDITOR Tara Hamid tara.hamid@primecreative.com.au

CHANGING FOR THE BETTER BIG QUESTIONS SELDOM HAVE EASY ANSWERS. So, as we set out to begin a new year of printing the Roads & Infrastructure Magazine – now in its seventh year of publication – we wanted to find a way to better sum up and bring to you the conversations happening around Australia’s infrastructure industry.

To do so, we decided to select a theme for each edition, asking industry leaders and decision makers to help us navigate progress within the industry around these central topics.

For this edition, the theme selected was ‘innovation’, allowing us to have discussions with experts around the latest construction techniques and technologies that are contributing to better delivery of infrastructure projects.

With this focus in mind, we came across Asset Vision, an Australian-owned company that’s taking condition assessment and mapping for Australia’s widespread road network to a new efficiency level, using artificial intelligence and machine learning tools. The EaglEye artificial intelligence software, recently acquired by Asset Vision, is used by road maintenance teams to map and assess road sections in a fraction of the time compared to traditional methods.

We also spoke to Astec Australia’s Regional Managing Director David Smale and SAMI Bitumen’s General Manager Sebastien Chatard about how their respective companies have been delivering innovations in equipment and material supply within the industry. InEight’s Director of Planning, Scheduling and Risk Products Nate St. John offered his insights on how modern planning tools such as InEight Schedule help contractors achieve more certainty in project execution.

This edition also features the latest in the world of earthmovers and excavators, featuring equipment from industry giants such as Wirtgen, John Deere, Kobelco and CEA. Here too, innovations are abounding, with Teletrac Navman offering telematics as a solution for better managing earthworks operations.

As always, we also review news from the world of safety equipment. These include 1300TempFence’s traffic safety solutions, and Shamir’s Australian-made safety eyewear for the construction industry.

Finally, we take a dive in the world of precast concrete, with National Precast Association Australia’s Industry Partner, Reid Construction Systems, offering an overview of the latest emerging technologies, from new lifting solutions to graphic concrete. Enjoy reading!

JOURNALISTS Tom O’Keane tom.okeane@primecreative.com.au DESIGN PRODUCTION MANAGER Michelle Weston michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au ART DIRECTOR Blake Storey DESIGN Kerry Pert, Aisling McComiskey BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Brad Marshall brad.marshall@primecreative.com.au CLIENT SUCCESS MANAGER Justine Nardone justine.nardone@primecreative.com.au HEAD OFFICE Prime Creative Pty Ltd 11-15 Buckhurst Street South Melbourne VIC 3205 Australia p: +61 3 9690 8766 f: +61 3 9682 0044 enquiries@primecreative.com.au www.roadsonline.com.au SUBSCRIPTIONS +61 3 9690 8766 subscriptions@primecreative.com.au Roads & Infrastructure Australia is available by subscription from the publisher. The rights of refusal are reserved by the publisher.

ARTICLES All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher. The Editor reserves the right to adjust any article to conform with the magazine format.

COPYRIGHT

Tara Hamid Editor, Roads & Infrastructure Magazine

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ROADS FEBRUARY 2022

Roads & Infrastructure Australia is owned and published by Prime Creative Media. All material in Roads & Infrastructure Australia is copyright and no part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without the written permission of the publisher. The Editor welcomes contributions but reserves the right to accept or reject any material. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, Prime Creative Media will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published. The opinions expressed in Roads & Infrastructure Australia are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by the publisher unless otherwise stated.

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NEWS

WESTERN SYDNEY AIRPORT METRO LINE TAKES OFF

Artist’s impression of the proposed St Marys railway station.

Major works are set to commence on the new Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport metro line after a $1.8 billion contract was awarded to CPB Contractors and Ghella to build the new twin metro rail tunnels.

The Australian and New South Wales Governments are jointly delivering the 23-kilometre metro railway and six stations between St Marys and the Western Sydney

Aerotropolis, including two stations at the airport.

The first of four mega tunnel boring machines will be in the ground by early 2023 to deliver 9.8 kilometres of twin metro rail tunnels in two sections, under the first major contract to be awarded as part of the project.

The driverless 23-kilometre metro line will link St Marys to the centre of the new Aerotropolis via the new Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport, with six stations to be built along the alignment.

The 9.8 kilometres of twin rail tunnels will be delivered in two sections. The 4.3-kilometre northern tunnels run from St

Marys to Orchard Hills and the 5.5-kilometre southern section of tunnels runs between the Airport Business Park and the Aerotropolis Station.

Apart from the twin tunnel, the Station Boxes and Tunnelling contract includes excavation and civil works for new stations at St Marys, Orchard Hills, Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport, and Aerotropolis.

Once the tunnelling contract is complete in late 2024, work will continue to lay tracks and fit out stations. CPB Contractors is already involved in the construction of the Western Sydney International Airport and the Sydney Metro City and Southwest project.

PREFERRED TENDERER CHOSEN FOR TASMANIA’S BRIDGEWATER BRIDGE In the biggest milestone to date for the new Bridgewater Bridge project in Tasmania, McConnell Dowell Constructors has been named as the preferred tenderer to deliver the state’s largest ever transport infrastructure project.

The Australian Government has also committed an additional $167.8 million to get this crucial project delivered, bringing the Commonwealth’s total funding to $628.8 million.

The winning design put forward

by McConnell Dowell Constructors features a new, standalone four-lane bridge downstream of the existing bridge, including enhanced interchanges at Granton and Bridgewater, a shared path for cyclists and pedestrians and a navigation height matching the Bowen Bridge.

Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts Paul Fletcher said the project is a key project in the $1.7 billion Hobart City Deal.

“This project is another example of all levels of government working together to guide and encourage investment to leverage Hobart’s natural amenity and 6

ROADS FEBRUARY 2022

build on its position as a vibrant, liveable and connected city.”

Tasmania’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Barnaby Joyce said the new bridge would fix the missing link in Tasmania’s national highway.

“The upgrade will benefit approximately 22,000 people that travel across the bridge each day, including local residents, commuters and freight vehicles,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

“Construction will support around 830

The winning design features a new, standalone four-lane bridge downstream of the existing bridge.

jobs, including the creation of more than 200 new jobs for locals. This will deliver an important economic boost to the local economy.”

McConnell Dowell Constructors will commence design-specific site investigations, finalise designs and prepare construction management plans in early 2022. Major construction is due to start in mid-2022 following the approval of a Tasmanian Major Project Planning Permit, and the award of the design and construct contract.

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NEWS

PORT OF MELBOURNE BREAKS NEW GROUND ON RAIL PROJECT Port of Melbourne has officially broken ground on its rail transformation project to reduce traffic congestion caused by trucks in the inner suburbs of Melbourne and across the region of Victoria.

The Port Rail Transformation Project (PRTP) will enable more containers to be moved by rail more efficiently, by-passing roads in inner Melbourne. The project will increase rail terminal capacity and improve rail terminal operations at the port.

The PRTP involves the development and construction of a new rail terminal interfacing with the Swanson Dock East International Container Terminal. The rail terminal will include two new sidings that can handle 600 metre long trains. Common user rail infrastructure will also be upgraded.

A new road to facilitate an uninterrupted connection for movement of containers between the new rail terminal and the wider Swanson Dock precinct will also be constructed.

In September 2021, Seymour Whyte was awarded the contract to develop new rail

The Port Rail Transformation Project will provide a rail solution to meet the needs of a growing port.

infrastructure at the port, including a new rail terminal interfacing with the container terminal at Swanson Dock East.

The PRTP will provide the port side infrastructure to welcome future metropolitan shuttles through the Victorian Government’s Port Rail Shuttle Network.

Around 94 per cent of Victoria’s import containers are destined for metropolitan Melbourne, but no freight is currently moved on the metropolitan rail freight network.

“We know that freight on rail has stagnated

in the past ten years, we want to turn that around. We are really excited to see this project coming out of the ground.

The PRTP opens up new opportunities for metropolitan freight movements on rail,” Port of Melbourne CEO Saul Cannon said.

This project forms part of Port of Melbourne’s 2050 Port Development Strategy, which defines critical infrastructure needed to support the economic growth of Victoria.

The PRTP is expected to be complete in mid-2023.

FINAL MAJOR CONTRACT AWARDED FOR WESTERN SYDNEY AIRPORT The contract for landside works including ground transport facilities such as car parks and electric vehicle charging stations at Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport has been awarded to Aerowest joint venture of BMD construction and Seymour Whyte Constructions.

The contract, which was finalised late December, marks the last of the four major contracts awarded for the project to date.

Previously awarded contracts included the bulk earthworks package awarded to CPB Contractors and Lendlease (now Acciona) joint venture in September 2019; the terminal and specialty works package awarded to Multiplex, in partnership with Arup, Woods Bagot and Airbiz, in June 2021; and the airside civil and pavements work contract awarded to a 8

ROADS FEBRUARY 2022

CPB Contractors and Acciona joint venture in September 2021.

Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, Paul Fletcher, said this marked another milestone for the airport – one of the nation’s biggest infrastructure projects.

“The landside contract will deliver essential ground transport operational facilities to underpin smooth and efficient journeys to and from the airport, including car parks, electric vehicle charging stations and holding areas for point-to-point transport services,” Minister Fletcher said.

“The Morrison Government is getting on with delivering this once-in-a-generation project for Western Sydney, which is already more than one quarter complete set to unlock 28,000 direct and indirect jobs and billions in economic activity.”

Minister for Finance, Simon Birmingham said this contract would also ensure complementary infrastructure projects integrate smoothly with the new airport, such as the M12 motorway and the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport rail link.

“These projects will provide critical connections, getting overseas visitors from the new airport to their destination, and Australians to the rest of the world, to unlock the full benefits of this up-andcoming international gateway,” Minister Birmingham said.

The contract for the delivery of the airport’s technology framework has also been awarded to DXC Technology.

Western Sydney International Airport is on track to open to international, domestic and air cargo services in late 2026.

CONTRACTORS CAPABILITY SHOWCASE 2022 • We are putting together a ‘Contractor Capabilities Showcase’ as a resource for Asset Managers, Road Owners and Governments.

• All contractors are invited to list their businesses for free by taking a short survey.

• Dealine for submissions is March 15.

Scan the QR code to find out more.

NEWS

Image courtesy of Queensland Government.

TUNNELLING COMPLETED ON CROSS RIVER RAIL PROJECT

Queensland’s biggest ever infrastructure project has reached a massive milestone with the final mega machine breaking through at the Northern Portal near the Inner City Bypass, marking the end of tunnelling for the project.

Cross River Rail’s Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Merle has finished its journey beneath the Brisbane River and CBD,

achieving its breakthrough near Bowen Bridge Road. The project’s other TBM, Else, completed tunnelling in late November.

TMB Else emerged at Cross River Rail’s Northern Portal after excavating 155,000 cubic metres of tunnel, the equivalent of 62 Olympic swimming pools. It tunnelled 3.8 kilometres from Woolloongabba, under the Brisbane River to Albert Street and then

onto Roma Street.

The TBMs have excavated 310,000 cubic metres of spoil and installed approximately 27,000 concrete segments to line the tunnel’s walls, each weighing about 4.2 tonnes.

Cross River Rail is a new 10.2-kilometre rail line from Dutton Park to Bowen Hills, which includes 5.9 kilometres of twin tunnels under the Brisbane River and the CBD. The two 5.9-kilometre twin tunnels below the Brisbane River and CBD will be home to four underground stations, Albert Street, Roma Street, Woolloongabba and Boggo Road.

It will aim to remove the pressure on the network, which is set to be accelerated by South East Queensland’s increasing population.

The $5.4 billion project is being funded and delivered by the Queensland Government.

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PEOPLE ON THE MOVE ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE HELPS YOU KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST MOVEMENTS ACROSS THE ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE SECTOR. NEW BOARD APPOINTMENTS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE AUSTRALIA The Australian Government has appointed Cr Colin Murray as the new Chair of the independent Infrastructure Australia board. Vicki Meyer, Cr Vonette Mead, Amanda Cooper, Dr Vanessa Guthrie AO, Elizabeth Schmidt and Robert Moffat have also been appointed as Directors of Infrastructure Australia’s board, effective from 1 December 2021.

WA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT APPOINTS NEW DIRECTOR GENERAL Peter Woronzow has been formally appointed to the role of Director General of the Department of Transport for Western Australia. He will concurrently hold the roles of Commissioner of Main Roads WA and Chief Executive Officer of the Public Transport Authority. Mr Woronzow has been the Acting Director General of Transport since March 2020, taking responsibility for setting the strategic direction of transport for the state during a time of unprecedented transport infrastructure development in WA.

CCF NATIONAL WELCOMES NEW BOARD MEMBERS Civil Contractors Federation (CCF) National has announce the composition of its newly elected board, with the appointment of three new members. David Moody, Antony Damiani, and Mick Boyle are newly appointed members, with Mr Boyle elected as the board’s Vice President. The CCF National board currently constitutes: Mick Unger (President), Mick Boyle (Vice President, Member for New South Wales), Nick Zardo (Treasurer, Member for Australian Capital Territory), Michael Cull (Member for Northern Territory), David Moody (Member for Queensland), Antony Damiani (Member for Victoria), David Della Bona (Member for Western Australia), Paul Davison (Member for South Australia) and Bill Abbott (Member for Tasmania).

RICHARD COHEN APPOINTED TO ARA BOARD Rio Tinto Managing Director Port, Rail and Core Services – Iron Ore Richard Cohen has joined the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) board to lead the creation of a new Heavy Haul Executive Committee. The new Committee, chaired by Mr Cohen, will seek to elevate the profile of Australia’s heavy haul rail operations and support the development of sector-specific research, policy and advocacy. The creation of the Committee will also provide opportunities to better coordinate the activity of heavy haul operators, the ARA and stakeholders with that of the International Heavy Haul Association.

VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT APPOINTS CHIEF ACCESSIBILITY ADVOCATE In a move aimed at improving accessibility across the Victorian transport network, the state government has created a new Chief Accessibility Advocate role. Tricia Malowney OAM has been appointed to the new role, which will support the state government’s transport approach to accessibility. Ms Malowney is a disability and human rights advocate with extensive experience across disability rights and inclusion working in health, justice and family violence sectors.

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ROADS FEBRUARY 2022

GCM has been a pioneer in implementing Wirtgen’s surface mining technology into civil construction projects in Australia.

WIRTGEN SURFACE MINERS MAKE THE CUT FOR

CIVIL CONSTRUCTION GLOBAL CIVIL AND MINING (GCM) HAS BEEN A PIONEER IN USING WIRTGEN SURFACE MINERS IN BOTH MINING AND CIVIL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. MANAGING DIRECTOR KANE BLACKBURN DETAILS HOW THE MACHINES HAVE BENEFITED GCM AND ITS CUSTOMERS.

F

or over two decades, Wirtgen surface miners have been used for applications in both mining and civil industries, from road and railway construction and maintenance to excavating for trenches, reservoirs and tunnels.

Global Civil and Mining (GCM) has been one of the pioneers in successfully implementing surface mining technology into both mining and civil construction projects in Australia. With the largest private fleet of Wirtgen surface miners in Australia, GCM has been at the forefront of developing the technology.

GCM Managing Director Kane Blackburn says using surface miners in a variety of 14

ROADS FEBRUARY 2022

projects, from road and rail projects to subdivisional works, quarries and mining, has brought many benefits to GCM customers.

“In Australia, traditionally surface miners have been used in mining applications to help recover material such as iron ore, coal and salt. But globally, they are also widely used in civil works operations. GCM has been a pioneer in introducing the technology, both across major mining operations in Western Australia and in civil projects throughout Australia,” he says.

“We’ve found that even though some of our customers, particularly in the civil space, are not aware of the technology initially, they often finish the project quite impressed

with what the technology and the team have been able to deliver,” he adds.

One key benefit from a civil construction perspective, Blackburn says, is the ability to undertake excavation, crushing and loading activities in a single pass with just one piece of machinery, which eliminates the need for multiple pieces of plant.

Equipped with a conveyor setup, Wirtgen’s surface miners also allow material to be directly discharged from the surface miner into a truck, removing the need for more equipment and personnel on site.

“The flexible design of the Wirtgen surface miners allows us to choose between different configurations, with the option to

COVER STORY

load the excavated material directly into a truck. This provides us with material cost and productivity savings, with obvious advantage in reduced CO2 emissions compared to the alternative process,” Blackburn explains.

On civil construction projects that are in close proximity to moving traffic or existing infrastructure, eliminating the need for drill and blast operations is another key advantage, Blackburn says.

“There are so many areas where drill and blast is not an option. Using surface miners has allowed us to carry out many complex road and rail operations over the years, without the risk, noise and dust associated with drill and blast.”

A POWERFUL DESIGN The centrally mounted cutting drum of Wirtgen’s surface miners is another advantage for the GCM team, helping them slice through hard rock with great efficiency.

Having a centrally mounting cutting drum means that the weight and forward motion of the machines provide the highest cutting forces available in the industry. This is critical for productivity and cutting accuracy.

In Wirtgen surface miners, the centralised drum concept is combined with a pulley or belt drive system that possesses superior power transmission over hydraulic or chain drive machines. Together, these two primary attributes permit maximum performance in soft to hard rock applications.

For the GCM team, having GPS technology integrated with their Wirtgen surface miners also means greater accuracy in cutting road and rail profiles to the desired level,

Using Wirtgen’s surface miners, GCM can re-use the excavated material on other road projects.

Blackburn says.

“With surface miners, final levels can be directly achieved at cutting depths up to 650 millimetres without any need for further trimming. This ensures we are not moving too much material around, which in turn increases efficiency,” he says.

Whilst the Wirtgen surface miners used in Australia were first and foremost intended for mining, their design features have also supported their subsequent deployment in civil construction applications.

The overall machine profile, their tight turning radii and their ease of operation and maintenance has meant they have been easy to integrate in the construction world. Features such as full lock and tag out stations, walk-in machinery bays, full 12-hour shift operator stations and the ability to do all of the services from ground or safe stands have added a productive and cost-effective option to civil contractors.

HIGHER EFFICIENCIES Whilst it depends on the type of material being cut, the excavated material produced by a Wirtgen surface miner can often be directly used as a fill or aggregate material for use on other areas of the site.

Blackburn says GCM has been using the excavated material from surface miners as the base or sub-base course on other road projects, which also eliminates the need for re-processing the material.

An example of this was on the Albany Highway upgrade project in Western Australia, where GCM mobilised a Wirtgen 2200 Surface Miner (2200SM) to

progressively lower the crest of the existing highway, directly adjacent to the open highway, in layers of 300 millimetres. This enabled the work to be carried out with minimal disruption to traffic.

In addition, the 2200SM was able to selectively separate spoil material from material that was suitable for use in the pavement layers in the widening areas.

This resulted in significant cost saving to Main Roads Western Australia as the project owner, due to a large reduction in haulage costs.

GCM is also currently engaged on projects with the Western Australian road authority to provide locally sourced aggregates for construction in remote areas. Blackburn says by using the surface miner technology, aggregates of the desired size are produced directly on site, eliminating the need for long haulage.

A SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIP In its fleet, GCM currently owns a variety of Wirtgen surface miners, from the 100-tonne capacity 2500SM model, right through to the 200-tonne 4200SM surface miner.

Wirtgen will soon be releasing its next generation 280SM and 260SX surface miners in Australia – both of which are specifically tailored for civil applications.

Blackburn says GCM cannot wait to check out the new models.

“We have had all of Wirtgen’s surface miner models in our fleet at some stage. With Wirtgen recently releasing information about their new generation of surface miners, we are keen to work with Wirtgen to bring those machines into Australia as well. With Wirtgen’s worldwide experience, we are confident they will bring great design ideas to the product,” he says.

Stuart Torpy, Managing Director, Wirtgen Australia, says like all Wirtgen Group products, the surface mining range is fully supported across the full spectrum of customer tailored needs.

“Wirtgen’s support includes anything from supply of parts to ground-up operator familiarisation, competency attainment and machine support for every hour the machine is in service,” Torpy says.

“Like all Wirtgen Group customers, Wirtgen continue to support GCM in using their Wirtgen machines to succeed. Wirtgen and GCM have been working together for over 15 years and we continue to identify new ways to put Wirtgen surface miners to productive and profitable use,” he adds. roadsonline.com.au

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EARTHMOVERS & EXCAVATORS

KOBELCO:

WHERE PERFORMANCE MEETS DESIGN THE NEW SHORT RADIUS ‘DASH SEVEN’ SERIES EXCAVATOR RANGE FROM KOBELCO HAS MANAGED TO IMPRESS SOME OF THE INDUSTRY’S MOST SEASONED OPERATORS. CHRIS WOLF FROM KOBELCO AUSTRALIA DISCUSSES THE SERIES’ KEY DIFFERENTIATORS.

A

s a seasoned operator, Dale Haycock has sat behind the controls of almost every excavator brand in Australia. For the past three years, he has exclusively operated Kobelco machines, and yet when his company, Carmark, acquired a new 14 tonne short radius Kobelco SK135SR-7 recently, he was impressed with the upgraded features.

One key improvement he has noticed in the new ‘dash seven’ model from Kobelco, he notes, is the enhanced operational power.

“Cycle times in the new Kobelco machine are shorter compared to its predecessor,” he observes. “Bucket movements are quicker

when you do a full slew, and the machine has more power.”

Fuel efficiency is another key differentiator from Haycock’s perspective, where he has noticed significant savings on fuel costs compared to the machine’s predecessor.

But, perhaps most notable for Haycock, are the improvements in the operator station.

As an earthmoving equipment operator for Carmark, a Queensland-based civil construction and equipment hire company, he spends an average of eight to 12 hours per day on various infrastructure projects, from road and residential subdivision to

bulk earthworks in ports and airports.

“The new cabin design has more leg room, it’s a good cabin size and the seats are really comfortable. I also like the Bluetooth radio and hands-free system. The reversing cameras are a big step change in the new model. They can show different views around the machine, not just the rear view.

Also, the air conditioning is quite powerful, which helps when we work in hot regions in central Queensland,” Haycock shares.

A DELIBERATE IMPROVEMENT For Chris Wolf, General Manager of Marketing and Direct Sales for Kobelco Australia, Haycock’s comments echo with

The new 14 tonne short radius Kobelco SK135SR-7 excavator is a prized addition to Carmark’s fleet of Kobelco machines.

roadsonline.com.au

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similar feedback he has been receiving from other Kobelco operators.

“The reality is that the ‘dash seven’ is probably the biggest machine launch we’ve ever had in Australia,” he says. “We started with a clean sheet of paper and re-designed the entire machine effectively, so it’s a whole new generation of short radius excavators.”

The significant performance improvements in the SK135SR-7 machine and the other models in the SR-7 (short radius dash seven) series, including the SK85MSR-7, the SK75SR-7 and the SK140SRLC-7, are deliberate, Wolf says.

“The ‘dash seven’ series is the first generation of machines that Kobelco developed under a new design philosophy called ‘Performance Meets Design’. The term is used to describe our ambition to deliver class leading performance and a modern machine design that puts operator comfort front and centre,” he says.

“We wanted to have a machine that’s class leading in all key performance specs, including in engine performance, bucket break-out force, slew torque and tractive force. On top of that, we took the opportunity to re-launch the platform and re-imagine a new machine that delivered performance benefits that the operator would really appreciate.”

This focus on user experience has translated into an excavator with a significantly more comfortable operator station, Wolf says.

“All of our machines are complimented by operators on their quiet and comfortable operator stations. But the ‘dash seven’ series takes this a step further with the introduction of a bird’s eye view camera that enhances operator’s visibility. In this system, images from three cameras are combined to offer a surround view of the machine, which helps improve safety.

“Part of this improved visibility is also due to a 10-inch high-resolution colour display screen installed at the front console, which is the largest of its type,” he explains.

Also, when it comes to cabin comfort, little things can go a long way, Wolf observes.

“All of Kobelco’s SR-7 series excavators are equipped with premium air suspension seats made by Grammer. The seat provides flexible adjustments of control and body position, along with very good lumbar support and a heat switch for cooler months.

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Carmark’s Kobelco excavators have been hard at work on Brisbane Airport’s taxiway upgrade project.

“The design is also mindful of little things that make a big difference for operators. For example, a slot for holding mobile phones in front of the joysticks and a purpose-built charging cable routing means operators can use the machine’s hands-free Bluetooth wireless system and stay connected throughout the day while they continue the job.”

CLASS-LEADING IN EVERY ASPECT So how does the SK135SR-7 deliver on Kobelco’s ambitious new design philosophy?

Wolf says the excavator carries on Kobelco’s legacy of fuel-efficient excavators, while taking performance to a new level.

“Kobelco is well established in the market as a fuel efficiency leader. It’s a given with all of our models and our customers have repeatedly testified to the more economical performance of our excavators in all classes.”

While multiple factors contribute to the efficiency of Kobelco machines, Wolf says the latest generation of Kobelco machines are exceptional in how they marry fuel efficiency with class leading operational performance.

“Fuel efficiency is based on a number of factors. It starts with powering the machine with a high-performance, high efficiency Japanese engine. Our large excavators use a Hino engine, while the smaller machines utilise Isuzu and Yanmar engines.

“The other aspect that sets us apart

from the competition is our hydraulic control system – referred to as the Intelligent Total Control System or ITCS. It’s an advanced pump control system, which contributes to fuel efficiency. The ITCS system constantly takes inputs from the machine systems alongside operator inputs, and balances that with the available engine power, instantaneously controlling pump flow. This allows the hydraulic system to precisely deliver the amount of flow required for the job to whatever hydraulic circuit requires it – no more and no less. In this way, we save fuel without compromising performance.”

What this translates into is a machine that can handle heavy excavation work as well as precise fine control operations with proportionate power, delivering better fuel efficiency and fine controllability, Wolf says. It also means faster operations in the field.

“Kobelco has designed the SK135SR-7 to provide 10 percent faster cycle times than the previous generation. It also features 17 percent more bucket break-out force than the previous model. Together, this leads to substantially improved digging performance,” Wolf says.

“One other thing that factors into machine performance is the drawbar force, which translates to pushing power.

Most machines in the 14 tonne plus range are equipped with a dozer blade, so it’s important to have strong drawbar force and we are happy to report that we are best-in-class on that as well,” he adds.

EARTHMOVERS & EXCAVATORS

LOW-MAINTENANCE AND RELIABLE Even before acquiring the SK135SR-7, Carmark’s fleet included Kobelco excavators in a range of capacities, from the 5 tonne mini excavator to the 23 tonne short radius heavy excavator.

Carmark was recently engaged for a major 12-month project to help upgrade Brisbane Airport’s taxiway. The company’s fleet of Kobelco machines has helped deliver the majority of bulk earthworks for the project.

Sam McLachlan, the Manager of Carmark, says he is satisfied with his Kobelco fleet, particularly for their comfort, reliability and compact design.

“As a plant hire business, repeat customers make up a big part of our business, so we need reliable machines to turn around the jobs in minimum time and with a high quality. That’s where our reputation comes from,” McLachlan tells Roads & Infrastructure.

“The Kobelco machines are compact, so they are perfect for doing close proximity work on roads and highways. Another benefit with Kobelco’s excavators is that they are very low-maintenance machines,

which is why we keep choosing Kobelco as we grow our fleet.”

QUALITY CUSTOMER SERVICE The quality service from Kobelco’s authorised dealership is another reason Carmark is comfortable purchasing from Kobelco, McLachlan says.

“We have great relationships with our Kobelco dealer in Brisbane, which is BrisVegas Machinery. They do the majority of our servicing and they have shown tremendous customer support for the Kobelco machines,” he comments.

According to Wolf, Kobelco has ensured its customers get a uniform experience across its national authorised dealer network.

“Similar to Kobelco, our dealers and representatives in every state and territory are focused on customer service. Kobelco Australia supports its dealership network with regular technical training and parts supply. Our distribution warehouse in Sydney has over 10,000 line items on the shelf at any time, which supports our excavators Australia-wide,” he says.

Focus on user experience in Kobelco’s ‘dash seven’ series is reflected in a more comfortable operator station.

In October, Infrastructure Australia’s first ‘Market Capacity Report’ predicted a 125 per cent growth in demand for construction equipment in Australia over the next three years. Combined with global supply chain disruptions, this poses to impact equipment supply in the coming years. But, as Wolf explains, Kobelco’s position remains strong as the only major construction equipment supplier with a single item on offer – hydraulic excavators.

“We’ve been fortunate in Australia that the earthmoving industry has remained buoyant through the pandemic, and 2021 is shaping up to be the biggest year on record in Australia in terms of industry equipment sales,” he notes.

Asked what sets Kobelco apart from other excavator suppliers, Chris concludes, “Kobelco is unique as a supplier of excavators in Australia, in that we are the only single line manufacturer in the market, which means we are laser focused on building the best excavators available.

We believe in ‘doing one thing, and doing it right,’ and we will continue to deliver on that promise for our customers.”

A mobile phone slot and charging station means the operator can stay connected throughout the day.

roadsonline.com.au

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INTRODUCING:

JOHN DEERE’S SERIES-II EXCAVATORS JOHN DEERE INTRODUCED ITS SERIES-II EXCAVATOR RANGE TO THE AUSTRALIAN MARKET OVER 12 MONTHS AGO. THE COMPANY’S EXPERTS REVIEW SOME OF THE CUSTOMERFOCUSED FEATURES INCLUDED IN THE SERIES.

J

ohn Deere launched its Series-II Excavator range to the Australian market over 12 months ago in response to the unique Australian climate and conditions.

As Kel Davison, Director for Marketing and Sales, Construction and Forestry Equipment at John Deere explains, the lineup of eight excavators has already received great feedback from customers.

“Our customers enjoy the power and performance offered by Series-II excavators,” he says. “The lineup delivers the quality and performance John Deere customers expect.”

In developing the Series-II Excavator series, Davison says John Deere engineers and developers engaged closely with customers through John Deere’s Customer Advocate Groups and responded to their feedback at key points in the design of the machines.

“Customers also help evaluate John Deere designs by putting equipment through their paces in a series of in-dirt evaluations. By understanding real-world applications, our engineers have the information and insights they need to create a differential edge on John Deere products, and this critical input is the driver behind every comfort, function,

John Deere’s Series-II Excavator lineup includes eight models ready to perform in Australian conditions.

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and performance feature we produce.”

Senior Vice President Engineering, Manufacturing and Supply Management for the John Deere Construction and Forestry Division, Brian Rauch, says this customerfocused design approach is prioritised and implemented globally across all John Deere products.

“We study customers in our intended markets, apply their feedback to our designs, and define extensive product verification duty cycles based on the requirements they share with us. All Deere engineers, regardless of product responsibility or location of design centre, utilise the same approach, collaborating extensively to ensure we are delivering products worthy of the Deere name,” Rauch says.

ENHANCED COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE The spacious cab for the Series-II Excavator series was designed with convenience in mind, Davison says.

“We made sure there was plenty of storage and controls were easy to use and well placed. Ensuring that operators can be comfortable and productive all day long. The Sealed Switch Module (SSM) is very intuitive, conveniently placed, is water and dust proof and eliminates unsealed connections and moving parts associated with traditional rocker switches. The seven-inch touch screen monitor is easy to navigate, providing quick access to machine features and functions that is easier than some systems. Multiple machine readings and Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC’s) are available for the operator to read via the touch screen,” he explains.

“Easy daily servicing is another thing we are hearing from our customers. The ability to do most tasks from the ground without tools is a time saver for our customers. Grouped service points, single position swing greasing,

EARTHMOVERS & EXCAVATORS

Once a build is complete, new products are put through a series of thorough trials to ensure quality and performance.

4000-hour hydraulic oil and filter and 500hour engine oil and filter changes, as well as the oil-sealed and lubricated undercarriage, ensure daily servicing is simple and efficient,” he adds.

performance and fast work cycles needed to tackle large jobs quickly. Four power modes and three work modes deliver the right power and response for maximum productivity and strong digging force.”

MORE UPTIME John Deere excavators also harness the power of heavy-duty booms and arms, a robust electrical system and optimised hydraulic routing, as Davison explains.

“A sealed and lubricated undercarriage and heavy-duty welded X-frame provide a solid, stable platform, while the sloped track frame resists material build-up to decrease cleaning time.

“Full-length track guides and doublegrouser track shoes are optional for rocky terrain and a heavy-duty cooling system keeps the engine and hydraulic system running efficiently, even in tough environments.”

TOUGH COMPONENTS The components used in the John Deere Series-II Excavator series help take these machines to the next level, Davison notes.

“The highly dependable John Deere PowerTech™ Plus engine with variablegeometry turbocharger (VGT) delivers outstanding fuel efficiency, to move more material on less fuel. Full integration with Deere’s Intelligent Hydraulic (JD-IHC) system combines impressive performance with smooth, low-effort control. Generous flow, arm force, and swing torque help keep things moving, while the 90/180-degree function (available on the E300’s) increases the boomup speed for faster truck loading,” he says.

MORE MUSCLE With a strong focus on getting the job done, John Deere Series-II excavators prioritise quality, productivity and operator comfort while incorporating strategic features such as premium hydraulic performance, highly durable and thick boom, arm and buckets to withstand tougher digging conditions, and Auto Pressure Boost to anticipate and deliver power when it’s needed.

“Big tasks demand serious equipment,” says Davison. “Combining substantial power with smooth, low-effort control, John Deere excavators provide the exceptional

DESIGN CONTROL There are more advantages when it comes to machine control and diagnosis that are unique to John Deere, Davison points out.

“We design the majority of our components, which means we don’t need to compromise the overall design. This deep vertical integration of products provides a further competitive edge to customers,” he says “JDLinkTM Telematics system enables dealers to respond to customer needs and diagnose, and even correct many issues, without leaving the dealership.”

QUALITY IS EVERYTHING As Davison further asserts, production quality takes centre stage with John Deere construction and forestry machines.

“John Deere Construction and Forestry Equipment has a reputation across the world for outstanding quality, reliability, durability and performance, and our Series-II excavators are no exception. These excavators are built in a purpose-built factory in Tianjin, China to our exacting Deere engineering standards and will help drive production and profitability for local operators through fast cycle times, more muscle, more daily uptime and tough components,” he says.

On maintaining a uniformly high quality of production, Rauch says this is facilitated by using state-of-the-art, high-precision machinery and techniques across all John Deere manufacturing facilities.

“The same parts and components can be produced to identical standards at any of our worldwide manufacturing facilities,” Rauch says. “This is accomplished by using the John Deere Production System at all of our factories. No matter the location, employees follow the same procedures, and use the same tooling, assembly processes and quality assurance checks.”

Rigorous testing is another part of the process.

“Once a build is complete, quality inspections continue, with new products put through a series of thorough trials to ensure quality and performance at dedicated factory test facilities. Equipment is subjected to several thermal cycles, raising and lowering operating temperatures. This is why John Deere machines will often have two to three hours on the clock at time of delivery – so customers can be assured the equipment has been thoroughly tested,” Rauch concludes.

“The purpose of everything we do is to ensure that we’re building products that continue to deliver on the promise our company founder made: ‘I will never put my name on a product that does not have in it the best that is in me’.”

THE SERIES-II EXCAVATORS ARE IN STOCK. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL YOUR LOCAL JOHN DEERE DEALER: [Western Australia] AFGRI Equipment on (08) 6278 7100 [Other States] RDO Equipment on 1300 008 608

roadsonline.com.au

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EARTHMOVERS & EXCAVATORS

The 245XR is commonly used on freeway construction projects, as well as larger infrastructure projects.

JCB’S NEW ADDITION

TO THE ACCLAIMED X SERIES JCB’S LATEST X SERIES HEAVY LINE EXCAVATOR, THE 245XR, INTRODUCES ZERO TAIL SWING TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE SAFETY AND EFFICIENCY FOR OPERATORS. JCB CEA NATIONAL PRODUCT MANAGER DEON COPE EXPLAINS.

T

he new 245XR excavator is the latest addition to JCB’s highly acclaimed X Series and as Deon Cope, JCB CEA’s National Product Manager explains, there’s a key feature that differentiates the machine from the rest of the market.

With an intuitive design, the 245XR offers users a reduced slewing radius, while also ensuring that other features such as cab space are not compromised.

“This is JCB’s latest release on its X Series platform. While the excavator platform weighs 20 to 25 tonnes, the weight comes in at 27 tonnes with the blade,” Cope says.

“This is a reduced tail swing excavator, which

is very popular and widely used in freeway construction projects.”

The 245XR has a tail swing radius of 1.72 metres, which is 40 per cent less than its predecessor, the 220X excavator. According to Cope, this reduced tail swing provides several benefits for operators.

“One of the main advantages of this feature is the reduced spin, so operators do not need to close off additional freeway lanes when they are working close to live traffic.

Operators can also use the machine in tight spaces when working on building and infrastructure projects,” Cope says.

“There is also a safety aspect to the

reduced tail swing, as there is less chance of damage to nearby buildings or personnel on site when the machine is in operation. It’s an exciting model for us.”

With a 40 per cent shorter tail swing and supported by a bucket capacity of 1.25 cubicmetres, the 245XR can optimise operations in difficult working applications. The 245XR also features minor changes from the 220X model, as Cope explains.

“The 245XR runs on a similar hydraulic pump system as the 220X, but we have gone with a larger pump, a larger control valve and better fluid dynamics throughout the whole machine,” he says. “So, we still maintain roadsonline.com.au

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EARTHMOVERS & EXCAVATORS

climate testing on the 245XR components to ensure the mechanisms remain robust in temperature between -30C and 55C.

The 245XR’s tail swing is 40 per cent smaller than that of its predecessor, the JCB 220X excavator.

that speed and accuracy while also having increased breakout and performance.”

CREATING AN EQUILIBRIUM The 245XR design also has a key focus on maintaining precise and balanced movements during operation, Cope adds.

“Some of the earlier zero tail swing models were inherently unbalanced as compared to the standard swing excavators. But zero tail machines have become a lot more balanced, a lot more controllable and just as efficient as some of the standard tail swing excavators,” Cope says.

“The JCB design team has spent a lot of time and resources developing this product, which is why it is one of the heaviest in its class, and also one of the most stable.”

In designing the 245XR, Cope says JCB’s engineers have allocated weight to key areas of the machine to achieve equilibrium.

“JCB is very good at producing chassis and putting weight in the right places. JCB machines often have heavier lower structures and frames to help lower the machines’ centre of gravity in order to improve the machines’ stability,” Cope says.

“Even though the 245XR weighs just under 27 tonnes when equipped with a blade, we still managed to achieve stability in par with a 20 tonne machine.”

But these design changes do not take away from the machine’s comfort level, where Cope says the operator’s cabin remains at full size.

“We have retained a full size cabin, whereas some of our competitors have changed to a reduced size or a three-quarter sized cabin,” he says. “ At the end of the day, operators spend eight to ten hours at a time in these machines and they should feel comfortable.

That is what operators can get with the new 245XR.” Operator feedback also contributed to the 24

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design of the 245XR’s cabin, which features double cushioned viscous mounts to reduce the noise to 69 decibels. The seat-mounted joystick and switch controls can also move with the operator.

POWER AND ACCURACY The 245XR utilises JCB’s DIESELMAX engine, which was released in 2004 and has been proven to be effective in 70 different machines globally.

Cope says the engine, which has a dedicated off-road design, contributes to reducing running costs for operators.

“An advanced cylinder head design means you can get a more efficient burn at the head of the cylinder. The design also eliminates the need for a diesel particulate filter, which further cuts the maintenance costs.”

The use of AdBlue diesel exhaust fluid further adds to the engine’s performance.

“The 245XR requires approximately three per cent of AdBlue per litre of diesel, which is less than the amount required for comparable excavators,” says Cope.

According to Cope, JCB has also conducted

SMOOTH OPERATION Selectable Swing Smoothing is a feature that comes as standard with the 245XR and it enables the operator to customise the performance of the vehicle to suit any given application. Cope says that the feature can produce sharper, or more gradual movements, depending on what is required from the job at hand.

“Because of the additional weight of the upper revolving frame, we have selected a larger slew motor and a larger slew brake, which helps increase the torque,” Cope says.

“Increased slew braking means operators can accurately slew left or right and then come back onto line when working on projects like installing pipes or cutting trenches.”

“We also have the ability to smooth the slew. Where operators may want more speed instead of accuracy, they can switch to softer slew so it doesn’t brake as aggressively and has a smoother action. This is useful for tasks such as loading trucks.”

The first 245XR units have already arrived in Australia, and Cope says operators will have the chance to see it in action.

“The first models have arrived in Melbourne, and we will soon have demonstrator models in every state,” Cope says.

“With the unqiue features it offers the industry, we anticipate a high demand for the machine, so we have a high volume of units on their way to Australia now.”

For more information, visit: www.jcb.com

Selectable Swing Smoothing allow operators to configure the machine to suit the application.

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EARTHMOVERS & EXCAVATORS

HOW TELEMATICS IS SHAPING THE FUTURE OF

BULK EARTHWORKS COMPLETING BULK EARTHWORKS WITHIN A STRICT TIMELINE AND FIXED BUDGET CAN BE TRICKY. USING REAL-TIME DATA AND HISTORICAL INFORMATION PROVIDED BY TELEMATICS CAN HELP BUSINESSES EFFECTIVELY MANAGE THEIR OPERATIONS, JAMES FRENCH, SOLUTIONS SPECIALIST AT TELETRAC NAVMAN WRITES.

L

ike a classic game of backyard cricket on a hot summer day, bulk earthworks are an essential part of any construction project. While the removal and transport of large piles of soil and rock may not sound important to the everyday person, it’s anticipated that the global earthworks market will reach $US136.7 billion ($192 billion) by 2025.1 Yet bulk earthworks can be a costly exercise. Depending on the size of the site, the type of machinery available or the number of staff on hand, even a minor setback can push the entire timeline out and create major headaches down the road.

Using real-time data and historical information provided by telematics and fleet management technologies, businesses in the industry can ensure consistent operations, before the first piece of soil is even dug up.

REAL-TIME DATA FOR SMOOTH OPERATION The removal of bulk earth is like the inner mechanics of a watch. You have all these pieces of intricate, specialised equipment that work independently of each other, yet need to work together to keep things ticking along.

On any given job site, there will be scrapers, excavators, loaders, and compactors all working in harmony. But if there’s a small technical fault with one of the machines, this can create a bottleneck scenario that leads to further delays as the team rushes to get the issue sorted.

Thanks to telematics, at any given point in time, whether you’re based on- or off-site, you can see where all your assets are and what they are being utilised for. This means you can instantly reallocate the machines 26

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Real-time data and historical information form telematics helps earthworks operations.

you need to the project, and schedule in maintenance on the faulty piece of equipment to reduce downtime.

With an entire bird’s eye view of all your projects at the click of a button, you can see where assets are used, how they’re used and anticipate problems ahead of times to turn issues into opportunities. The unique opportunities real-time data provides allows everyone within the business to benefit from a smoother operation to ensure better efficiencies.

MAKING DECISIONS REMOTELY WITH HISTORICAL DATA By gathering data through telematics, you can effectively manage operations without having to be on the job site. When job sites span tens of kilometres, you could be on the other side of an infrastructure project, and still have a view of the operation.

While it’s not always possible to be there, with telematics, you can stay on top of everything remotely. With a view into each project from the luxury of your office or home, you can bill correctly and prove the works completed for accurate, fast invoicing while minimise complaints.

When it comes to better understanding future work, it’s simple to look at the information already available to you through

the fleet management software.

You can see if trucks and equipment are always in use, or if they are sitting idle and quickly chewing up costs. By combining your knowledge of your business with what your historical telematics data tells you, you can more accurately pitch for future works. This in turn helps you remain competitive in the market, allows you to set up a buffer in case something goes wrong and ensure costs are reduced wherever possible to meet the budget set out in the contract. Telematics can not only help you keep operations moving smoothly, but it’ll help you make money in the long run.

Data from both machines and other sources, such as fuel, materials and labour, can be integrated on business analytics platforms, providing one source of truth for the life of a project. This is then available to the tendering team, ensuring they have reliable data for their next bid.

This data can also be used for your fuel tax credit (FTC) rebates. Since a lot of projects are considered off-road, you can use this historical information to accurately apportion on- and off-road use of assets and their auxiliary equipment to ensure the rebate received is both maximised and accurate.

Completing bulk earthworks within a strict timeline and fixed budget can be a tricky balancing act. But with the right technology by your side, you can ensure your machinery is being used properly, and more importantly, you can effectively manage your budget.

REFERENCES: 1- Earthmoving Global Market Report 2021: COVID-19 Impact and Recovery to 2030, ResearchAndMarkets.com.

A NEW DAY.

UNEARTH A NEW LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE. A NEW DEERE.

Renowned worldwide for their outstanding quality and reliability, John Deere mid-sized excavators are designed and built using stateof-the-art tools, techniques and components by a quality-conscious workforce in a John Deere manufacturing plant. Loaded with operator friendly features such as a 7” touch-screen monitor, Intelligent Hydraulic system and PowerTech™ Plus engine, these machines deliver impressive performance with smooth, low-effort control. And with our expert dealers in more locations across New Zealand than ever before, you’ll get the support needed to ensure your operation is running at maximum productivity.

It’s a New Day and a New Deere.

TRACTAJ64529_CONSTRUCTION_E120_AU_RI

JohnDeere.cm.au/ANewDay

FOLLOWING PORT OF TOWNSVILLE’S

CHANNEL UPGRADE THE PORT OF TOWNSVILLE’S $232 MILLION CHANNEL UPGRADE PROJECT IS SET TO EXPAND THE SERVICES OF WHAT IS ALREADY NORTHERN AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST COMMERCIAL PORT. ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE REPORTS.

T

he Port of Townsville provides a vital link for the mining, agricultural, construction, energy, general cargo and retail sectors, along with the Defence and cruise industries.

The Port has supported North Queensland industries for over 150 years since it was established in 1864. This has included supporting Australia’s World War II campaign and the region’s emerging trade, particularly in the 1950s and 60s.

To continue connecting North Queensland’s goods and services with the rest of the world, the Port is now undergoing the most significant upgrade in its history.

At just 92 metres wide, Townsville’s

shipping channel is one of the narrowest in the country and can only accommodate ships no larger than 238 metres in length.

As ships are getting larger, the channel must be widened to ensure vessels can safely access the Port, instead of bypassing Townsville.

The $232 million channel upgrade project will see the port end of the Platypus Channel widened to 180 metres, tapering to 120 metres offshore to accommodate vessels up to 300 metres in length.

The project forms part of the $1.6 billion Port Expansion Project, a longterm development plan for the Port of Townsville which will include the channel widening and deepening, land reclamation

and construction of a new outer harbour, berths and other associated infrastructure.

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES The Port Expansion Project went through rigorous environment impact assessments by the Queensland and Australian governments before approvals were granted in 2017 and 2018.

Last year, the project hit a major milestone with the completion of the 2.2-kilometre, 10-metre-high rock wall, which encloses a 62-hectare reclamation area. Since April 2019, local suppliers had been tasked to deliver more than 800,000 tonnes of rock to the Port to support the construction of the wall.

The Port of Townsville’s Channel Upgrade project will widen the shipping channel to accommodate the movement of larger vessels.

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INFRASTRUCTURE IN FOCUS – PORTS

PROJECT CONSIDERATIONS Environmental and public impacts were considered during the consultation phase of the Port Expansion Project.

Since design work began in 2018, the project has supported employment for more than 1400 people across multiple local industries, with an emphasis on creating job opportunities for Traditional Owners, minority groups and trainees.

The Port of Townsville has also committed $17 million towards environmental monitoring and management programs to ensure the work has minimal impact on marine life. These include four key monitoring programs,

The preservation of both flora and fauna was heavily considered during the development of the upgrade project.

Image credit: Kaja Wierucka, CEBEL, Flinders University.

Construction for the wall began in March 2020 and was completed in June 2021. The area will be used to place capital dredge material, following the construction of a temporary unloading facility on the western wall. It is here that dredge material will be unloaded, before being placed in the reclamation area.

Construction of the wall was not without its challenges, however.

Construction on the structure took approximately two months longer than initially planned, before achieving practical completion in 2021.

This was due to additional rock being required to address the higher than anticipated pressure on the wall, which was caused by particularly high tides, which was only an issue while there was no fill inside.

The rock wall’s construction required innovative construction methods, which included the marine construction expertise of designers, engineers and environmental experts who worked together on the project.

The wall has been designed based on a similar rock wall at the Port of Townsville, which successfully weathered Cyclone Yasi in 2011 and other storm surges.

Impacts on the public were also considered during the construction of the rock wall. Hours for rock delivery were limited and residents were advised of the construction, to minimise disruptions and disturbances.

A Community and Stakeholder Engagement Plan has also been developed by the Port of Townsville to ensure that those who live, work, visit or operate near the port are consulted, and kept informed of the Channel Upgrade project.

focusing on dolphins, seagrass, coral and water quality.

The Port of Townsville engaged experts from South Australia’s Flinders University in 2019 to study the ecology of two listed species of dolphins in the Townsville region. These studies were conducted in relation to the construction activities which would be conducted as part of the Channel Upgrade Project.

The inshore dolphin monitoring program will undertake a series of surveys each year, over five years to assess Australian Snubfin and Australian Humpback dolphin populations in Cleveland and Halifax Bays.

Monitoring will also extend to seagrass, where the Port of Townsville will utilise its existing partnership with James Cook University’s TropWATER team (in partnership since 2007) in Cleveland Bay. Seagrass monitoring provides an insight into both the status of water quality and the overall health of the marine environment in Townsville.

Water quality is monitored through 13 different sites at the Port, which have been used since July 2019. These include telemetered sites, which provide real time data during dredging.

PROJECT OUTCOMES Upon completion in 2023, the Channel

Upgrade project including the wider channel will ensure that Townsville is not bypassed as a trade route for multiple industries. The new 62-hectare reclamation area will also provide the opportunity for increased trade with new industries.

One of these is green hydrogen, with the Port of Townsville signing Memorandums of Understanding with key renewable energy players including Origin Energy, Ark Energy and Edify Energy in 2021 to investigate exporting hydrogen from the Port.

Upgrades, including the Port Expansion Project, are set to increase the Port’s ability to process such materials.

The shipping of renewable hydrogen aligns with the Port of Townsville’s Port Vision 2050.

Port Vision 2050 is an ambitious and achievable blueprint for the Port’s next 30 years of operations with an emphasis on sustainability by combining efficient operations with social responsibility and innovate environmental practices. The innovative plan has a strong emphasis on climate change, a reason for the potential facilitation and export of green hydrogen.

The plan also states that the Port’s goals align with those of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. roadsonline.com.au

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WITH A FOCUS ON INNOVATIONS, WE ASKED THE ROADS’ INDUSTRY KEY PLAYERS: WHAT ARE SOME INNOVATIVE CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS/TECHNIQUES THAT ARE CHANGING THE INDUSTRY?

DAVID HALLETT, CEO, IPWEA VICTORIA Civil works contractors and material suppliers are leading the way when it comes to innovation in road construction. Research and development projects around the country and across a range of new materials – including crumb rubber, glass and hard/ soft plastics – are addressing an increasingly urgent need to deliver more environmentally sustainable road infrastructure.

Sector agencies are also playing their part by releasing updated specifications to provide state and local governments with the confidence to procure more sustainable products that foster the circular economy and support their ESG [Environmental, Social, and Governance] commitments. IPWEA congratulates everyone doing great work in this vital area and encourages more!

SARAH BACHMANN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, NATIONAL PRECAST In response to the need for third party verification, Master Precaster is a new brand which is set to transform the precast concrete procurement process. With precast offering a sustainable construction solution with safer sites, better quality and aesthetics, faster construction, lower waste and structures that require minimal maintenance, heating and cooling, its market share is growing. So too are the number of precast manufacturers.

Investigating suitable precasters takes real expertise and time.

National Precast has done the work to mitigate client risk and ensure a positive precast experience. All National Precast Master Precasters have been audited by auditors who understand precast manufacture. They all meet minimum benchmarks relating to their skills, qualifications, experience, facilities, financial stability, industry contribution, plus importantly, their quality, safety and environmental practices.

RAFI TCHOPOURIAN, GENERAL MANAGER, ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS, COATES Coates, Australia’s leading equipment hire and solutions provider, has partnered with Monash University, launching the world’s lightest heavy duty structural support system with a capacity of 170 tonne at three metres for temporary works in the construction sector. Quadshore 150 is a high-capacity and lightweight structural system that makes construction sites and temporary works more efficient, while also lowering costs significantly for construction sites. Quadshore 150 has disrupted structural props through a revolutionary design brought together using lightweight, high-strength structural elements, boltless connections that render consumables obsolete, and creating significant benefits including reduced labour, handling, storage, installation and deinstallation costs, decreased transportation and handling, and a lower carbon footprint.

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ROADS FEBRUARY 2022

ROADS REVIEW

MICHAEL CALTABIANO, CEO, AUSTRALIAN ROAD RESEARCH BOARD (ARRB) As we move to a zero emissions future, the confluence of a focus on reducing our footprint on the world with the circular economy outcomes will flow into the construction sector.

It will be no longer acceptable to build transport infrastructure that has not been assessed against circular economy outcomes. The enhanced use of a suite of emerging products like bottom ash in embankment construction, crumbed rubber in all bitumen applications, recycled crushed concrete and waste stream glass in granular materials. The next generation of construction materials and the smart construction techniques used to place and compact these will be a key innovation that will be normalised across the sector in 2022 and beyond.

At ARRB, the National Transport Research Organisation, we have completed the technical certification of the products and processes necessary to allow these next generation materials to be used in Australian road construction. We look forward to playing our part in a future zero net emissions world.

ROB BRYANT, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT APAC, INEIGHT Road construction is as innovative and evolutionary as the vehicles using them!

Design: Mitchell Freeway upgrade in WA is a great example of smart highways incorporating sensors, signals and overhead message boards to improve traffic flows and guide maintenance work.

Construction techniques: Design for Assembly (DfA) is an innovative approach to building key components for rapid assembly on site. Particularly useful in lots or segments that include bridges and tunnels.

Digital project management for design, construction and maintenance: Artificial Intelligence facilitates agile budgeting and scheduling, which incorporates risk considerations and best practice from similar road projects.

DR SALMAN SHOOSHTARIAN, LECTURER, SCHOOL OF PROPERTY, CONSTRUCTION AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT, RMIT UNIVERSITY In Australia, the architecture, engineering and construction industry has a low resource efficiency. In 2018-19, the industry produced 27 million tonnes of construction and demolition (C&D) waste. Managing such a large quantity of waste has become a priority for Australian federal and state governments. Circular economy – an emerging concept in Australia – seems to offer a solution via using recycled C&D waste materials. However, the industry fails to create demand for these materials. Creating and stimulating markets could solve the problem.

Market development only happens if barriers are identified and tackled systematically – a task that is not easy, but can change the industry in a positive way.

DEEPAK MADAN, CHIEF MARKETING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, SRIPATH ASIA-PAC PGXpand, a unique innovative polymer additive, was recently introduced into Australia by Sripath Asia-Pac. A plastomeric polymer, PGXpand enhances high temperature performance of bitumen without impacting low temperature properties. PGXpand Modified Bitumen mix delivers roadways with outstand­ing rutting resistance, fatigue properties and durability. PGXpand lowers viscos­ity, improves workability, and makes it easier to pave and compact. It is highly dosage efficient, storage stable and easily mixes into bitumen using low shear mixers and short mixing times; result­ing in lower overall mix cost. Sripath is also exploring the use of PGXpand in hot spray seal applications to mitigate difficulties encountered with the use of crumb rubber. In addition, PGXpand Modified Emulsions are used for repair and maintenance applications. Sripath is currently working with key industry experts and stakehold­ers in Australia to test and approve PGXpand.

If you or someone at your organisation is an industry leader and would like to be a part of this monthly column in 2021, please get in touch with Editor, Tara Hamid: tara.hamid@primecreative.com.au roadsonline.com.au

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ASSET VISION

BRINGS INNOVATION TO THE WORLD OF ROAD MAINTENANCE AUSTRALIAN-OWNED COMPANY ASSET VISION HAS TAKEN ITS INTELLIGENT TRANSPORT ASSET MANAGEMENT PLATFORM TO A NEW LEVEL USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING. ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE LOOKS AT WHAT THIS MEANS FOR ROAD AUTHORITIES, COUNCILS AND CONTRACTORS IN CHARGE OF ROAD MAINTENANCE.

R

oad maintenance, though essential for commuter safety, is an arduous task for those involved in the process. For the inspection crew, it often means long hours of driving along regional, state and national roads looking for potholes or broken sign boards along the way. This increases the risk of accidents as inspectors have to get in and out of their vehicle next to moving traffic to record any defects they encounter.

That scenario could be changing soon with widespread roll out of an Australianowned road maintenance technology that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to facilitate such inspections from the safety of a vehicle.

The EaglEye artificial intelligence software, which was acquired recently

by Asset Vision, can be used by road maintenance teams to map and assess road sections in a fraction of the time compared to traditional methods.

The software uses footage captured by vehicle-mounted cameras to automatically detect, categorise and assess the condition of road assets, including signs, line marking, trees, and safety barriers, as well as the road surface itself. This means inspectors no longer need to leave their vehicles. Instead, they can travel at the speed of the traffic, resulting in significant improvements in safety and productivity gains.

The innovative technology has already been embraced by the Victorian State 32

ROADS FEBRUARY 2022

Government as well as a number of contractors and road operators in Australia, New Zealand and internationally.

Victoria’s Department of Transport (DoT) recently completed a trial of Asset Vision’s AI-integrated software to map and assess the condition of more than 4000 kilometres of roads and roadside assets in Victoria’s north-east region.

Using this ground-breaking software, the DoT, Regional Roads Victoria (RRV) and their alliance partner DM Roads assessed the condition of more than 160,000 individual road assets across thousands of kilometres of road sections in a matter of weeks. The same job would have taken around three years using traditional methods.

“This technology is allowing us to work more efficiently and safely – it removes the need for workers to be out on the roads putting themselves in potentially risky situations,” Victoria’s Minister for Roads and Road Safety Ben Carroll said in a statement.

As Steve Bowmaker, RRV’s Regional Director for the Hume Region explains, “We’ve been using AI [technology] in the region to gather critical information about our asset base. It’s a really rapid information acquisition task, that we can now do in hours and days, not weeks and months.

“We use the critical video footage [from EaglEye] to pick up all of the assets along the section of the network. That could be

anything from a road sign to road markings, the condition of the road itself and other items of roadside furniture such as wire rope safety barriers,” he adds.

In fact, adoption of AI technology on Victoria’s road network has been widely recognised for its innovative approach.

Asset Vision’s EaglEye software uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to automatically identify asset inventory and road defects.

INNOVATION SPOTLIGHT

DoT Victoria was recently a finalist for the prestigious Gartner Eye on Innovation Awards for Government 2021, an award that recognises government organisation initiatives that make innovative use of data and emerging technologies.

EAGLESOFT ACQUISITION, A NATURAL PROGRESSION IN ASSET VISION’S EVOLUTION Asset Vision was built from the ground up and launched in 2010. It was the culmination of a decade of experience and lessons learnt consulting with road maintenance contractors across Australia, who sought to digitise their field workers and move away from pen and paper processes. Asset Vision landed its first major client in 2012 after winning a competitive tender from the Victorian Department of Transport (formerly VicRoads) for an asset maintenance management system.

The brainchild of Co-Founder and CEO Damian Smith, the Asset Vision Software as a Service (SaaS) platform is accessible through a web browser, and an offlineenabled app on iOS and Android devices.

It is designed to enable asset owners, contractors and sub-contractors to easily

handle different aspects of road related asset maintenance together. The all-in-one, smart platform connects all parties and has everything from field inspections and defect capture to asset inventory, work order management, resource planning and consumption, and maintaining compliance KPIs. The Asset Vision coPilot product allows for road inspections to be undertaken without the inspectors having to take their hands off the wheel or stopping the vehicle. This is achieved by the inspector’s smartphone being mounted to the dashboard or windscreen with its camera facing the road, and a battery powered Bluetooth smart button attached to the steering wheel. When the inspector notices a defect they press the button, which triggers the Asset Vision app to capture a burst of photos along with the current GPS location which attaches the defect to the correct asset. It then also listens for voice narration from the inspector for keywords to classify the defect and then records any additional comments as text.

“Asset Vision coPilot was a step towards making inspections safer and more efficient for road inspectors. We have

had universally positive feedback from our clients, particularly from inspectors frequently travelling on precarious, winding roads on the side of mountains where there is nowhere to pull over safely,” says Smith.

To further this vision, in July 2021 Asset Vision completed the acquisition of EagleSoft – an Australian provider of an Intelligent Data Capture technology [EaglEye] that automatically detects both road defects and asset inventory through video footage and AI. With EaglEye, vehicle-mounted cameras capture video as the inspector drives along a road. The video is then uploaded to a cloud environment where it is analysed using AI and machine learning to detect road defects, from simple cracking to potholes. Roadside assets such as pits, wire rope barriers and signage can also be recognised, and all data can be readily shared/integrated with Asset Vision or other applications as needed.

THE FUTURE OF TRANSPORT ASSET MANAGEMENT According to Smith, what the EagleSoft acquisition means for Asset Vision’s existing and future customers is access to

roadsonline.com.au

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INNOVATION SPOTLIGHT

Asset Vision coPilot enables road inspectors to keep their hands on the wheel and remain inside their vehicle to stay safe.

an even more efficient and cost-effective tool for analysing road conditions, while providing higher levels of safety for maintenance crews.

“This is going to be a real game changer,” says Smith. “With Asset Vision, our goal has always been to help deliver a safer and more efficient road network by minimising person-vehicle interaction. With the help of EagleSoft’s AI technology, we are taking Asset Vision to the next level. This is a oneof-a-kind technology for road maintenance, not just in Australia, but globally, and we expect it will drastically improve the way roads in the country are assessed and maintained to the level expected by road users and the community.”

Chris Wignall, Asset Vision’s Head of Sales, says by using the Asset Vision platform, contractors, road authorities and councils find it easy to report on compliance and manage their work schedules.

“In our conversations with clients we’ve been told that using our new AI data capture approach alongside Asset Vision’s platform has made it easier for them to identify sections of road that require urgent repair, allowing them to allocate funding and resources where it is needed most to keep the roads safer.”

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ROADS FEBRUARY 2022

“WITH THE HELP OF EAGLESOFT’S AI TECHNOLOGY, WE ARE TAKING ASSET VISION TO THE NEXT LEVEL. THIS IS A ONE-OF-A-KIND TECHNOLOGY FOR ROAD MAINTENANCE, NOT JUST IN AUSTRALIA, BUT GLOBALLY, AND WE EXPECT IT WILL DRASTICALLY IMPROVE THE WAY ROADS IN THE COUNTRY ARE ASSESSED AND MAINTAINED TO THE LEVEL EXPECTED.”

With ‘flexibility’ one of the core pillars on which the Asset Vision platform has been built, the company recognises that maintenance of a road network also includes related asset classes, and that every client has unique needs.

“Early on in our story we began with roads, but we have since broadened our scope to include all the asset classes associated with modern roads; including bridges, drainage, tunnels, smart signs, Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and so forth. Some of our local government clients who started managing only roads using our technology have now also extended its use to other council assets like open spaces and facilities. We are also currently implementing Asset Vision to manage ferries for Transport for NSW in Sydney. We will soon go live supporting the maintenance of a major Australian

airport and we also have a fair bit of interest in managing rail,” says Smith.

Asset Vision also holds contracts with toll road operators in the US and New Zealand. Smith says the team is working hard to expand its Australian and global footprint and further build out the capabilities of the platform.

“Given we aren’t new to the game, our platform is quite mature in its functionality, so what we’re seeing now are opportunities to work with clients to expand into areas for efficiency gains and enhance their overall physical safety when working out on the roads. As more clients come on board in Australia and internationally, we always take the time to work closely with their field teams and if there’s a way we can enhance or fine tune our platform to help to keep them safe, we’ll find a way to make that happen.”

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ASTEC: BUILT TO CONNECT ON 50 YEARS OF

INNOVATION

ASTEC INDUSTRIES TURNS 50 THIS YEAR. ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE SITS DOWN WITH ASTEC AUSTRALIA’S REGIONAL MANAGING DIRECTOR DAVID SMALE TO TALK ABOUT HOW THE COMPANY HAS BEEN AN INNOVATION LEADER THROUGH ALL THESE YEARS, AND HOW THE RECENT BUSINESS RESTRUCTURE HAS REINVIGORATED ITS PURPOSE, ‘BUILT TO CONNECT.’

F

ew manufacturers within the road construction sector can match Astec Industries in the number of innovations the company has introduced since its inception almost 50 years ago.

Founded by Don Brock – himself an inventor and Doctor of Mechanical Engineering – in Tennessee, United States in August 1972, the company quickly established a global reputation for producing innovative, high quality and reliable products in the asphalt and quarry industries.

“From the very beginning, Don Brock built this company to truly connect to its customers and to provide them with innovative products and unparalleled service,” says David Smale, Astec Australia’s Managing Director. “And today, under the strong leadership of Barry Ruffalo,

Astec has recently delivered the SB-3000 Shuttle Buggy with an updated design.

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President and CEO of Astec Industries Inc., ‘continuous devotion to meeting the needs of the customer’ still remains our number one core value.”

From the introduction of the Shuttle Buggy, which has forever transformed the way asphalt is paved, to Astec’s latest Barber Green (BG) series of modular asphalt plants, and high frequency screens for recycling materials including Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP), glass, plasterboard and more – every Astec product is designed to create value for customers and care for the environment.

Smale, Astec’s Managing Director in Australia since day one, recently guided the company’s transition from a decentralised model, where it operated as 16 separate businesses, into a centralised structure incorporating all the company’s products

and services under the OneASTEC banner.

Smale says the simplification was timely and necessary.

“Bringing the likes of Astec Inc, Heatec, Powerflame, CEI, Dillman, Roadtec, Carlson, JCI, KPI, BTI, Telsmith, Osborn, Rexcon, Con-e-co, BMH and GEFCO, all under one umbrella has provided the company with focus and alignment of purpose globally, while establishing greater regional connection with our customers.”

Smale, who himself has a long history in the civil construction industry, says Astec Australia has always maintained close relationships with its customers, supporting them and frequently drawing inspiration from their feedback.

An example of this, he recalls, was Astec’s redesign of its portable asphalt plants specifically for Australia.

TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

“When we introduced our portable plants to Australia some thirty years ago, transport requirements weren’t as stringent. With increasing focus on regulations over the years, customers needed mobile plants that were more transportable.

“So we worked with our factory design engineers to re-work the length, width, axle positioning and spacing of our plant trailers and came up with a mobile plant that aligned with Australia’s national heavy vehicle regulations,” Smale explains.

Astec’s innovations also extend to its asphalt mixing plants, with the company being one of the first in the world to introduce asphalt plants with a high capacity for recycled content.

The company’s range of asphalt mixing plants features the unique Astec Double Barrel. The dryer/drum mixer combines the functions of a dryer, continuousprocess mixer and recycling. The result is a continuous-process mixer in one compact and efficient system. Since its introduction, Astec’s Double Barrel range has expanded to include the Double Barrel with Rotary Mixer and V Pack System for even greater recycling capability and superior productivity.

The company’s BG Batch Plant Series is a completely new range of modular batch plants. Designed to be cost-effectively shipped and installed, BG Batch Plants are easily relocated. The series’ multiple drying and recycling options include a unique, new double-barrel dryer.

In terms of its range of asphalt laying equipment, Smale notes that Astec has always been hands-on in introducing or modifying products to increase productivity and to make them safer and more ergonomically comfortable for operators.

The company has recently delivered the SB3000 Shuttle Buggy, an updated design that includes significant improvements in energy efficiency, operator comfort, field of vision and safety.

Another example of Astec innovation is the new Prosizer 3100-2514MF, a mobile, road-registered, self-powered recycling facility. Transported on a single trailer, the Prosizer 3100-2514MF is well suited to the asphalt, quarrying and building industries.

“Within the road industry, for example, Astec’s Prosizer 3100-2514MF can be used to fractionate RAP stockpiles for producing hot mix asphalt. In designing this powerful recycling system, we have again considered component sizes to facilitate easy road

Astec’s range of asphalt mixing plants feature the unique Astec Double Barrel.

transport. The feeder, rotor and screen have all been designed to fit within one trailer, so the Prosizer can be easily shipped around,” Smale explains.

A NEW MODEL FOR INNOVATION So how does a global company like Astec, with such a comprehensive product portfolio, remain connected to its roots, to its commitment to keep innovating and solving problems for the industry? Smale believes the answer lies in the company’s purpose statement: Built to Connect.

“There are so many ways of reading that,” he says. “We are built to connect with our customers and communities, built to connect quarries to plants to roads, built to connect customers to customers. I think that’s what we do best, connect with our customers. We truly listen to them. Many of our team members come from the industry so we readily relate to our customers’ problems and understand their priorities – and we respond with urgency.”

In the new business structure, Smale explains, Astec has decided that having seven global regions is the ideal framework to provide proximity of manufacturing and delivery to customers.

“Our responsibility in the regions is to connect with our customers, to ensure our equipment meet their specific needs. In other words, that our Astec products are built to meet the market’s specifications and our customers’ expectations,” says Smale.

“We want to change the perception

that we are an American company manufacturing in North America and selling to the world. We have factories in South Africa, Brazil, Ireland, as well as a factory currently being developed in India. So, while some products will still be manufactured in North America, we are being more competitive by bringing a lot of the manufacturing closer to the destination markets.”

The centralised business model also includes Astec’s dealership network. Smale says the change has enabled Astec’s dealers and customers to have a central point of contact through Astec Australia.

“Previously, our product dealers had to work directly with factories located in North America or Europe. Now, we are providing all those services, including customer support, training and parts, through a single Astec Australia portal.

Based on feedback we have received, this has already proven to be a better model, both for our dealers and customers,” Smale says.

“When you’re a company that’s almost 50 years old, implementing change within your own organisation can be very challenging.

I’m delighted with how quickly we have transitioned to Astec’s new business model,” Smale adds. “We are committed to connecting people, processes and products, advancing innovative solutions from rock to road. We are ‘built to connect’, and Barry’s leadership and OneASTEC help us to achieve our purpose.” roadsonline.com.au

37

MEGAPROJECTS AND THE

DELIVERY DILEMMA:

How modern risk management can lower uncertainties WITH CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS GROWING IN SIZE AND COMPLEXITY, TRADITIONAL RISK ASSESSMENT TOOLS OFTEN FAIL TO ACCURATELY PREDICT UNCERTAINTIES. INEIGHT EXPERT NATE ST. JOHN EXPLAINS WHY A COLLABORATIVE, RISK-ADJUSTED APPROACH ASSISTED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS THE ANSWER.

T

he dystopian Hollywood movies depicting a future led by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) often portray a world where robots have run amok, overtaking humans [with their limited intelligence] in running the affairs of the world.

While the fear might not be entirely unfounded given the dilemma of our time around use of social media and its evergrowing data pool, one reality cannot be undermined: Artificial intelligence is already here and it’s helping humans take better decisions in their everyday lives.

As Nate St. John, Director of Planning, Scheduling and Risk Products at InEight observes, it would be a loss not to use that unbiased machine intelligence to assess risks and bring down the level of uncertainties on construction projects, particularly the larger, more complex ones.

Today’s capital construction projects have grown bigger and more complex from just a decade ago. Multi-billion dollar transport infrastructure projects are no longer an exception, but a norm.

With that increase in size of projects come bigger uncertainties and risks of budget overruns.

In its 2020 report, ‘The Rise of Megaprojects: counting the costs,’ the Grattan Institute announced the arrival of an era of megaprojects in Australia, where two thirds of the government’s transport infrastructure projects are now valued over $5 billion.1 The report found an overrun of $24 billion on just six mega transport projects [within the report’s study period], where bigger projects had a higher risk of outrunning budget estimates.

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Nate St. John, InEight’s Director of Planning, Scheduling and Risk Products.

“I’M A FIRM BELIEVER THAT COMMUNICATION AND PLANNING HAVE TO SCALE WITH PROJECT’S SIZE AND COMPLEXITY. AND SO, WITH CAPITAL PROJECTS GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER, IF YOU DON’T PUT THE UPFRONT EFFORT INTO ESTABLISHING AN HONEST COMMUNICATION AND PLANNING CULTURE WITHIN YOUR TEAM, YOU ARE ALWAYS GOING TO LAG BEHIND.”

RISK ASSESSMENT ON MEGAPROJECTS Having had involvements with the planning and scheduling corporate steering committee at one of the largest construction and engineering firms in North America for several years prior to joining InEight, St. John has had first-hand experience with preplanning, baseline development, progress and execution.

He says the biggest risk of relying on the traditional project management tools to assess risk in mega construction projects is that they fail to incorporate active risk adjustments through the project lifecycle.

“In the traditional planning approaches, such as a critical path method, there’s a heavy focus on planning from left to right, where you start from one point and draw the path of construction. The problem with relying solely on that approach is that it subjects you to areas of compounding delays, where one incident can have a rippleon effect down the line,” he explains.

Having disconnected risk registers and schedules is another critical factor that can lead to knowledge gaps, resulting in overly optimistic estimations, St. John observes.

“Traditionally, the process of establishing a risk register and then mapping that to the schedule has always been a separate exercise.

That’s because they’ve always used separate tools. The gap between a disconnected risk register and the schedule is usually filled by experienced team members accounting for risk manually or applying their ‘gut feel’ against contingency items. As seasoned as your project team may be, there will be areas missing coverage on risk exposure, resulting in unnecessary risk consumption.”

The other area where projects can get into trouble, he observes, is where the schedulers retain most of the responsibility with themselves, without establishing an element of active risk management in collaboration with the project team.

“I’m a firm believer that communication and planning have to scale with project’s size and complexity. And so, with capital projects getting bigger and bigger, if you don’t put the upfront effort into establishing an honest communication and planning culture within your team, you are always going to lag behind,” he says.

FILLING THE RISK KNOWLEDGE GAP So how do modern risk management tools bridge the risk knowledge gap to minimise uncertainty on projects?

As St. John explains, a modern planning tool such as InEight’s integrated project planning,

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

scheduling and risk analysis software can combine AI, ML and a collaborative approach to create a risk-adjusted plan to achieve more certainty in project execution.

“InEight Schedule, which is InEight’s planning, scheduling and risk analysis software, is designed around the concept of risk-adjusted forecasting to help improve project predictability and to provide a ‘most likely’ scenario rather than a ‘best case’ scenario.”

In this risk-adjusted approach, St. John explains the outcome might be more conservative, but it will also have a higher degree of certainty.

“For a megaproject, you need to be able to say with at least 75 to 80 per cent confidence that the predicted outcome is going to happen. That’s what InEight’s tool offers, using a consensus model based on feedback from experienced team members, as well as relying on AI and ML for additional insights,” he says.

He then goes on to explain each of those capabilities further.

“One of the things that we introduced at InEight Schedule is the ability to solicit feedback from experts anywhere in the world. If you envision the phase of the project when you have an established baseline schedule, the scheduler can then send a digital invite to several planning experts anywhere in the world, asking them to add their markups. In this way, you can capture a varied consensus pool without affecting your underlying schedule and take in all of those opinions into factor,” he explains.

“The good thing about this approach is that people can take their time, away from peer pressure, to provide their honest opinion.

From my experience of facilitating numerous risk workshops for construction companies, when you take a poll in real time, the loudest voice in the room often wins. Our mission is to democratise access to risk assessment so that where input used to be reserved for expensive consultants, it can now be extended to a bigger crowd to create a knowledge library.”

tool means that the software can use data from your company’s past experiences to prompt the scheduler to consider risk factors the company has previously experienced on similar projects. It is, of course, up to the planner to accept the software’s suggestion or not. The end user always has the ability to say: no, this isn’t appropriate for my scenario,” he explains.

“The ML component of the tool also means that when you do reject a suggestion, the computer will go back and re-weigh the algorithm so that the next time that scenario happens, it intends to be smarter and provide more meaningful suggestions. In this way, the more data rich companies become, or in other words the more they place clean, good data into the system, the better insights and outcomes they can get.”

For those who may still be sceptical about the power of AI, St. John reiterates that computers are more un-biased than humans.

“As human beings, there are cognitive biases in all of our decision-makings.

Computers are not biased, they are using data, their algorithms can be flexible, so they get smarter overtime. But if you need somebody, a voice of reason, sometimes letting technology play devil’s advocate and show you a different option just sets you up for more insight, which sets you up to make smarter business decisions.”

SCHEDULING FOR THE FUTURE While there isn’t a catch-all solution to mitigating all risks on projects, St. John believes relying on old techniques and hoping they would be enough to provide a realistic picture of today’s complex projects

would be like wearing ‘rose-coloured glasses.’

Taking a risk-adjusted approach to planning and scheduling, he says, is even more critical given the changing anatomy of construction contracts.

“Not a long time ago, the construction sector was inclined to use a design-bid-build model of contracts – which is what some people also referred to as rip-and-read contracts. These days and with broader use of third-party agreements, the risk has been shifted mostly to the contractors to manage engineering, procurement and construction,” he says.

“While project teams normally do a decent job of generating a pre-bid risk matrix, the critical element of active risk management can often become a mere afterthought. This is what we refer to in the industry as wearing ‘rose-coloured glasses’ and hoping everything is going to be fine. That’s where things often go to the sideways.”

With these increased contractual risks, taking a risk-adjusted approach to planning would only make sense, St. John concludes.

“Today’s collaborative tools allow you to democratise access to technology so that you can establish a self-perpetuating risk assessment culture within your organisation and rely on it as a baseline to mitigate risks for your projects. Particularly in a sector like construction that’s so iterative and suited to scenario-based modelling, why would you not leverage that additional insight?”

REFERENCES: 1- “The rise of megaprojects: counting the costs” report by the Grattan Institute, November 2020.

The InEight Schedule software is designed around the concept of risk-adjusted forecasting.

COMPUTERS TO THE RESCUE The other unique ability in InEight Schedule is the incorporation of AI and ML to assist humans with decision-making. Here, St. John says, the computer’s knowledge can augment the scheduler’s experience to better recognise potential risks.

“The AI and the ML components of the roadsonline.com.au

39

BUILDING THE

SAFE ZONE

A LONG-TERM PLAYER IN THE TEMPORARY FENCING MARKET, 1300TEMPFENCE HAS RECENTLY EXPANDED ITS FLEET TO TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS. THE COMPANY’S NATIONAL CATEGORY MANAGER FOR TRAFFIC, PEZHMAN SALAHSHORI, TALKS TO ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE ABOUT SAFETY COMPLIANCE FOR TRAFFIC BARRIERS.

P

ezhman Salahshori regards himself as a “custodian of safety protocols” within the traffic industry.

Having recently joined 1300TempFence as the National Category Manager for Traffic products, he has nearly two decades’ experience working with traffic management products in various capacities, from rentals to sales and operations. As such, he is well aware of the risks of non-compliance.

“These products are designed to save lives. But they are only effective if they have been tested by the manufacturer and met the compliance requirements.

The customer also needs to be educated about the limitations and capabilities of each product, and as suppliers, I think it’s our job to provide that education,” he says.

Salahshori recalls how things were different 20 years ago, when there were less regulations guiding selection of traffic barriers.

“When I first came into the industry, there were only a handful of products that had any sort of rigorous testing and compliance done. Most of traffic management supplies, predominantly on the non-highway side, consisted of witches’ hats and orange bollards, maybe the black and yellow barricades, but there was very little in way of proprietary safety products that were tested and met compliance,” he says.

TAKING A SAFETY-FIRST APPROACH But how does one determine the best type of road barrier for each project?

Salahshori says the choice often comes down to the specific project’s requirements, as well as specifications by the road authority and the project traffic manager.

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of new products have entered the road market and it’s unreasonable to expect a project engineer, who might be first or second year out of university, to understand the capabilities and limitations of each proprietary products.

“So, I think we all have a role to play, whether we are a rental company, a manufacturer or a safety officer on a project, to give the right information that allows our customers to decide the best product to use. It’s our moral obligation.”

For its part, Salahshori says 1300TempFence is making sure its products are compliant with the highest safety standards, while the personnel at the company’s branches are all trained to provide their customers with full product information.

Pezhman Salahshori, National Category Manager for Traffic, 1300TempFence.

“Various factors can feed into that decision, for example how close to the barrier people need to work,” he says.

“Usually for high-speed applications the choice is between steel and concrete barriers and for low-speed applications, the choice is often between a waterfilled or a concrete barrier. Over the past decade, there has been a slow move away from concrete barriers towards greater adoption of steel barriers, as steel offers less deflection and tends to be more forgiving to the occupants of the vehicle in case there is a collision with the barrier.”

With all of these barrier choices, Salahshori once again emphasises that knowledge of each product’s limitations and capabilities is critical to ensuring maximum safety.

“Over the past few years, hundreds

A NEW PRODUCT CATEGORY While 1300TempFence has had a strong presence in the Australian market since early the 1990s for hire and sale of temporary fencing products, traffic barriers are rather a new product category for the company.

Salahshori’s appointment also coincides with a period of rapid growth for 1300TempFence, where the company is growing its presence in the traffic management space and expanding its nation-wide branch network.

Late last year, the company introduced its SafeZone steel road barriers, with the system already being deployed on some of the biggest road construction projects in the country. According to Salahshori, the barriers are among the highest rated in the industry.

“The unique thing about the SafeZone steel road barriers is that they provide the best level of deflection performance for

TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT

guardrail, which is a MASH Test Level 4 (TL4) compliance level” he says.

The MASH TL4 crash test required the barriers to take the impact of a 10-tonne truck travelling at 90 km/h and 15 degrees.

The test is designed to replicate a highspeed crash where the vehicle deviates from its original path by three lanes.

“Our steel barriers have passed that test with less deflection than any other steel barrier in their class. Less deflection means the project teams can be allowed to work closer to the barrier, which narrows the exclusion zone and adds more efficiency to projects,” says Salahshori.

To complement the steel barriers,

1300TempFence has also introduced plastic crash cushions that help prevent severe damage to vehicles colliding with the steel barriers at either ends.

BUILDING ON REPUTATION Prior to introducing the SafeZone steel road barriers, 1300TempFence also had thousands of kilometres of its Shield I water filled safety crash barriers installed throughout the country. Made in Australia and approved by road authorities Australia wide, the Shield I water filled barriers offer a MASH TL1 level of traffic protection – making them ideal for deployment in built up urban areas where speed zones are 50 km/hr or less.

Going forward, Salahshori says 1300TempFence will focus on expanding its fleet further, while building on its brand reputation as a customer-centric company.

“We realise that we are starting our journey in the traffic barrier space somewhat behind the more established players in the market, so our goal is to build a foothold and carve out a niche for ourselves by providing customers with superior customer service and expert advice,” he notes. “We are currently in the midst of a rapid and expansive growth phase. I’ve come on-board at just the right time and my goal is to ride that wave and along the way, add some complementary products to bolster our offering.”

The SafeZone steel road barriers, recently introduced by 1300TempFence, are among the highest rated in the industry.

roadsonline.com.au

41

KEEPING A KEEN

EYE ON SAFETY SHAMIR AUSTRALIA’S SAFETY LENS RANGE IS HELPING TO PROTECT THE EYES OF THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY, WHILE ALSO PROVIDING EMPLOYMENT FOR LOCAL WORKFORCE. ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE REPORTS. Shamir’s safety lenses provide eye protection for different industries.

I

n just a five-year period between 2010 and 2015, a total of 51,778 Australians were administered to hospital after suffering eye injuries, as reported by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

A report on work-related eye injuries, published by the Australian Safety and Compensation Council in 2008, found that 1049 cases of work-related eye injury resulted in hospitalisation during the twoyear period covered by the study.

With eye injuries still prevalent throughout the construction industry, Shamir Australia is committed to delivering maximum eye

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protection with its safety eyewear.

The company, which manufactures hundreds of thousands of lenses each year from its Brisbane laboratory, combines its Australian-made specialty prescription lenses with Eyres’ safety frames to create certified eyewear for industrial use.

Shamir Safety Operations Manager Dale Reeves says that Shamir Australia’s manufacturing process is focused on using the best materials and testing each product individually to ensure it can withstand external forces to protect the eyes.

“We start by choosing specific materials

which we know will be impact resistant.

One such material is TR90, which is a thermal plastic material with great impact resistance values,” Reeves says.

Another highly impact resistant materials is Polycarbonate. Originally developed for aerospace applications, Polycarbonate is a light weight and impact-resistant material, which offers 100 per cent UV protection for users.

Once designed, Shamir’s safety eyewear endures a thorough testing process. This includes the use of a High Velocity Impact Tester, which propels a 6.35-millimetre steel ball up to speeds of 190m/s (684 kilometres per hour) to analyse the safety properties of the product.

“All of our products are medium impact, meaning they can withstand impacts as fast as 45 metres per second, which is the equivalent of 162 kilometres per hour,” Reeves says.

TAILORED DESIGNS Shamir Australia’s range can also satisfy both non-prescription and prescription requirements for customers.

As Reeves explains, the quality of both non-prescription and prescription products is certified through an external auditor, SIA Global.

“All of the frames within our collection satisfy the quality requirements for prescription safety glasses (AS/NZS 1337.6) and for non-prescription safety glasses (AS/NZS 1337.1) and these are verified by SIA Global,” Reeves says. “They have a long list of requirements that we need to meet to achieve certification under the Australian standard.”

All designs are reviewed by SIA Global, through frequent quality checks.

“Part of that certification includes an on-premise audit by SIA Global every year.

SAFETY

The Eyres frame manufacturers in Taiwan also get audited by SIA Global, which gives us assurance that all of our eyewear components are being manufactured the way that we want them to be,” Reeves says.

While Shamir Australia manufactures safety glasses for a wide range of industries, construction and mining are two predominant customers, Reeves says.

“On the non-prescription side, we supply to all of the major PPE stores around Australia. We also have contracts where construction companies, electrical companies, etc. place orders directly with us,” he says.

Individual prescription lenses are manufactured at Shamir’s two storey building in Brisbane, which is home to laboratories with state-of-the-art production and manufacturing equipment.

“On the prescription side of things, we work with a large network of Australian optometrists who check for individual requirements of customers and then we make individual pairs tailored to customers’ eye sights, not dissimilar to purchasing a new set of reading glasses,” he says.

One of the major features, and requirements for quality satisfaction, is the wrapped frames for the wearer. As Reeves says, this feature helps to prevent unlikely eye injuries.

“Lateral eye protection is an important aspect of eye safety, and a part of the certification that products need to satisfy,” he says. “Lateral protection is satisfied in our products through the provision of wrapped lenses, which prevent operators from receiving eye injuries from the side of the head.”

Shamir’s safety lenses can be customised to suit the application at hand.

LENS OPTIONS Shamir Australia’s safety optical lenses can also be customised through a wide range of lens coatings. Each coating serves a unique purpose and suits both indoor and outdoor working conditions.

“For example, an anti-scratch coating protects the glasses if they are dropped onto a hard surface. The anti-reflecting coating enhances the glass wearer’s vision by allowing more light to pass through the lens.

An anti-fog lens prevents excess fogging on the lens surface,” Reeves explains.

The choice for the right lens, Reeves says, depends on the conditions the workers will be working in.

“For example, for construction workers who are working outdoors, we recommend polarised lenses or tinted lenses,” he says.

SUPPORTING AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING Reeves says Shamir Australia is proud of its Australian-made identity and committed

to supporting local employment at its headquarters in Brisbane.

“We just like the idea that we are looking after people in Brisbane, making jobs and keeping jobs here in Australia. So rather than doing what most other lens manufacturers have done, which is taking manufacturing offshore, we are happy to be supporting and training the local workforce,” he says.

While Shamir Australia does have some reliance on international manufacturing for select components, the company still has a long-term vision to maintain its home-grown production base.

“We have facilities all around the world, some of which are even bigger than the one that we have here in Brisbane, but by maintaining local manufacturing, we have built a strong connection with our customer base and that’s something we greatly value,” says Reeves.

For more information, visit: www.shamir.com/au

Shamir’s safety lenses come in both prescription and non-prescription variants. roadsonline.com.au

43

MODERN ASSET

PROTECTION

UNDERWRITING AGENCIES OF AUSTRALIA’S INDUSTRIAL SPECIAL PLANT POLICY IS SUPPORTING INSURANCE BROKERS AND ITS CLIENTS TO PROTECT VALUABLE ASSETS. FOR A BUSINESS SUCH AS TANDY GROUP, ASSET PROTECTION IS AN ESSENTIAL ASPECT OF MAINTAINING AN OPERATION. AS ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE MAGAZINE LEARNS.

H

aving had more than 30 years’ experience in providing insurance solutions for mobile plants, Underwriting Agencies of Australia (UAA) has developed a rapport for understanding the needs of its clients.

This expertise extends to its claims management services, which UAA provides through a vast network of suppliers in Australia, as well as overseas.

UAA Group Chief Underwriting Officer and Regional Manager – North Jane King says an important aspect of policy implementation is the relationship with the insurance broker.

“UAA provides a fully hand-crafted

UAA’s Industrial Special Plant policy has been developed with mobile plants in mind.

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policy to suit the business requirements of the insured group,” she says. “The covers incorporated on the policy have been specifically discussed with the broker to ensure a maximum level of cover is provided.”

By maintaining this relationship with the broker, UAA can provide cover which has been developed in conjunction with industry input.

“UAA operates under a high touch model and regularly meets with brokers to discuss any queries that arise. Our underwriting team is fully equipped with specialist knowledge to provide on-going support, and we have a

Jane King, Chief Underwriting Officer of UAA Group.

dedicated claims team who are specialists in their field,” King says.

THE RIGHT BROKER One such broker is Regional Insurance Brokers, which services clients in the Queensland region. Since its inception in 1981, Regional Insurance Brokers has serviced the business and personal insurance needs of more than 20,000 customers and managed more than 48,000 claims.

Mitch Binney, Director for Northern Queensland says Regional Insurance Brokers provides local knowledge to its clients through its 11 office locations, which includes Brisbane, Cairns and the Gold Coast.

“We primarily provide services to the commercial sector, but we also do a lot of plant equipment, businesses serving the mines and heavy haulage transport,” he says.

One of Regional Insurance Brokers’ longstanding clients is the Tandy Group – a Queensland-based business overseeing the operation of a diverse range of services from production of raw materials to environmental solutions, concrete manufacturing, transport, supplying potable drinking water and liquid nitrogen as well

ASSET MANAGEMENT

UAA supports brokers such as Regional Insurance Brokers to fulfill the insurance needs of the client.

as genetic solutions and training to the cattle industry.

Binney says services provided to Tandy Group range from general advice on vehicle purchase to risk management and claims management services.

“The vast scope of Tandy Group’s services means they require customised insurance policies to suit different areas of their work,” Binney says.

Through its partnership with UAA, Regional Insurance Brokers also provides Tandy Group with its Industrial Special Plant policy, which has been specifically tailored to suit the specialised and diverse activities of Tandy Group.

As Jane King reiterates, the Industrial Special Plant policy is tailored to “suit the unique exposures of each business”.

“UAA understands the importance of downtime in this industry and what impact this has on the business financially. To combat such risk we have various Financial Protection optional benefits which can assist in the event of a loss, such as providing replacement machines, coverage for loss of revenue and monthly lease payments,” she says.

“The product was specifically designed with mobile plant in mind and has evolved over the years as risks and exposures have changed. Some of our competitors adapt and modify standard products like commercial motor policies in order to accommodate

plant and machinery. It’s like putting a round peg in a square hole, it just doesn’t quite fit.”

As part of its specially designed policy, UAA tailor the modular package, as well as the optional and automatic benefits within it to accommodate the needs of the client and reduce downtime.

“UAA understands the urgency of having the equipment repaired swiftly, and in the event of extensive repairs we can assist with replacement machinery to ensure the work is still being completed,” Jane says.

Binney emphasises that the solutions for Tandy Group would not be possible if not for the constant support of UAA. “For us to find solutions that work, it comes down to the relationship that we have with UAA. I think this is due to their approach to finding a solution which works for the client and being very flexible,” he says.

THE INSURED EXPERIENCE For Tandy Group General Manager Mitchell Flor, the insurance services provided by both Regional Insurance Brokers and UAA has helped instil confidence in the business’ dayto-day operations.

“The Tandy Group is a holding company for many different businesses. We provide everything from the provision of concrete through to the provision of artificial breeding services for beef cattle,” he says.

“We have everything insured via Regional

Insurance Brokers, even right down to travel.”

An Australian owned and operate company since 1968, Tandy Group uses a similar approach to its customers than that of Regional Insurance Brokers and UAA, with an emphasis being placed on providing its wealth of knowledge to benefit clients.

Flor says that Tandy Group has been the beneficiary of Regional Insurance Broker’s insurance outcomes, which includes coverage for earthmoving equipment such as wheel loaders, excavators, a screening plant and dump trucks.

“Regional have been great, they have been very honest and hardworking throughout the 20 years which they have supported us for.

They do go that extra mile when it comes to our needs, whether that is getting a claim finalised or providing advice,” Flor says.

“Insurance is one of those things that everyone hates paying until you actually need them and when that time comes, it’s really nice to know that you have a broker that’s in your corner.”

Jane says the best suggestion that she can provide to the industry is to make sure that businesses have an insurer who understands the aspects of the operation.

“Sit down with your broker and make sure that your current insurance policy is a specialist product that has the ability to cover the many unique exposures associated with your machinery and business in general,” she says. roadsonline.com.au

45

BUILDING THE ROADS

OF THE FUTURE

WITH A FOCUS ON DEVELOPING SUSTAINABLE PAVING SOLUTIONS, SAMI BITUMEN TECHNOLOGIES HAS BEEN PIONEERING RESEARCH AND TRIALLING OF SOME UNIQUE PAVEMENT PRODUCTS. SAMI’S GENERAL MANAGER SEBASTIEN CHATARD TALKS ABOUT THE COMPANY’S VISION FOR GREENER ROADS.

W

ith Australia going through an unprecedented period of infrastructure investments, a growing number of agencies, companies and government bodies are embracing the principles of sustainability in infrastructure.

A sustainable pavement, as defined by the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), is one that achieves its specific engineering goals, while, on a broader scale, (1) meets basic human needs, (2) uses resources effectively, and (3) preserves/restores surrounding ecosystems.

Sebastien Chatard likes to add one more condition to the FHWA definition – and that is durability. He notes that if asphalt binders are designed to improve the serviceability of pavements, they inevitably contribute to effective use of resources and help minimise the need for repair and maintenance, therefore leading to greater sustainability outcomes.

It is in line with these principles, he says, that SAMI Bitumen Technologies has been building its growing portfolio of speciality bituminous products.

“At SAMI, we have been concentrating on expanding our innovative products list with a sustainability focus for many years. In doing that, our focus has been on developing products that can be applied with lower energy cost and lower carbon emissions into the environment, while improving the long-term performance of asphalt and sprayed seals,” he tells Roads & Infrastructure.

SAMIFALT I-BRID One such product that SAMI launched in 2020 and successfully trialled was the SAMIfalt I-Brid, a hybrid asphalt binder with proven rut resistance at elevated road 46

ROADS FEBRUARY 2022

an eye on developing a universal binder suitable for use in different locations and for different types of applications.

“As a national player in the bitumen industry, we listen to the local market to learn what’s required for the Australian environment. That’s why we developed SAMIfalt I-Brid as we saw a gap for a ‘universal’ binder,” he says.

Sebastien Chatard, General Manager, SAMI Bitumen Technologies.

temperatures and high flexibility at cold temperatures under heavy traffic.

The first application of SAMIfalt I-Brid was at the Bundaberg Airport in Queensland for Bundaberg Council, which was laid

by Colas Queensland in June 2020. The binder was required to adhere to the strict requirements for aircraft movement.

In March 2021, SAMI in conjunction with Centre State Asphalting paved 540 tonnes of SAMIfalt I-Brid asphalt at Kangaroo Flat, near Bendigo, for Victoria’s Department of Transport. In June SAMI supplied I-Brid binder to Colas’ Newcastle asphalt plant where it was paved as a wearing course on Weakleys Drive. This is one of the busiest roads in the Maitland Council network and the project was carried out on what was considered one of the coldest nights in the last decade. Both trials successfully demonstrated a high-quality binder that’s suitable for all weather conditions and in high traffic areas.

Chatard says SAMI developed the SAMIfalt I-Brid as part of a collaborative research project with RMIT University, with

SAMIBOND 007 Year 2021 was also when SAMI’s SAMIbond 007 trackless tack coat cationic bitumen emulsion found widespread use in the industry, Chatard says.

SAMI first developed its trackless tackcoat emulsion in 2019 as a solution to improve bonding between the base course and the asphalt overlay in airports, where heavy construction machines are required to traffic the freshly sprayed tack coated surfaces. Improved bonding leads to longer lasting pavements and this has prompted pavement engineers to make the product’s use mandatory on asphalt projects.

After being successfully used on a number of airports across Australia, including for runway/taxiway upgrades for the Solomon Airport in Western Australia and the Sydney International Airport, Chatard says the broader construction industry has also adapted the product.

“With SAMIbond 007, we have developed a new emulsion-based trackless tack coat to prevent the loss of bond coat due to construction traffic movement. This product has already gained acceptance by the Australian market and is used to improve pavement performance, particularly in high-traffic areas,” he says.

REDUCING USE OF CUTTERS Minimising the use of kerosene-based

ASPHALT NEWS

cutters in hot bituminous binders is another way by which SAMI is contributing to sustainable pavements.

One of these solutions that SAMI introduced in 2020 and further demonstrated in 2021 with the VSA Group was SAMIseal S45R-LV, a crumbed rubber binder that can be sprayed cutterfree, to minimise on the use of kerosene cutters significantly. Using the Germanbuilt OB Vario synchronised bituminous surfacing technology, the VSA Group uses the low-viscosity crumbed rubber binder to eliminate the use of hazardous cutback bitumen for sprayed sealing in the cold climate.

More recently, SAMI introduced SAMIfloat, a cationic high-float thixotropic sprayed sealing emulsion in late 2021. With field trials being planned, the emulsion acts as an environmentally friendly alternative for cutback hot unmodified or hot polymer modified binders in sprayed sealing applications.

Year 2021 was also when SAMI’s BioPrime prime coat emulsion hit the market. As an emulsion with no petroleum solvents, SAMI’s BioPrime allows safe sealing operations without exposing workers to fumes or harmful volatiles during the priming process.

Gerard Gnanaseelan, SAMI’s Bitumen Technical Manager, says these products

and more coming out of SAMI’s research laboratories all serve the same purpose: to improve the quality of asphalt pavements, while reducing carbon emissions and energy consumption during the application process.

“Our new product range is made by substituting the light petroleum raw materials with bio-based raw material to reduce hydrocarbon emissions. Our BioPrime and BioPrecoat – currently under development at SAMI’s research laboratory – are fine examples of products that reduce significant quantities of hydrocarbon emissions from being released to the environment,” he says.

A BROAD SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY More broadly, Chatard says SAMI is guided in its sustainability initiatives by the 2030 target set out by the Colas Group as SAMI’s parent company.

“Globally, the Colas Group has set a target of 30 per cent reduction in direct greenhouse gas emissions across its entire upstream value chain by 2030 from the company’s 2019 level. Every product we develop at SAMI is in line with achieving that overarching target, while our customers benefit from the flow-on effect as they use our products,” he says.

To assist its clients even further, Chatard

says SAMI is making sure it remains close to its customers and removes any logistical constraints that could delay product delivery.

“With both production and technical support available in every state, we like to stay close to our clients. Our laboratories are available for any client looking to test or even develop a new product with us.

SAMI has also reinforced its fleet capability to remove any logistical constraints to moving products to project sites.”

The journey has not been without challenges.

“The past two years have definitely posed some new challenges in terms of availability of raw materials and restrictions on the movements of people. With disruptions in global freight, we have had to wait sometimes three to four times longer for raw material supplies. But we have found that by listening to the market and being proactive in predicting our customers’ demands, we can still deliver to our clients what we promise,” Chatard says.

“SAMI has business, technical and logistical experts available in every state, who work closely with clients to meet their requirements. In 2022, we look forward to continuing provision of quality sustainable products to the market, which will be supported by our increased terminal and fleet capacity.”

The SAMIfalt I-Brid asphalt was used on a road section near Bendigo, in a project done for Victoria’s Department of Transport.

roadsonline.com.au

47

PAVING THE WAY FOR

BITUMEN SAFETY

DEVELOPED BY THE AUSTRALIAN FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT ASSOCIATION, THE BE BITUMEN SAFE ONLINE TRAINING PLATFORM IS BEING IMPLEMENTED BY MAIN ROADS WESTERN AUSTRALIA TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF OPERATORS AND BYSTANDERS FROM PROJECTS INVOLVING BITUMEN.

T

hroughout his time as the Director of Term Contracts at Main Roads Western Australia (Main Roads WA), Domenic Palumbo has seen an increase of road construction related injuries.

“In Main Roads WA, we see quite a lot of safety issues across the industry. After undertaking an analysis, I found that, over a 24-month period, there were about 2600 incidents, which were largely reported by contractors,” he says.

“A closer look at these reports shows the frequency rate has actually increased over that period.”

In order to reduce this frequency rate, the Australian Flexible Pavement Association (AfPA) has launched the ‘Be Bitumen Safe’ industry skill card and online training program, with the full support of Main Roads WA. The training program provides education and instruction for all personnel who come within 15 metres of hot bituminous materials and asphalt at any time. The training has been developed for participants to complete the course on both mobile and personal computer platforms and can be completed offline. Upon completion of the program, participants will gain a greater understanding of the basics of bitumen, safety culture, first aid and identifying risks and hazards related to hot bitumen and asphalt.

Palumbo says Main Roads WA identified the potential of the training course following discussions with AfPA. “When AfPA first approached us on the subject and told us that its members had committed to the training for the safety of their employees, we simply took it on board and said that we would like to align with this vision,” he says.

“Training is always a great opportunity to improve on the situation. It takes a lot of 48

ROADS FEBRUARY 2022

time, effort and money to investigate 2600 incidents. But if we are able to reduce this figure, then that is a significant volume of resources saved.”

ACCIDENT CAUSES During his analysis of work-related incidents, Palumbo says he was able to identify shared causes between cases.

“When we looked at these incidents, we assessed that a third of these accidents were simply down to somebody doing the wrong thing at the wrong time,” he says.

He also observes that external pressures, as well as the modern requirements of the industry can, in some cases, contribute to hazardous behaviour being undertaken.

“I believe that workloads are slightly increasing every year, so workers are expected to do a little more than they have done previously, which can create pressure on contractors to complete projects quicker,” Palumbo says.

“Also, about 30 years ago, there were lifelong, skilled workers in the industry.

Generally, these workers started in a job and retired doing that job. That is no longer the case, so workers may be engaging in work with limited experience and training.”

Palumbo also believes that increased congestion and traffic volumes have been a contributing factor to creating a “recipe for disaster.”

AN ENCOURAGING FOUNDATION So far, the ‘Be Bitumen Safe’ online training program has been completed by 342 individuals, including 128 from Main Roads WA. Palumbo says he is impressed with the participants’ support for the course so far.

“In my view, that is a great uptake. I think the main driver for the training is to introduce some formality. Putting this

training in place helps to support these formal mitigation measures. It helps take bystanders out of harm’s way, and it puts required personnel on a structured process, particularly if they are new to the industry,” he says.

“With representatives from the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia and companies such as WA Stabilising having completed the training course, it’s a boost for road, building and maintenance projects in the state,” he adds.

Apart from greater workplace safety, Palumbo says another beneficial outcome of the training course would be better personnel retention – something that’s been a challenge for the local industry.

“With the difficulty to find workers in Western Australia, the last thing a contractor would want to do is to take any of their staff out of the equation, even for a short period of time. So, whenever we have a chance to deter a high risk incident, that is meaningful,” he says.

The ‘Be Bitumen Safe’ course will be mandatory for operators who want to work on major projects throughout Western Australia. There has also been a planned expansion of the course to be rolled out across other states and territories.

Palumbo says amendments to the mandates are possible, following further analysis and feedback from the training program.

“We started with the first stage of the training, which was focused more on safety.

We have discussed potential outcomes for the program in the future. If we think that a lack of training on the technical side is still an issue, then we may look to mandate that as well,” he concludes.

For more information on AfPA’s online training, visit: www.afpa.asn.au

AfPA

MEMBER PROFILE

RUSSELL CLAYTON, SENIOR TECHNICAL DIRECTOR – GEOTECHNICAL AND PAVEMENTS AT GHD, SHARES SOME INSIGHTS FROM HIS EXPERIENCE IN THE PAVEMENT INDUSTRY. 1. HOW LONG HAVE YOU/YOUR COMPANY BEEN AN AFPA MEMBER AND WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME ONE? We have been active an member of AfPA for over 15 years. Roads and airfield pavement engineering is a core part of GHD’s transport business and it was fitting that we aligned and collaborated with AfPA and its members, with a view to technology transfer in both directions and providing a better design service to our clients.

2. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT ROLE AND WHAT DOES IT INVOLVE? I currently manage a team of pavement engineers within the GHD geotechnical and pavement engineering group. As a team, we deliver a wide range of pavement related projects, locally and internationally. Over my professional career, I have been the team lead for the delivery of over $3 billion worth of new roadworks in Western Australia.

3. WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT ROLE? There are so many aspects of my job that I enjoy. The work has taken me around the world from the Arctic Circle in Canada to Africa, South East Asia, Middle East and exotic island locations, not forgetting Australia. Working with so many diverse cultures and varying standards is both interesting and challenging, but there always remains a common undelying theme in pavement engineering. As a Senior Technical Director in GHD, I really enjoy transferring knowledge to up-and-coming stars. I also enjoy working with clients who genuinely want to embrace process improvement, innovation and sustainable designs.

4. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT IN THE INDUSTRY? There are a number of stand outs for me.

For many years, I was the Global Pavements

Service Line Leader and GHD supported me to attend no less than four AfPA international study tours. It exposed me to the latest trends around the world and I met international leaders in bitumen, asphalt, pavement research, recycling and design.

This knowledge gave me the confidence to introduce materials and design approaches used successfully elsewhere in the world.

The other stand out is the ability to use alliancing contacts as a vehicle to make change. An example was the introduction of C600 binder to WA and changing the design and acceptance criteria to improve the long term performance of asphalt.

5. WHAT IS A RECENT CHANGE YOU HAVE SEEN IN THE INDUSTRY AND HOW ARE YOU/THE COMPANY PREPARED FOR THAT? There are large industry drivers toward diversity and inclusion and GHD is doing exceptionally well in this area. I think having a diverse team brings different thinking and approaches to delivery of projects. I come from a country that puts a lot of effort into uplifting previously disadvantaged communities, workers and companies. In Australia, there is a focus in this area but I think it could be done better. It is most humbling to see disadvantaged individuals or businesses succeed if we give them a helping hand. South Africa has had some excellent programs and I believe Australia could take a few leaves from their book of experiences.

6. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS MOST INTERESTING ABOUT THE ROAD CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY? There are many facets of our industry that are interesting, but I think the mindset of “we have always done it that way” is holding us back. I think we are slow to adopt innovative ideas, primarily due to the fear of failure. But failure can be a good outcome at

Russell Clayton, Senior Technical Director, GHD.

times if we implement changes to prevent a re-occurrence. One of my biggest concerns is the undermining behaviour of risk transfer.

This behaviour does not encourage good collaboration.

7. HOW HAS BEING A MEMBER OF AFPA BENEFITTED YOU IN THE INDUSTRY? Afpa has provided an excellent network for collaboration. They have been instrumental in bringing about change in many areas. I have personally witnessed the benefits of our road authority clients experiencing international best practice. The 2018 study tour to South Africa to attend an international crumbed rubber bitumen conference and witnessing the construction practice there was a big success.

8. WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE FUTURE? I have a real passion for what I do and I want to continue with the development of new staff and encouraging them the way my early mentors did for me. Our business is so broad and even now I continue to learn new skills and methods. I think there remains a lot to be done in the aviation space, especially with appropriate surfacing solutions. GHD has encouraged some of our clients to take a different approach with great success. roadsonline.com.au

49

AUSTRALIAN FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT ASSOCIATION

AfPA is pleased to announce its partnership with the Fellows Foundation

AUSTRALIAN FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT ASSOCIATION

The Fellows Foundation has been established to provide a dedicated Single Point of Contact and support to assist those impacted by a traumatic workplace death. Families and loved ones are also real victims of a workplace traumatic death and are in desperate need of reliable, timely unbiased and agnostic support without prejudice and/or conflict of interest, perceived or real.

https://thefellowsfoundation.org.au/

Infrastructure Sustainability Council

NET ZERO FUTURE:

A DECADE FOR ACTION INFRASTRUCTURE SUSTAINABILITY COUNCIL AND ITS INDUSTRY PARTNERS ARGUE THAT THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY IS WELL POSITIONED TO MAKE THE TRANSITION TO DELIVERING LOW-CARBON, CLIMATE-RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE WITHIN THE NEXT DECADE. BUT COLLECTIVE ACTION IS NEEDED TO MEET THE TARGETS.

I

n a first-time collaboration Infrastructure Sustainability Council, Autodesk, Australian Constructors Association and Consult Australia have released a joint report to support industry in accelerating a net zero future through the design and construction of the infrastructure pipeline.

The report ‘A net-zero future delivered through our infrastructure pipeline’ signals that a whole-of-business, systems-based approach across asset lifecycles is required to accelerate the journey to net zero.

This includes pulling key levers such as procurement, materials, methodologies, technology and people capability.

“The record investment in infrastructure creates opportunities for the construction industry to be part of the solution to net zero,” says Jon Davies, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Constructors Association.

“We all have a role to play, and it must be performed in partnership. The report sets out the options and enablers for government and industry to use in mapping the path to low-carbon, climateresilient infrastructure,” Mr Davies adds.

Although the industry has a significant footprint, it has already started to demonstrate the influence it can have on the reduction of emissions, according to Ainsley Simpson, Chief Executive Officer, Infrastructure Sustainability Council.

“The 24 As-Built Projects certified over the last four years by the Infrastructure Sustainability Rating Scheme reduced their whole of lifecyle emissions by 26.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), which is equivalent to the 26 CO2e saved by the whole Australian economy in 2020,” says Ms Simpson.

There are many tools identified in the report which also map key enabling levers

The report aims to support the industry in accelerating a net-zero future.

against asset lifecycle phase, as well as a net-zero delivery model to prompt and guide decision-making – from rethinking and redefining problems and solutions through to reducing carbon intensive materials and ensuring regenerative approaches are integrated in asset design and construction.

The report also presents real-world case studies to inspire project teams to utilise, adapt, scale and accelerate further innovation. Technology is also identified as a key enabler of decarbonisation.

Andy Cunningham, ANZ Regional Director, Autodesk, says technology supports the infrastructure industry with the tools they need to unlock insights, make better decisions, and achieve superior outcomes.

“Software helps automate complex processes and transform data into actionable insights that empower innovators to improve the impact of everything they design, make, own, and operate. Cloud solutions and connected data environments fuel innovation – across technology, processes, supply chains, and industries. This opportunity is only accelerating,” says Mr Cunningham.

The release of the framework follows the COP26 climate talks which called for accelerated decarbonisation before 2030 to keep global temperature within the two degrees Celsius limits, and preferably to 1.5 degrees.

“Strong leadership and collaboration across the industry is going to be required to achieve accelerated net zero and keep our sector globally competitive,’’ says Nicola Grayson, Chief Executive Officer of Consult Australia.

“Net zero is a shared responsibility.

Through the collective members of the Australian Constructors Association, Consult Australia and the Infrastructure Sustainability Council, in collaboration with Autodesk, we are committed to working with industry and government stakeholders to drive the continuous improvement required to achieve this shared outcome. We look forward to working together to take action at scale and at pace,’’ concludes Ms Grayson.

The report, ‘A net-zero future delivered through our infrastructure pipeline’ is available on Infrastructure Sustainability Council’s website: www.iscouncil.org roadsonline.com.au

51

REID: 100 YEARS OF REINFORCING THE INDUSTRY

REID CONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS HAS BEEN PROVIDING INNOVATIVE CONCRETE AND REINFORCING SOLUTIONS ACROSS AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND FOR A CENTURY. IN THIS NEW SERIES FEATURING NATIONAL PRECAST CONCRETE ASSOCIATION’S MEMBERS AND INDUSTRY PARTNERS, WE SPEAK TO REID’S HEAD OF MARKETING AND ENGINEERING, CHRISTALLO KOURIS.

Q

: Could you please provide an overview of Reid Construction Systems and its history?

A: The Reid brand has a 100-year legacy of safety, innovation, compliance and productivity. If Reid was a person, they would have lived through World War II, survived the Great Depression, and overcome not only the challenges faced during the first 30 years of their life, but also the adversity of today’s environment.

Reid has long held its values over time, which has allowed the business to prosper and continue to deliver to market concrete construction solutions to increase efficiencies within the building process. With a strong team of engineers and innovators, Reid continues to lead the industry in reinforcing, lifting, bracing and anchoring solutions.

Starting out in 1921 selling wire rope, today Reid is part of the broader Reid Construction Systems business with major manufacturing hubs in Melbourne and Brisbane, and offices/ warehouses/representation throughout Australia and New Zealand.

In 1977, Reid entered the precast concrete market with the introduction of the Swiftlift lifting system, creating an appetite for continued growth and moving into reinforcing with the ReidBar System in the 1990’s.

One of the highest priorities for Reid Construction Systems moving forward, is how it will work with the market, regulators and customers to shape the future of precast and concrete construction. And this is what excites the team most.

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ROADS FEBRUARY 2022

compliance and safe lifting requirements.

More recently, engineering reforms have been introduced in some states of Australia, and we have relied on our partnership with National Precast to better understand the implication of these to our customers. The networking events and National Precast’s relationships with key regulators has been invaluable in helping us determine how we can better support our market and grow with our partners.

Christallo Kouris, Head of Marketing and Engineering at Reid Construction Systems.

Q: How long have you been a partner with the National Precast Concrete Association Australia and why is the partnership important to you?

A: Reid has been a long-standing member of National Precast since 1991. Reid was also instrumental in the development of the Industry Partner membership category, of which Reid was the inaugural partner in 2015.

Our partnership with National Precast has prospered for 30 years, and Reid values the interactions and feedback from the National Precast members. We see this as the cornerstone of being able to provide market leading solutions and services. It has enabled Reid to become the leading innovator in the precast space, and communicate important information across to precasters and their industry partners, predominantly around

Q: What are some of the innovations happening within the precast industry and how is your company contributing to those?

A: Emerging trends in precast application include the creation of concrete structures through the formation of unique precast shapes and sizes, patterns and colours.

Precast is becoming more popular with architects, and also within the growing civil sector, due to its versatility and the opportunity for the designer to express their individuality, allowing for bespoke and aesthetically pleasing design.

Reid Construction Systems has its own in-house engineering design team who design and certify how concrete elements need to be lifted in accordance to relevant standards and safety procedures. We have seen a significant shift from standard, cookie cutter element design to more complex structures, requiring unique lifting solutions.

Our engineering team is highly qualified, and sought after by large builders and developers, who build unique structures within the residential, commercial and civil

Reid’s graphic concrete technology used on the wall of Yatalla Prison in South Australia.

market sectors.

The relationships held with key industry stakeholders including architects, engineers, developers and builders, allows Reid to continually innovate and develop a pipeline of solutions to cater to these emerging trends. One of these is graphic concrete within our architectural offer, which allows for custom made patterns and images to be executed onto the surface of precast elements.

In our core business of lifting technologies, Reid is continuously innovating its patented Swiftlift system, to ensure safe and effective lifting of unusual, large scale concrete panels, and we can’t wait to share some of our new innovations with the market throughout 2022.

Q: In your opinion, what are some of the biggest issues facing the precast industry and what are your answers to them?

A: I wouldn’t call it so much as an issue, but more of a challenge, or even an opportunity, and that is the increasing compliance requirements for engineers, and the focus on safety throughout the supply chain. Now in place across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, the legislation requiring the registration of engineers is a challenge for precasters, as the temporary works designs are now required to be signed-off by a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) or equivalent that has been registered in the relevant state. Some states also require engineers to have Professional Indemnity (PI)

Insurance, which has been harder to obtain due to exponentially increasing premiums in a high-risk industry.

Reid Construction Systems, as part of the wider ITW Group, is able to leverage and provide PI Insurance to all of our engineers.

We reduce the risk for precasters by ensuring that qualified CPEng and registered engineers are designing and signing-off on lifting design, with a wider group of compliance and R&D engineers also employed by the business and available to provide advice for bespoke and complicated design.

Supply chain issues remain a challenge as lead times for product coming from overseas has doubled, and will likely worsen moving into next year. This can impact a precaster’s schedule and cause significant delays and increased costs. Reid Construction Systems

Reid has a long history of providing the industry with concrete lifting products.

manufactures locally and has a strong global supply chain for imported products.

Reid has been able to minimise, as much as possible, the supply chain impact on product during this COVID period, giving our precast partners peace of mind that using Reid products will reduce the risk of project delays.

Q: What is your vision for the future of precast?

A: There are endless possibilities for precast.

Over time, precast has grown to be a widely accepted building method, and we believe this growth will continue, particularly within the civil space. With this, it will be important to continue to build the precast architectural offer, with a focus on sustainability.

In addition to civil and architectural, other emerging markets include precast flooring, where concrete provides cost and environmental benefits.

As the world, including Australia, addresses the need to tackle climate change, precast will no doubt play a part in providing solutions towards energy saving and environmentally beneficial building methods.

For Reid, the future involves engaging with the industry to recognise precast as the most attractive building element through safety, compliance, quality, productivity and versatility of design. Our vision is to continuously remain at the forefront of the industry when it comes to leading edge innovation, technology and construction solutions. roadsonline.com.au

53

NATIONAL PRECAST OUTLINES

THREE-YEAR STRATEGY NATIONAL PRECAST CONCRETE ASSOCIATION AUSTRALIA RECENTLY ELECTED A NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS. CEO SARAH BACHMANN TALKS ABOUT THE NEW BOARD, ALONG WITH THE ASSOCIATION’S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS AND MEMBER SERVICES’ STRATEGY FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS.

L

ate in November 2021, the National Precast Concrete Association Australia elected a new board of directors at its Annual General Meeting.

Michael Waeger from Waeger Constructions was re-elected as President for a further two-year term. Craig Zinn remains on the board as Immediate Past President. Other re-elected board members included Adrian Cahill, Alberto Ferraro and Riccardo Musella. While Karen Thompson from Civilmart Rocla did not renominate, Jason Horswill has been appointed to the board. George Spiropolous from Euro has stepped down, and the company’s Queensland General Manager Jeff Stratford has stepped up.

Also elected to the board were Jason Walsh from Delta Corporation, John Cole from Austral Precast and previous board member and President, Peter Healy from Hollow Core Concrete.

Under the helm of the new board, the association representing Australia’s precast concrete manufacturers has announced a new marketing, communications and member services’ strategy for the next three years.

National Precast Chief Executive Officer Sarah Bachmann says she is looking forward to working with the new board over the next year to start implementing the three-year strategy.

“Having spent the last three years establishing a solid framework that makes membership a sound value proposition, the new strategy emphasises membership growth and invigoration of the association’s communications’ program and member 54

ROADS FEBRUARY 2022

services. There’ll also be some internal restructuring and changes to the way working groups operate,” she tells Roads & Infrastructure.

Ms Bachmann says this new outlook will see National Precast continue to provide existing member services in addition to new resources, opportunities and events.

“Existing member services will be bolstered with a huge programme of online and face-to-face events that include networking and factory visits and an awards programme which will be launched at the first national event for the year in February in Brisbane. Then in November we will celebrate 30 years in business at a gala event in Melbourne.

Our new Master Precaster brand will be promoted as a great way to ensure a good precast experience and expect to see a lot more of us in the socials,” she comments.

“Of course, we will continue to work with roads’ authorities for our civil members, represent the industry on standards’ committees and continue to develop new publications and online learning. Work has started on a fair industry contract and that is also high on the agenda. And members will continue to access standards, receive Cordell reports, have case studies written for them and access advice on legal issues, as well as on workplace health and safety and human resources.”

If you’re interested in becoming a National Precast member, contact: exec@nationalprecast.com.au.

WORK FROM THE MASTERS Master Precaster is a new category of membership at National Precast and it’s a must-have when awarding precast contracts.

A requirement of wearing the Master Precaster member badge is that the precaster must have satisfactorily completed one of National Precast’s stringent audits and comply with the Master Precaster Code of Conduct.

It’s a step above what a Precaster member must pass, and covers off on eight areas, including: • Industry contribution; • Track record; • Financial stability; • Technical skill; • Factory capability; • Quality management; • Safety management; and • Environmental management.

HERE’S A SNAPSHOT OF SOME OF THE WORKS DELIVERED BY NATIONAL PRECAST’S MASTER PRECASTERS:

Project: Tatterson Park Culverts Location: Keysborough, VIC Master Precaster: Reinforced Concrete Pipes Australia Thirty large precast concrete culverts measuring 2400Lx1500Wx2400H prefabricated

by National Precast Master Precaster Reinforced Concrete Pipes Australia have recently been installed throughout the Keysborough wetland development. The project, initiated by the Greater Dandenong Council, is set to maximise water passage and rejuvenate the natural site.

Project: Australian Maritime College, Artificial Reefs Location: Perth, WA Master Precaster: Hudson Civil Products Master Precaster Hudson Civil Products has recently manufactured a set of precast concrete artificial reef units to be used in model testing at the Australian Maritime College.

These units will be used to assess the role of artificial reefs in protecting Australia’s coastlines and ensuring the prosperity of various natural habitats.

Project: West Tamar Traffic Solutions Location: West Tamar, TAS Master Precaster: Hudson Civil Products Tasmanian-based Master Precaster Hudson Civil Products has been engaged to supply a range of water management solutions in the state’s north, including precast concrete pipes, pits, headwalls, reinforced concrete box culverts, gratings and fittings.

Project: Bells Creek Arterial Road Location: Sunshine Coast, QLD Master Precaster: The Reinforced Earth Company Australia Following the 2017 completion of Bells Creek Arterial Road Stage One, National Precast’s Master Precaster, The Reinforced Earth Company Australia, has been re-engaged for the project’s second and third stages. The upcoming development will use precast concrete infrastructure elements to connect the Bells Creek interchange with Bruce Highway, in combination with a pedestrian and cycling causeway.

Project: Greg Sutherland Bridge, Mackay Ring Road Location: Mackay, QLD Master Precaster: Stresscrete National Precast Master Precaster Stresscrete prefabricated 108 precast concrete T-girders for the recently completed Greg Sutherland Bridge. The bridge, which integrates with the Mackay ring-road, marks a significant contribution to central Queensland’s infrastructure strategy. This long-lasting precast concrete solution will benefit Australians for many generations.

To find a Master Precaster for your next project, visit: www.nationalprecast.com.au. roadsonline.com.au

55

8-11 March 2022 International Convention Centre (ICC) Sydney

Building sustainable futures

TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE No-Dig Down Under is Australia’s largest conference and exhibition dedicated to the trenchless construction, rehabilitation and location of utility infrastructure.

If you’re involved with major tunnelling projects, the installation of major infrastructure that utilises trenchless technology methods, or manage utility assets, No-Dig Down Under is an unmissable event.

Returning in person in 2022, No-Dig Down Under brings together world-leading experts in trenchless technology across three conference streams, alongside the latest in new equipment on display in the exhibition hall.

Tickets are available online now, with FREE entry into the exhibition hall. **If you work for a utility or council you may be eligible for a full conference scholarship, see the website for details**

www.nodigdownunder.com

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THE WORLD’S SECOND-LARGEST TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY EVENT MAKES A COMEBACK ON 8-11 MARCH 2022, THE NO-DIG DOWN UNDER CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION IS COMING TO THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE IN SYDNEY.

F

ollowing on from the successful event held in September 2019 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, and due to overwhelming support from sponsors, exhibitors, and delegates, NoDig Down Under is back.

No-Dig Down Under is the southern hemisphere’s only large-scale conference and exhibition dedicated to trenchless technology. The event has grown over the years to become the second-largest no-dig technology event in the world and is now considered a ‘must-attend’ for all industry professionals.

Organised in partnership with the Australasian Society for Trenchless Technology (ASTT), the event will feature a world-class conference program, with three conference streams all focused on different aspects of the industry, training courses on trenchless methods presented by industry leaders, and an exhibition extending over 4,500 square metres and featuring exhibitors from all sectors.

There will be three sponsored social functions, including the prestigious ASTT Gala Dinner and Awards Evening, providing attendees with networking opportunities in a variety of settings with industry professionals.

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND NO-DIG DOWN UNDER 2022?

1- Learn how leading utilities are using no-dig methods The conference program largely consists of Australia and New Zealand’s leading utilities, operators, and municipalities, including Gold Coast City Council, Yarra Valley Water, APA Group, and Dial Before You Dig. The conference program also includes presentations on research and education in trenchless technologies. Among the speakers is Adam Shayler of Bamser, who will offer a real-life perspective on how geotechnical conditions can vary and discussion of risk

The No-Dig Down Under Conference and Exhibition 2019 was held in Melbourne.

management strategies to deal with this.

David Rogers of Nuflow Technologies will discuss advancements in structural cured in place pipe materials, liner design and manufacture. Mark Bell of IDS GeoRadar will discuss the advances in Array GPR Solutions for 3D underground utility mapping.

2- See the latest trenchless technology at the exhibition The exhibition will feature the world’s leading suppliers, manufacturers, and service providers of the latest trenchless solutions for the installation, rehabilitation, and location of underground infrastructure assets.

Many of the exhibition stalls will be presenting practical demonstrations of their equipment, which is an important opportunity to see the company’s products in action.

3- Enjoy networking at the three social functions No-Dig Down Under will feature three social functions, providing networking opportunities in a variety of different atmospheres.

On the evening of Tuesday 8 March, the exhibition will officially open with a ceremony at the ICC, sponsored by Herrenknecht.

The opening is an opportunity to get a first glimpse of the exhibition hall and speak to exhibitors about their products and services before the general public the following morning.

The Networking Reception on Wednesday 9 March, sponsored by Vermeer, is a chance

for delegates to relax and unwind after a few busy days. This years’ event will take place on board a Captain Cook Cruise departing from King Street Wharf - easy walking distance from ICC Sydney. Sail into the evening with this cruise around Sydney Harbour.

The final evening boasts the ASTT Gala Dinner and Awards. This formal event – sponsored by Bothar Boring & Tunnelling – celebrates the Australasian trenchless industry’s achievements from the past two years.

Full conference registrations include access to the function, otherwise, tickets can be purchased separately on the No-Dig Down Under website.

4- Increase your knowledge of trenchless technology by attending a training course In 2022, No-Dig Down Under will feature three training courses covering Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD), Sewer Laterals and New Installations. The training cours-es will be presented by international leaders of their respective fields.

Originally developed by the North American Society for Trenchless Technology (NASTT), the ASTT has licensed the training courses and adapted the material for Australasian audiences. The courses are considered the global industry standard for trenchless technology education.

Registrations for No-Dig Down Under are now open, and the ASTT also has 10 utility and council scholarships available for attendance at No-Dig Down Under 2022.

The scholarships allow key members of Australasian utilities and councils to attend the event with reduced costs and aims to bring more employees from these organisations to the event, thereby increasing the knowledge of trenchless technology.

Register for your ticket now at www.nodigdownunder.com.au roadsonline.com.au

57

CONTRACTS & TENDERS

CONTRACTS IN BRIEF ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE PROVIDES AN UPDATE ON SOME OF THE CONTRACTS AND TENDERS RECENTLY AWARDED OR PUT TO MARKET ACROSS THE AUSTRALIAN INFRASTRUCTURE SECTOR. NEW SOUTH WALES Contract awarded for 570km Inland Rail project section The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has appointed Australian owned contractor Martinus as the preferred contractor for the delivery of the Rail Corridor Program for Inland Rail sections in New South Wales and Southern Queensland.

The collaborative framework agreement includes approximately 570 kilometres of railway between Narromine and Moree in New South Wales and North Star (New South Wales) to Gowrie in Queensland, taking in the project’s largest greenfield sections. Martinus would employ approximately 600 people at the peak of construction.

Track works between Narromine and Gowrie will be completed ahead of Inland Rail operations in 2027.

VICTORIA Contract awarded for Melbourne’s Bridge Inn Road upgrade Laing O’Rourke has been awarded the contract to deliver the Bridge Inn Road Upgrade in Melbourne’s north. The project, part of a $2.27 billion Suburban Roads Upgrade, will include the duplication of 3.5 kilometres of Bridge Inn Road from two lanes to four lanes from Plenty Road to Yan Yean Road. A new bridge will also be built over the Plenty River, with the existing bluestone Morang Bridge to be retained and upgraded. The Federal and Victorian governments are contributing $1.1 billion each for the package.

Major construction on the Bridge Inn Road Upgrade is expected to start in the first half of 2022 and be completed by 2025.

McConnell Dowell awarded design contract for Inland Rail in Victoria The Australian Rail Track Corporation

has awarded a contract to construction company McConnell Dowell to complete the first phase of designs and early delivery activities for Inland Rail in Victoria. The first phase of the project will see a section of Inland Rail between Beveridge to Albury modified to provide sufficient height and width to support the safe running of double-stacked freight trains. McConnell Dowell will conduct site investigations to inform the preliminary and detailed designs for utilities, signalling, track slews and the update of rail structures at the SeymourAvenel Road bridge in Seymour, Murray Valley Highway in Barnawartha North, Wangaratta Station Precinct, Wangaratta and Beaconsfield Parade precinct in Glenrowan.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA New tenders released for Torrens to Darlington Project Five new tenders have been released by the South Australian Government for works on the $9.9 billion Torrens to Darlington Project (T2D) North-South Corridor in South Australia. These include tenders for the construction of tunnels, building inspection service, cable laying, bridge construction including construction from prefabricated components and asphalt surfacing.

Potential contractors are now able to register their interest for providing services to the project. All five tenders expire on 20 December 2022.

Alliance selected for $560M SA Fleurieu Connections projects The Fleurieu Connections Alliance, a consortium comprising CPB Contractors, the South Australian Department of Infrastructure and Transport, Aurecon and GHD, has been selected by the South Australian Government to deliver duplication works on the Main South

Road and the Victor Harbor Road in South Australia. The Main South Road duplication involves duplicating approximately ten kilometres from south of Griffiths Road, Seaford to Aldinga. Work will include grade separations (overpass) at a number of intersections along Main South Road and upgrade of Main South Road from Aldinga to Sellicks Beach with a ‘2+1’ lane road layout.

The Victor Harbor Road duplication involves duplicating approximately five kilometres between Main South Road, Old Noarlunga and Main Road, McLaren Vale. It also includes additional safety treatments along Victor Harbor Road.

The Australian and South Australian governments have committed a total of $560 million to fund the road duplication projects.

Construction will start in early 2022 and is scheduled for completion in 2024.

QUEENSLAND Coomera Connector’s first major contract awarded The first major contract has been awarded for the construction of Coomera Connector stage one North project, connecting Coomera to Helensvale on the Gold Coast.

Acciona Construction Australia and Georgiou Group Joint Venture, with WSP and BG&E as the designers, will undertake enabling works and finalise the design for the project, providing an alternative route for the busy M1 motorway.

The 16-kilometre stage one section between Coomera and Nerang has been identified as the priority section to be built first, with the project being delivered in three construction packages.

Future stages of Coomera Connector will see the delivery of the remaining 29 kilometres between Loganholme and Coomera. This section is currently in the planning stage.

roadsonline.com.au

58

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With two generators in one platform, the QAC 1450 TwinPower™ provides the flexibility you need to run at 100% power load or low power loads in the most efficient way. What’s more, every feature you need comes as standard.

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