SPECIAL REPORT
RICOH PROSPERS BEHIND STANDOUT SERVICE AND HIGH-QUALITY PRODUCTS
WWW.BUSINESSREVIEWAUSTRALIA.COM
APRIL 2016
CITRIX ANZ QUICK RETURN
ON YOUR NEXT INVESTMENT
PENSAR
BUILDING A BETTER
BRISBANE
THE QUEEN OF
HEARTS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH REDBALLOON FOUNDER NAOMI SIMSON
EDITOR’S COMMENT
I T ’ S A P R I L , W H I C H M E A N S I’ve reached my one-year anniversary as
editor of Business Review Australia. It’s been a fun 12 months full of highs and lows, as well as new twists and turns. It’s taken roughly 366 days, but I’ve finally navigated one entire trip around the sun and helped produce 12 issues of this magazine But writing insightful, engaging stories isn’t my only duty as editor. It’s also about meeting the right people, telling their story and learning as much as you can throughout the process. I had the opportunity to speak with such a person just a few weeks ago. This month’s lead feature is an exclusive interview with RedBalloon founder and Shark Tank Australia star Naomi Simson, who sheds light on her love of blogging, philanthropic efforts and a look back to her childhood. Next, Citrix ANZ director of technical services Safi Obeidullah shares his strategies to ensure your next investment is able to quickly deliver returns. In addition, Civmec co-founder and CEO Pat Tallon explains the agile philosophy that is keeping his company ahead during challenging times. The April edition wraps up with a report on Ricoh Australia’s dedication to customer service, as well as the top 10 cloud billing service companies. The only thing missing for me now is making a visit to Australia from the U.S., and finally getting a chance to meet with all of you who have been so supportive over the past year. It’s only a matter of time. Until then, enjoy the issue!
Eric Harding Editor eric.harding@businessreviewaustralia.com Twitter: @eharding10
3
CONTENTS
FEATURES
6
LEADERSHIP - THE QUEEN OF HEARTS Cover photo courtesy of Network TEN
TOP 10 Cloud Billing Service Companies
26
4 April 2016 TECHNOLOGY
18
How to Get a Good Return on Your IT Investment
COMPANY PROFILES
34 Pensar
58
SunRice
48 Ricoh
70
VicRoads
5
LEADERSHIP
THE QUEEN OF
HEART From starting up two successful companies to appearing on Shark Tank and leading philanthropic efforts, Naomi Simson is an entrepreneurial icon in Australia.
Written by: Eric Harding
TS
LEADERSHIP
SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS is a choice, but most people fail to realise it. Naomi Simson has made it her life’s mission to make sure people do. From founding two businesses that have evolved into some of Australia’s most successful companies to being a “shark” on the popular TV show Shark Tank, Simson is an entrepreneurial
8 April 2016
Naomi Simson on TV show Shark Tank
icon in Australia. She has won several awards, including the 2011 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Silver Stevie Award, and being named among the top 30 tech influencers on Twitter by The Business Insider. Simson’s first book Live What You Love is a best-seller in Australia, while
BUSINESS REVIEW AUSTRALIA
her new project Ready to Soar is set to hit stores in May, addressing the question many entrepreneurs ask themselves: Should I or shouldn’t I start a new business? The Melbourne native has over one million followers on LinkedIn, and Simson acknowledged she feels a great sense of privilege that so many people are interested in her and what
she has to say in terms of supporting business development across the world. This is a far cry from her childhood goal of being a clown, or her teenage ambition of becoming a painter. “I think one of the delights in life is to not set yourself in stone,” said Simson. “If I had been a clown or an artist, I might be poor right now. Happiness is a choice. When something happens to us, we have a choice of our response. And quite frankly, that is about emotional maturity.” Simson added, “Life is too short. I want to have a good time every day.”
REDBALLOON AND REDII Simson says some of the best moments of her career revolve around simply being a great employer at her startup companies RedBalloon and Redii. Since starting the online experience gift retail site RedBalloon in 2001, the outlet has sold over 2.5 million experiences and was named a BRW Great Place to Work for five consecutive years. Redii, Simson’s other more recent major effort, has nearly reached 9
LEADERSHIP
the same level of prosperity as RedBalloon, attracting nearly 25,000 users before even officially launching in October. A global software platform designed to recognise and reward staff members, Redii is inspired by the belief that employees are the DNA of any successful company. “It comes back to the old adage that customers drive the growth of any 10 April 2016
business,” said Simson. “If you have customers supporting you and happy to be your advocates, that is the best way to grow a business.” In today’s digital age of social media and mobile devices, Simson believes people often care too much about what other people think of them. This led to her molding it into a natural evolution of finding ways to gauge
BUSINESS REVIEW AUSTRALIA
social reactions and utilize them as leadership tools. “That’s where Redii came from,” said Simson. “It came from the pain of growing my own business, when I realised it doesn’t matter if you’re an entrepreneur, a founder, a business leader or a banker. This people thing is actually quite hard. Redii makes it easier.”
Simson continued, “With RedBalloon, I think people felt connected to what we were doing and why we were doing it. As an employer, we challenge people to achieve greatness. If somebody goes home proud of where they work, that’s all you can ask for.” Finding the right people isn’t an easy task though. Simson believes 11
LEADERSHIP
surrounding herself with employees who share the same core values, focusing on the ‘how,’ rather than the ‘what,’ of their specific behaviors. Simson insists skills, talent and technical ability can all be taught, but the way individuals treat one another can’t be. “Not a day goes by where I don’t hear a business person saying, ‘People are the core of every business,’” said Simson. “But what they do is something completely different. When people come to work every day and believe in what you believe in, it’s great. There’s no greater sense of accomplishment. “It’s not easy. I knew I could only grow RedBalloon if I had alignment from the team and everybody was working hard, loving what they’re doing and having a deep sense of purpose.”
A HELPING HAND Aside from her success as an entrepreneur, Simson’s philanthropic efforts set her apart from others. “I want put my influence to things that could perhaps make a difference,” she said. 12 April 2016
F E AT U R E A R T I C L E S H O R T E N E D H E A D L I N E
Simson’s best-seller in Australia - Live What You Love
To do this, Simson is a part of the council of governors for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance, an advisor for genderequality promotional organisation Heads Over Heels, and is a council member of Voiceless, which spreads the word of the need for better animal protection. She’s also an ambassador for Mother of the Year. The Cerebral Palsy Alliance research foundation has made strides in both
‘Happiness is a choice. When something happens to us, we have a choice of our response. And quite frankly, that is about emotional maturity’ – Naomi Simson 13
LEADERSHIP
Nokia Business Innovation Award
prevention and cure, and has invested heavily in researchers and academia around the world. The progress achieved by the alliance in the last year is astonishing, with cerebral palsy rates dropping from 1-in-400 births to 1-in-500. “I have a belief that everybody has a right to a great life,” she said. “Just 14 April 2016
because of an abnormal birth, not only the patient’s life, but everybody’s life around them, changes. Simson said such positive outcomes inspire her to stay involved and push for more progress. “I have a very fortunate life,” said Simson. “I have a great business and people are interested in what I have
F E A T U R E A RBTUI S C ILNEE S H S ORRETVEI E NW E DA H UE SA TD RL A ILNI A E
to say. So why not use that influence for good?
CUT FROM A DIFFERENT CLOTH The daughter of two working parents, Simson’s mother helped develop Australia’s first computer prior to a long career in the tech industry, while
her father was engineer who eventually started his own consulting business. Meanwhile, Simson’s sister works in the medical field as a speech pathologist. However, Simson believes all the different traits in her family helped influence her in a positive way. “We’re all very, very different personalities,” she said, “but 15
LEADERSHIP
16 April 2016
BUSINESS REVIEW AUSTRALIA
sometimes that’s what it takes. It’s yin and yang, and loving people for who they are as well as who they’re not.” Around 10 years ago during the early days of RedBalloon, Simson said she had a very hectic lifestyle, balancing her executive requirements with taking care of a young family. She had much to learn, and more importantly, needed somewhere to store the massive amount of new information so she could remember it. That’s when Simson discovered her love of blogging, chronicling her experiences and discoveries. Today her site naomisimson.com has been recognised as the second best business blog in 2016 by Smart Company. “I see my blog as my ancillary brain,” she said. “I even do searches in my own blog to find out what
I’ve learned, who I’ve met and what books I’ve read.” Simson points to the blog as a means of helping other people. “I originally did it for myself and then made it available for others. It’s great. I’m happy to share what I’ve learned with anybody. Why not?”
17
TECHNOLOGY
HOW TO GET
A GOOD RETURN ON YOUR IT INVESTMENT
Citrix ANZ director of technical services Safi Obeidullah shares his strategies to ensure your next investment is able to quickly deliver returns WRI T TEN BY: SA FI OBEIDULL A H
TECHNOLOGY
IMMEDIACY IS THE key and the bane of modern business life. As IT has played an increasingly influential role within business, we’ve come to expect associated services be available 24-7 regardless of our location and the device we are using. The benefits of this new world of work have been much discussed — from improved productivity to increased staff satisfaction — and we’re seeing organisations embrace 20 April 2016
new technologies, such as cloud platforms and enterprise mobility applications, enabling it. Yet, a recent report from Citrix and Tech Research Asia suggests the benefits of business investments in cloud, mobility, and security, are yet to be fully realised. In fact, when asked about their effectiveness in supporting the business strategy, only 50 per cent of respondents stated mobility was making a difference, 40 per cent
said the same for security, and only a quarter (27 per cent) believed they were reaping the complete advantages from cloud investments. In a world where we expect immediate results, this situation has the potential to create many frustrations — especially when you consider the sizes of the investments being made. To ensure your next investment in IT is able to rapidly deliver returns,
support the overall business strategy, and meet expectations, it’s critical you make a number of important considerations along the way:
HAVE A CLEAR ROADMAP Careful and considered planning is the foundation upon which the most successful IT deployments are built. Similarly, IT investments having the biggest impact are those aimed at overcoming existing 21
TECHNOLOGY
business challenges or enabling new capabilities, rather than simply adopting the latest solutions for the sake of it. As such, at the outset of each new IT project, you should identify the objectives and plot out the path to achieving them. Be sure to involve your workforce in this phase to ensure the project proposed will satisfy their needs. This approach provides a clear overview of what needs to be achieved 22 April 2016
and by when, helping keep the project on track, and effectively managing expectations around it. For smaller deployments this journey may take a handful of weeks, while for larger transformations it might span a number of years.
FUTURE-PROOF YOUR IT Being able to respond to change is fundamental to business success today, and the same principles apply during IT projects. As such,
BUSINESS REVIEW AUSTRALIA
select cloud technologies that can be quickly scaled and upgraded to accommodate evolving business needs and market changes. As a result, you will not need to make wholesale and costly IT changes to capitalise on each and every opportunity coming to market, which could also impact employee productivity. Instead, you will benefit from being able to rapidly rollout new technologies in a cost-effective manner, allowing you to realise the rewards well ahead of those businesses slow to embrace change.
ENGAGE THE RIGHT PARTNERS When it comes to selecting a new IT solution, you have unprecedented choice. In addition to the product itself, businesses seek guidance and support enabling them to tackle the complex IT environments. Therefore, the partners you engage to help navigate this new world of IT are more important than ever. During your IT deployment, look to work with channel partners that are specialists in specific sectors — such as mobility, virtualisation, and 23
TECHNOLOGY
24 April 2016
BUSINESS REVIEW AUSTRALIA
networking — and which offer tailored solutions specifically designed to help businesses rapidly optimise their IT investments.
HAVE PATIENCE The initial business gains of your IT deployment might only be incremental at the outset. This is not a sign the platform has not worked, and nor is it a reason to immediately make another investment in a similar solution promising immediate results. Technology is changing business, and we need to adapt to this new world as individuals too. Be sure that within your roadmap you account for this “bedding in” phase, as well as offering employees access to training and support helping them quickly get up to speed with the new offerings. For many businesses, having the right technology in place is the difference between success and failure. As such, it’s alarming to learn the majority of organisations do not believe their IT investments are fully supporting company goals and strategies, meaning there is potentially a wealth of opportunities remaining untapped. This is bad news for all the
organisations involved, as well as their employees and customers. There’s no doubt cloud and mobility are two important pillars upon which successful businesses of the future are going to be built. It’s therefore critical to follow the four simple steps outlined to ensure your next deployment fully supports the business goals and has the desired impact on your bottom line.
Safi Obeidullah, Citrix ANZ director of technical services 25
TOP 10
WITH CLOUD SERVICES BECOMING MORE WIDESPREAD AND COMPLEX, COST MANAGEMENT AND SCALABILITY HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY VITAL
TOP 10 CLOUD BILLING
SERVICE COMPANIES Due to the increased presence of so many different vendors, the market for global cloud billing services has seen a swell of intense competition. With cloud services becoming more widespread and complex, client billing and services integration need improved facilitation. Pricing structures need to evolve and be tailored to individual clients. The global cloud billing services market is populated by a wide range of vendors, and competition at the top is fierce. Selecting
the right service could provide significant benefits of time saving, cost reduction, superior client service and more. Although several new software providers continue to enter the market, easy integration with OSS reliability and software is anticipated to be the main deciding factor for survival amongst the herd of providers. Below are the top 10 companies that are believed to help fuel market growth via cloud billing services between 2014-2019.
Written by: Eric Harding 27
TOP 10
10
RECURLY
Amidst the industry’s transition to subscription-based models, there is a growing need for sophisticated recurring payment management platform. Recurly makes certain there is easy setup, quick integrations and service meets your business’ needs. FOR MORE INFORMATION >>
9 9
CGI GROUP
A Canadian-gone-global IT consultant, systems integration, outsourcing and solutions company, CGI delivers end-toend outsourcing services that allow clients to achieve quick wins and long-term results. Also with CGI-built solutions, clients benefit from its time-tested domain specific and repeatable IP solutions to drive business goals. FOR MORE INFORMATION >>
28
April 2016
BUSINESS REVIEW AUSTRALIA
8
AMDOCS
Equipped with tools used to define, measure and continually improve CRM-based business processes, Amdocs has incorporated retail management functionalities in all new versions since the 2010 launch of Clarify version 8. This feature serves as an online store for telecom operators in emerging markets including China, India and the Middle East. FOR MORE INFORMATION >>
7
CHARGIFY
A recurring billing system set up for Web 2.0 and SaaS companies, Chargify allows companies to concentrate on developing innovative web applications rather than being concerned about billing. Behind investment from the likes of Mark Cuban, Chargify quickly grants access to flexible plan solutions, subscription add-ons, effortless tax management and coupons. FOR MORE INFORMATION >>
29
TOP 10
6
NEC
Based on SAP Convergent Charging, NEC Billing Cloud Service allows users to quickly deploy flexible billing and revenue sharing mechanisms at a lower cost. Its competitive advantage comes through its efficient billing management, which is proven by the 200 companies across the globe that use it.
5
CERILLION
FOR MORE INFORMATION >>
Cerillion was created because of one simple realization: Service providers must be as agile as quickly as possible in order to thrive in a liberalized environment. Flexibility alone is not enough. Therefore, Cerillion Skyline brings together flexible product creation, thoughtful customer engagement, and a supercharged transaction processing engine all in one online application. FOR MORE INFORMATION >> 30
April 2016
BUSINESS REVIEW AUSTRALIA
4
ARIA SYSTEMS
Aria provides the only cloud-based platform both large and scalable enough to assist enterprises in fulfilling new market opportunities and meeting customer demands. Rapidly deploying monetization models and quickly delivers new plans and packages results in better product offerings, more packaging options, improved customer service and satisfaction all with fewer missed opportunities. FOR MORE INFORMATION >>
3
ORACLE
Oracle’s Billing and Revenue Management Cloud Services is a combination of billing solutions and the Oracle cloud, providing advanced security and flexibility. The cloud billing services offer discounting, debt and account management, financial management and rating. With over 420,000 customers and deployments in more than 145 countries, Oracle provides a comprehensive and fully integrated stack of cloud applications, platform services and engineered systems. FOR MORE INFORMATION >> 31
TOP 10
2
IBM
IBM SmartCloud Cost Management allows greater visibility into the usage and cost of infrastructure and other non-IT resources. This software assists in tracking and assessing shared computing resource usage accurately, and managing the cost of cloud and IT services better.
Some of the benefits and features include advanced analytics, provides user visibility into the cost implications of services, provides insight into virtualized and physical IT assets, and supports both cloud showback and chargeback processes. FOR MORE INFORMATION >>
32
April 2016
BUSINESS REVIEW AUSTRALIA
1
AMAZON WEB SERVICES
Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides key infrastructure services to businesses in the form of cloud computing. The ultimate benefit of this collaboration is the ability to leverage a new business model and turn capital infrastructure expenses into variable costs. Because of this scalability, businesses won’t need to plan and procure servers and other IT resources so far in advance. Amazon DevPay is an easy-touse online billing and account management service that makes it easy for companies to sell applications that are either built
in or run on top of AWS, and make running applications in the cloud and on demand easier for developers. With annual revenue of approximately US$10 billion and nearly 2500 certified partners, AWS intends to accelerate cloud success through their rich platform services such as analytics, mobile services, enterprise applications and IoT. In addition, it will improve operational efficiency and developer productivity through management and developer tools. FOR MORE INFORMATION >>
33
CO
Ge disc
CONSTRUCTING A POSITIVE
OMPANY CULTURE
eneral Manager - New Business, Joel Martin cusses the company culture and core values that set Pensar Construction Group apart Written by: Sasha Orman Produced by: Vince Kielty
35
PENSAR CONSTRUCTION GROUP
K
arl Yunker has always had a passion for construction, but as he developed his career, he saw the potential to apply a different approach to the industry. The result of that vision is Pensar Construction Group, founded by Yunker at the age of 28 and based on a concept of creating quality work in a highly positive work environment. It’s an idealistic ambition that has become a proven success: in the past three years alone, Pensar has doubled its staff numbers and Head Office - Staff
36
April 2016
revenue. Today, even more growth is on the horizon, as Pensar shows that good work and good company culture go hand in hand. BUILDING A POSITIVE MINDSET From the outset, Pensar Construction Group was created with the intention of fostering a constructive environment to work, as well as collaborative and mutually beneficial relationships with subcontractors, suppliers and clients to develop repeat work across the board. “Our core values are pretty oldfashioned,” says Joel Martin, GM of New Business at Pensar. To be accountable, respectful, patient, flexible, and focused—it’s actually fairly simple and straightforward.” But those simple values represent the culture of the company. “We’re not really a company that has an arrogance or ego attached to it,” says Martin. “We’re very down to earth, focused on doing good quality work. That’s seen us grow over the last 16 years from one person in a sublease office to 120-
CONSTRUCTION
Brisbane Head Office
plus staff now, all for believing in the brand and buying into the ethos of the company.” BUILDING A BETTER WORKFORCE A positive environment does not mean a lax environment. Pensar has high expectations for staff from the start, but the expectations are balanced, with Pensar placing a high priority on giving employees the tools and resources they need to flourish.
“We have a very rigorous recruitment process, to ensure that we’re getting the right calibre of people, but we also don’t restrict them or pigeonhole them. Where they start is not always where they finish,” says Martin. By stressing the right fit, a strong work-life balance, and well-being activities ranging from community outreach to fitness lessons at its onsite boxing gym, Pensar strives to make its employees feel valued. For these efforts up front, Pensar w w w . p e n s a r. c o m . a u
37
Sustainable Returns to Service Life through Rehabilitation of Concrete Infrastructure National Concrete Solutions have a range of capabilities that assist in providing Sustainable Returns to Service Life of Concrete Infrastructure. By utilising a number of specialised products and systems, we provide quality solutions that deliver and assist in the rehabilitation of Commercial and Civil Infrastructure. Our services continue to deliver high quality solutions to our clientele that will assist in not only extending the service life of our Clients’ Assets, we provide extensive cost savings in the reduction of future maintenance costs, through to maintenance scheduling and planning.
76 Merkel Street, Thurgoona NSW 2640 PO Box 255, Lavington NSW 2641 Phone: 02 6049 4848 Email: info@ncsaustralia.com.au
www.ncsaustralia.com.au
SUPPLIER PROFILE
National Concrete Solutions is a specialist, Contracting Organisation that has been incorporated since 1991. (NCS) prides themselves on their wealth of experience and knowledge in concrete solutions for the Commercial, Industrial and Civil sectors. Through continued investment, we build brand loyalty and address Environmental, Social and Economic factors, showing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), to assist in lessening the effects on the community. This investment not only addresses global factors, it further provides technical education and development of our people. NCS provides a high quality service delivering sustainable solutions in Concrete Repair (Structural and Non Structural), Durability Solutions, Crack Injection, Structural strengthening, Joint repair systems, Water Ingress Prevention, Surface Coatings, through to restoration of heritage buildings and structures that results in Return to Service Planning, promoting Long Term Sustainable Benefits. National Concrete Solutions (NCS) does not view Corporate Social Responsibility as a regulatory cost, but an investment towards assisting in gaining a more sustainable future, in extending the life of Commercial and Civil Infrastructure. With passion being at the forefront of the Why we do it, together our team of committed people can work towards creating a sustainable future. Built on Loyalty, Honesty, Respect and Innovation, NCS continue to achieve providing Sustainable Solutions resulting in Rehabilitation of Concrete Infrastructure. Website: www.ncsaustralia.com.au
CONSTRUCTION
is rewarded with a hard working and loyal staff—and that is something that the company does not take for granted, especially with its burgeoning growth. “Our short term and long term staff retention far exceeds the industry norms, because we don’t just hire people for projects and let them go when the project finishes. We’re looking to provide
safe, secure and stable long-term employment,” notes Martin. “The amount of people who have worked here for five to 10 years is quite outstanding, and we have initiated endeavours to identify these people and talk about their stories. We appreciate the long tenure they’ve brought to the organization, and the ideas they’ve brought in the time they’ve worked here.”
Mudgeeraba Water Treatment Plant
w w w . p e n s a r. c o m . a u
41
WRB is one of Australia’s largest concrete sleeper retaining wall builders, specialising in concrete sleeper retaining walls, boulder walls, acoustic and timber fencing.
Phone: (07) 3245 1925 | Email: admin@wrbconstruction.com.au www.wrbconstruction.com.au
Solid thinking. Grounded results.
Morrison Geotechnic specialises in providing Geotechnical Engineering, Construction Materials Testing, and Engineering Geology to the civil, engineering, construction and mining industries.
A P E W
Unit 1, 35 Limestone Street, Darra QLD 4076 (07) 3279 0900 // F (07) 3279 0955 mickmorrison@morrisongeo.com.au www.morrisongeo.com.au
CONSTRUCTION
BUILDING COMMUNIT Y TH ROUGH OUTR E ACH Philanthropy is a core value close to Pensar, displayed through its commitment to its community and such charitable organizations as Traction and White Ribbon. Along with monetary donations, the company also commits time and resources to the causes it supports. In the case of White Ribbon, this involves Pensar building awareness through its actions and social media management. For Traction, it’s
dedicating office and warehouse space to the youth organization to help it scale up and more comprehensively foster its growth through coaching and mentoring. “This comes back to that human element. We like to think and care about the community and charitable organizations,” says Martin. “Rather than just spending money on these things, we prefer to be hands-on and actually involved, and our staff find that empowering, because they can have more of a tangible impact.”
Boxing Team Building
w w w . p e n s a r. c o m . a u
43
PENSAR CONSTRUCTION GROUP
Brisbane Airport Corporation Substation Upgrade
BUILDING TRUST WITH SUPPLIERS, S UBCONTR ACTOR S AND CLIENTS Pensar Construction Group’s interest in a positive and encouraging environment also extends to its dealings with clients on one end and its suppliers and subcontractors on the other. Not 44
April 2016
interested in clinical, transactional one-off partnerships based on the lowest bids, Pensar sees value in building a partnership that lasts and always working to understand our customer’s needs. “We want to build relationships with like-minded companies that share our high professional standards, and help them grow as
CONSTRUCTION
we grow,” says Martin. As Pensar has found, there is a simple key to building these collaborative relationships. “The foundation of true collaboration is good communication, being open and honest and having frank discussions at the start to let people know where they stand—each stakeholder gets
the opportunity to talk about what they hope to achieve,” says Martin. “Over time, it happens organically that positive relationships are formed and continue to evolve and strengthen. It doesn’t happen on day one, but we definitely try to build a rapport. We try to keep the same set of rules and create the same kind of positive collaborative w w w . p e n s a r. c o m . a u
45
PENSAR CONSTRUCTION GROUP
relationships up and down the food chain.” TH E ROA D A H E A D “Do good things and be generous, and good things will come back to you. We believe in karma,” says Martin. That belief has been bolstered by Pensar’s successes, which have continued with the company’s recent diversification strategy. Now the company is entering a period of consolidation to ensure that the strategy is able to take root and survive in the long term and that risk among the divisions is well balanced. “We will continue to grow in a slow and sustainable fashion,” says Martin, adding that the company plans to expand its staff to around 200 by the year 2020. “We’re ensuring that our building, water and power divisions are still growing and moving forward, increasing revenue and staff numbers, and are profitable so they can sustain their growth and continue to be viable businesses.” As Martin explains, Pensar’s 46
April 2016
Rocky Point Boat Ramp, North Qld
growth is exciting for more reasons than just the increase in revenue that it brings. “Growth creates opportunity for the staff that work here, as well as opportunity for people to come in and bring fresh ideas and fresh energy to the company,” he says. “We’ll be tweaking the
CONSTRUCTION
Company Information INDUSTRY
Civil, Building and Utilities HEAD OFFICE
- South Brisbane, Qld Australia REGIONAL OFFICES
- Cairns, North Queensland - Somersby, New South Wales FOUNDED
2000 EMPLOYEES
125
organizational structure, and that will open up new opportunities for existing staff to be promoted or move into a completely different role. We’ve already created two new roles in the organization that current staff members are moving into in the next couple of months. It’s exciting to see that play out as we speak.” As the business continues to accentuate the positive, the sky is the limit for its success.
REVENUE $115m group turnover
w w w . p e n s a r. c o m . a u
47
RICOH’S SMART WAY
FORWARD Ricoh Australia’s combination of service and highquality products has been a smashing success
Written by: Eric Harding | Produced by: Glen White 49
RICOH
RICOH’S SMART WAY FORWARD Taking advantage of the growing market share over the past 30 years, Ricoh has secured its position as the second largest supplier of office imaging equipment. “Ricoh’s strength in Australia and worldwide, is in mid- to high-range colour multifunctional devices,” comments Mike Betts, National Operations
50
April 2016
Manager. Ricoh’s broad multi award winning range of print products extends from basic economy printers to large format production devices with advanced cloud connectivity and integrated software solutions. Ricoh’s clients range from small-tomedium businesses, educational institutions to large government agencies, and the financial sector,
S U P P LY C H A I N
including three of Australia’s four major banks. Workplaces are transforming with businesses printing fewer copies than in the past, moving towards storing documents electronically and reducing waste. To remain competitive, in recent years Ricoh has made a strategical shift to expand their services and products to workplace technologies while
continuing to be world leaders in the manufacturing of multifunctional printers. Ricoh has been very successful in providing a one-stopshop for IT services, Managed Documents services and Unified Communications. “Our business model is changing, and it will continue to evolve quite rapidly over the next couple of years,� said Betts.
w w w. r i c o h . c o m . a u
51
S U P P LY C H A I N
WAREHOUSING & LOGISTICS “We’re looking forward to a big year,” said Betts. “We’ve successfully secured a number of sizeable contracts and are scheduled to move a significant number of units over the next 12 months.” Most products come directly from Ricoh’s local and overseas factories. Betts is responsible for managing the relationships involved with distribution and installation of devices within Australia. His target is to operate with a 30-day inventory at all times, which allows for a buffer when unusually large sales take place. There’s no new innovative technology involved in Ricoh’s warehouse logistics. It relies on good communication processes to keep the team across all transactions in the pipeline. “It’s my job to ensure I have enough stock but not too much. It’s a balancing act,” said Betts. “A lot of it is attention to detail and accurate sales forecasting. We spend a lot of time consulting with each department and having open dialog.
Mike Betts, National Operations Manager
w w w. r i c o h . c o m . a u
53
“Good internal communication within the company is critical. We do a pretty good job of that, whether we are working remotely or in different locations, we have the support of our unified communications to interact regularly.” A GREEN PRESENT AND FUTURE When Ricoh built its new warehouse two years ago it was the only one of its kind to have a five-star green rating in Sydney. “The warehouse 54
April 2016
was built to be an environmentally sound and innovative building,” said Betts. “It’s been a huge success for us, and we are now seeing it being used as a template for other buildings.” Ricoh also has a toner-recycling program, where the company picks up and re-uses emptied toners. Betts estimates 50-60 per cent of all toner cartridges will be recycled, which reduces landfill usage. Similarly, once printing machines hit end of life, they’re collected and recycled. While it’s a selling point for
S U P P LY C H A I N
w w w. r i c o h . c o m . a u
55
RICOH
the company, it also provides a feelgood factor. “Traditionally, this industry has generated a lot of waste,” said Betts. “Now we meticulously collect everything and make sure that doesn’t happen.” SMARTER WORKPLACES Ricoh’s new head office is an interchangeable open workplace. 56
April 2016
Opened in September 2015, it is what is known as a “smart workplace environment,” where no one has a designated office space and working remotely is supported. The new activity-based working environment has increased staff connectivity, collaboration, and productivity. Most importantly, it is underpinned by Ricoh’s own technology. “One of the reasons
S U P P LY C H A I N
Company Information NAME
Ricoh Australia INDUSTRY
Manufacturing, Supply Chain HEADQUARTERS
North Ryde, NSW Australia MANAGEMENT
National Operations Manager: Mike Betts
behind this is that our staff stand by our smart workplace philosophy by utilising Ricoh’s multifunctional printers, interactive whiteboards, IT Services, Managed Document Services, projectors and so on. “We want to ensure the environment in which we and our clients work, is productive and collaborative, and an inspiring and pleasurable place to be, where staff enjoy coming to work,” said Betts.
w w w. r i c o h . c o m . a u
57
ON A JOURNEY TOWARD SUPPLY CHAIN OPTIMISATION BUILT TO LA
With an eye to sustainability, SunRice is on a mission to gro while improving efficiencies Written by: Sasha Orman Produced by: Glen White
AST
ow
59
SUNRICE
I
n the heart of Australia’s food bowl, Ricegrowers and the many brands and facilities it operates as SunRice, play an important role for consumers domestically and abroad. “We are trusted to transform nature’s goodness into healthy, enjoyable and nutritious foods that meet the needs of consumers around the world,” says Simone Anderson, General Manager of Operations at SunRice. Maintaining the multiple moving parts of such a large supply chain can be complex and challenging in its own right; optimising that supply chain can be even more so. But SunRice is on a journey toward making its supply chain more efficient and effective than ever before. Through this endeavor, the company is poised to push forward into new markets and new applications. STREAMLINING THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS When Frank Wohlfarth joined in 2014 to lead the SunRice procurement team, he notes that 60
April 2016
Deniliquin Site Manager, Paul Scoulla
most of the company’s procurement was centralized and focused primarily on transactions. But since then, the Procurement Manager has observed a change underway to move toward a group procurement structure to centralize strategic sourcing via Procurement Category Management. This approach aims to aggregate and bundle volume
FOOD
ar
across SunRice’s business units, consolidating the way that the company procures its goods and services in order to secure the best value for money outcomes. “The major process change to support the strategic sourcing approach has been to automate our procurement systems, in order to convert transactional roles
and administrative positions into category management positions for procurement,” he says. “These category managers are engaging across the group of business units in order to achieve the best value outcomes considering quality, service levels, and compliance in the contracts they negotiate.” According to Wohlfarth, adopting w w w. s u n r i c e . c o m . a u
61
Amcor, your global partner in innovative packaging solutions Innovative packaging is a key branding tool that enables you to catch your customer’s attention. Contact us to learn how distinctive packaging design cuts through the competition.
For more information about flexible packaging, visit us at www.amcor.com or phone Ph +61 3 8645 9500
CONSTRUCTION
Leeton Packing Plant’s new pick and place robots
this strategy has helped SunRice increase its level of service to customers. “It enables us to improve our technology with strategic suppliers,” he explains, “and it enables us to better manage risk with a fewer number of suppliers across larger plant networks to support our growth journey.” IMPROVING THE M A N U FAC TU R I N G PROCESS Elsewhere throughout the SunRice supply chain, other departments
are finding their own ways to optimise operations at all levels. From the company’s Leeton mill and manufacturing facility, Head of Manufacturing Joe Trevaskis discusses continuous improvement strategies within the manufacturing process, including non-negotiable daily safety meetings and concrete standards set around issues like quality assurance and acceptable health and safety KPIs. As Trevaskis points out, a significant part of SunRice’s efficiency success comes from w w w. s u n r i c e . c o m . a u
63
SunRice’s core rice range
S U P P LY C H A I N
strong leadership, from the top down. “Leadership that is engaged and involved—that walks the walk and the talk—is pivotal in ensuring that people are aligned to high performance objectives,” says Trevaskis. “It’s about being visible and available, and it’s about daily communication and following up that people are performing their roles as expected.” Trevaskis adds that setting and maintaining high standards from a management level is critical to continuous improvement—with only bare minimum goals to strive for, staff may slide into poor habits and paths of least resistance. By setting higher operational standards to strive for, SunRice is able to keep moving its goalposts of success onward and upward. “The goals we set as management
must be ones that employees have to aspire to achieve,” he says. “If you set a goal that is mediocre, you can only ever expect to achieve mediocre standards. It is important that we set a high aspiration, and service and support the operations teams to achieve that.” TA K I N G P R I D E I N A S U S TA I N A B L E C U LT U R E “When we evaluate our vendors, we don’t do that just on price—we also look at the capabilities of our vendors,” says Wohlfarth. One critical capability that SunRice seeks out in its potential vendors is a vendor’s ability to operate with consideration to the environment. “Clean and green branding is very important for us,” he explains. “We are a premium brand looking for suppliers that have the right capabilities—and if we make sure
“It’s about being visible and available, and it’s about daily communication and following up that people are performing their roles as expected.” – Joe Trevaskis, Head of Manufacturing w w w. s u n r i c e . c o m . a u
65
SUNRICE
that we have the right partners with the right capabilities, our organization automatically becomes more sustainable.” “We also have a sustainability piece in terms of Australia being the most water efficient rice growing country in the world,” adds Trevaskis. “We can take that skill and apply it to other countries and maintain the sustainability base for the planet. We have a triple bottom line profitability perspective: we
Riviana range
66
April 2016
incorporate sustainable practices for people and their communities, our renowned rice products are relied upon as the main source of carbohydrate for many parts of the world, and our efficiency creates a fantastic future for the business.” MAKING A DIFFERENCE With years of experience with some of the world’s largest food, beverage and FMCG manufacturers, Wohlfarth is in a distinctive position
S U P P LY C H A I N
to observe exactly what sets SunRice apart from the competition in terms of its supply chain operations. “We are a very small procurement team, influencing only high spend procurement categories in a fairly efficient way for the number of people that we have,” he says, explaining that this
achieved through the company’s operational strategy. “SunRice is an organization that is very handson, where changes can be made quickly inside the organization.” “We pride ourselves on that everyone can make a difference in the company. If you want to make a change in the supply market, the organization is agile enough to allow
w w w. s u n r i c e . c o m . a u
67
SUNRICE
SunRice Supply Chain team members with the Foodbank donation
for these changes to be made in a fairly quick time frame,” he says. LOO K I N G TOWA R D FUTURE GROW TH From end to end of its supply chain, the SunRice team sees good things ahead in the near future—particularly growth and an increased reach into the Middle Eastern and Asian marketplaces. “Australia and SunRice have never been in a better position for growth,” says Anderson. “We 68
April 2016
have the opportunity to take our expertise in the conversion of rice products around the world and into the markets where we sell our products.” SunRice also plans to continue its focus on building synergies along its supply chain with vendors and suppliers. “The next 12-18 months are about where we can win and where our suppliers can win as well,” says Anderson. “How can we share the benefits of innovation? We’re really looking at supplier
S U P P LY C H A I N
Company Information INDUSTRY
Food - Ricegrowers HEADQUARTERS
Sydney, NSW - Australia FOUNDED
1950 EMPLOYEES
2100 MANAGEMENT
relationship management, and how to extract the best value, in terms of both getting the best service levels as well as bringing worldclass suppliers into our network.” Throughout its future, sustainability will also continue to be a priority. “We have almost a duty to improve the efficiency of our growing practices in order to feed the growing global population,” says Anderson, adding that its efficiency improvements will also help the business grow throughout Australia as well as beyond. “There’s never been a more exciting time to be part of the SunRice business than now.”
General Manager Operations: Simone Anderson Head of Manufacturing: Joe Trevaskis Procurement Manager: Frank Wohlfarth
w w w. s u n r i c e . c o m . a u
69
VicRoads ta at
IMPROVING THE STATE OF TRANSPORTATION
IN VICTORIA
ackles the issue of population growth with a fresh look the state’s roadways and public transportation needs
Photo by Misheye
Written by: Sasha Orman | Produced by: Andy Turner
71
VICROADS
The West Gate Bridge with traffic management active on the overhead gantries
W
hen Nick Fisher joined the VicRoads team at the start of 2004, the agency was known for a handful of vital but standard functions. Beyond the licenses and registrations it issues, most customers knew VicRoads primarily as a road builder. “That was its business,” he explains. “Pretty much every solution 72
April 2016
VicRoads offered as a core group of engineers was to build its way out of congestion or traffic problems.” More than a decade into the future, Fisher has risen through the ranks to his current role of Director of Road Operations, and Victoria’s roads agency has evolved as well in both vision and scope. With its latest efforts, VicRoads aims to
CONSTRUCTION
ensure that customer journeys are safe, reliableand enjoyable throughout Melbourne and beyond. FORECASTING THE FUTURE TO IMPROVE THE PRESENT Each year the Victoria State Government’s Department of Environment, Land, Water and
Planning releases Victoria in Future (VIF), a document that projects population and household growth trends in Victoria up to 40 years into the future. The purpose of this forecast is to anticipate the various needs of that future population and start the planning process far in advance. Current projections see Victoria w w w. v i c r o a d s . v i c . g o v. a u
73
AS4801
SUPPLIER PROFILE
Established: 1960 Industry: Towing & Transport Strategy: Nationwide has chosen a very deliberate path to build a quality-assured business platform based around ICT, WH&S and comprehensive training in support of our fleet and people that sets the benchmark for the industry. Services: Nationwide is the industry leader and completes over 300,000 tows per annum for all types of vehicles, a wide range of plant & equipment and other unique items. Other specialty services include clearway and emergency related towing and salvage. Nationwide services a broad range of customers such as state-based automotive clubs, police, road authorities, local councils and large Australian and multi-national corporations. Projects: During the past five years Nationwide has invested more than $30m in ICT, WH&S, quality, training, fleet and people. The ICT investment includes the collection of a wide array of data including video streaming from in-truck cameras, GPS tracking, speedometer reading, duress management and job status. Key to success: Nationwide attributes its success to its heavy focus on ICT, Quality and WH&S in support of its people, industry knowledge, fleet and supplier relationships. Nationwide has a partnership with a premium supplier, Prestige Hino, which extends over 10 years. This supplier relationship has developed due to the reliability and durability of over 150 Hino vehicles which is critical to enable Nationwide to deliver customer expectations. Management: Tony Re – Managing Director; Rob Nicholls – Chief Executive Officer; Lennie Jerliu – National Sales Manager Website: www.134tow.com.au
CONSTRUCTION
growing to 10 million people within the next 40 years, with Melbourne in particular expanding from today’s population of 4.3 million to as much as 7.8 million by the year 2051. Melbourne is consistently ranked as one of the Top 10 livable cities in the world, and agencies like VicRoads are charged with the task of maintaining that mobility, productivity and livability for a growing population. “One of the big challenges for VicRoads is preserving our livability with a population that’s almost
going to double in a 40 year period, but with a transport network that won’t double in a traditional form,” says Fisher. “My team at Road Operations is tasked with dealing with that particular challenge around journeys, where we must preserve both well being and productivity.” MEETING NEEDS THROUGH C O M M U N I C AT I O N To achieve this task, VicRoads is taking a fresh look at the way it
The old Mitcham Road level crossing approaching Whitehorse Road in Mitcham
The beneďŹ t of an extra freeway lane at a fraction of the cost *
* Travel time using the STREAMS ITS platform on a 15-km section of the M1 Monash Freeway was reduced by more than 42% during peak periods which equates to travel time s lane (based on a four-lane cross-section) at a fraction of the cost and with minimal impact to road users.
savings achievable by adding almost an extra freeway
TRANSMAX Transmax is a full-service Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) solutions provider that develops, deploys and supports the international award-winning ITS platform STREAMS. Transmax offers customers systems engineering, software design and development, along with a range of consulting and support services throughout the entire ITS lifecycle. We place our customers at the centre of everything we do. We are committed to the highest standards of quality, and work collaboratively with our customers to ensure our products are purpose-fit for their specific needs. Our products and services are innovative and unique – designed by experts and delivered with customer service excellence. With over 40 years’ experience developing, implementing and managing ITS, we help our customers realise the community benefits of optimising transport networks by providing smarter, more sustainable ITS solutions.
For more information, contact Transmax: +61 7 3355 8700 info@transmax.com.au transmax.com.au
SUPPLIER PROFILE
The Australian Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics forecasts that, without improvements in the management of congestion, rising traffic volumes in Australian cities are likely to result in the doubling of the net social costs of congestion from $16.5 billion in 2015 to more than $30 billion in 2030. To alleviate this congestion, road authorities are increasingly turning to the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) rather than the traditional approach of simply widening roads. Not only can ITS be implemented at a fraction of the cost of building more infrastructure, their deployment is much less disruptive to the transport network. VicRoads engaged Transmax to undertake a trial of STREAMS (Transmax’s international-award winning ITS platform) coordinated ramp metering on a 15-kilometre section of the M1 Monash Freeway, Melbourne’s most congested freeway. Before and after studies demonstrated the following benefits: • Peak hour flow increases exceeding 10% and average peak hour speed increase of 20kph • Travel time reduction of more than 42% during peak periods which equates to travel time savings achievable by adding almost an extra freeway lane (based on a four-lane cross-section) but at a fraction of the cost •
Accidents were reduced by 30%
•
Daily fuel savings estimated at 16,500 litres of petrol
• Greenhouse gas emission reductions of 11% (approximately 39,800kg per day) • Economic benefits estimated at more than $1 million per day and the payback period relative to the project cost was just 11 days. ‘In Victoria, STREAMS now also manages the M80, and 75km of the M1 which includes 64 ramps and 40 lane use signal gantries,’ says Transmax Managing Director, Mark Williamson. ‘As well as the quantifiable benefits, STREAMS Managed Motorways realises social benefits including: community satisfaction through noticeable improvement; reduced stress; financial savings; increased comfort; and improved availability and quality of information on road networks.’ STREAMS Managed Motorways has the ability to maximise the capacity of existing road infrastructure and reduce travel times while improving day-to-day reliability and safety outcomes. Through the implementation of STREAMS Managed Motorways, road traffic authorities are able to benefit from the capabilities of a fully integrated ITS platform that can deliver substantial improvements in traffic management and safety. Website: www.transmax.com.au
VICROADS
CONSTRUCTION
approaches problem solving. This includes working directly with the communities it serves to find out exactly how to meet its needs. “VicRoads recently released its new four-year strategic commitment, which includes our vision and how we intend to deliver on that vision,” says Fisher. “Unlike in the past, where we’d typically come up with an engineering solution that we would then tell the public and the customer about, we’ve substantially changed our approach. We now engage with our customers, understand what
it is about their local area that they enjoy most, and then build a solution around the needs of the community.” This approach, which includes annual satisfaction surveys, has yielded communication around which VicRoads can build concrete action plans and goals. “What our customers are telling us is that they would like the ability to plan their journeys in an easier way before they make them, and to ensure that those journeys are more predictable. If something does happen, they want to be told what
“VicRoads recently released its new four-year strategic commitment, which includes our vision and how we intend to deliver on that vision.” – Nick Fisher, Director of Road Operations w w w. v i c r o a d s . v i c . g o v. a u
81
ATSC4 with Internal Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) for Traffic Signals
Delivering successful projects from Hobart to Dublin and many cities in between, we are totally committed to designing and integrating advanced electronic road network management products and providing adaptive engineering services to the traffic control and global ITS management industry. Having designed & developed the latest SCATS® compliant Traffic Signal Controller (ATSC4) that is Type Approved by the Roads and Maritime Services Authority (RMS) of New South Wales Australia and VicRoads, these ATCS4’s are now controlling more than 2,500 intersections globally with more than 600 in Victoria. Leading the market, ATC has deployed the first controller in the world with the RMS VC6TRAFF software. Our ATSC4 SCATS® Controller is significantly more capable & flexible than any other on the market.
ATSC4 SCATS® Traffic Signal Controller
ATC delivers, implements & maintains the RMS SCATS® software for international customers and provide support services from its network of SCATS® practitioners and traffic engineering staff.
Aldridge Traffic Controllers Pty Ltd Building N, 10-16 South Street, Rydalmere NSW 2116 ABN 44 098 257 035
Telephone: +61 2 8846-5599 Facsimile: +61 2 8846-5590
Web: www.atsc4.com.au
VICROADS
CONSTRUCTION
we’re doing about it and find out easily what their alternatives are. They want to know that their journeys will be safe— and post-journey customers are telling us they would love to be able to give feedback on how their journey went.” SHORT TERM AND LONG TE R M GOA LS To address these customer needs as well as business needs, VicRoads has first identified several short term priorities including delivering more predictable journeys and moving freight more efficiently. As a key part of realising the goals in these priorities, VicRoads is
SUPPLIER PROFILE Employees: 40+
Overnight works to lift beams into place for the bridge over Cheltenham Road in Keysborough as part of the Dandenong Bypass
ATC - MOVING TRAFFIC
Established: 2001
Industry: Transportation, Supplying the global Intelligent Transport Systems market Worldwide distributors and integrators of; SCATS® software and SCATS® Traffic Signal Controllers and associated hardware and software. Services: SCATS® Installation & maintenance, adaptive traffic engineering services, training & consulting, Electronic Engineering, Design & Manufacturing of advanced traffic control devices. Ongoing Projects: In more than 12 Countries throughout Asia, Middle East, Europe and America. Management: Andrew Bull - Managing Director Website: www.atsc4.com
w w w. v i c r o a d s . v i c . g o v. a u
83
BRAUMS proudly delivers the world’s very best ITS solutions to the Australian & New Zealand markets. With ATC and SWARCO-FUTURIT as our key technology and product supply partners we offer best of breed solutions to our market. BRAUMS is the leading Australian supplier of the latest in LED Traffic Signals HPSM Technology. Proudly the first Company to gain the approvals of this technology across Australia and New Zealand (including RMS NSW and VIC ROADS). Having provided the first significant roll out of this technology in the region in 2012 we now have more than 50,000 HPSM LED Traffic Signal aspects deployed and growing fast. Our depth of engineering experience has also led to a more robustly designed and manufactured Pedestrian Detector and Audio Tactile unit. This robust design has become the preferred product as they are proven to be reliable, not only for general use but also in areas that experience high rates of vandalism. BRAUMS have partnered with SWARCO-FUTURIT and introduced a new leading edge full matrix RGB VMS technology to our region. This technology provides rich fully saturated colours at high intensity with very low current usage. This VMS provides road users with strong sharp text display as well as pictogram displays without needing a dedicated graphical section, text and graphics can be located wherever needed. (available with NTCIP and RMS protocol) We understand our ITS market not only requires the best technology but also exceptional service and support. Our experienced team of qualified Engineers and Partners have decades of industry experience ensuring our customers receive the best possible products, solutions and service.
Braums Pty Ltd Building N, 10-16 South Street, Rydalmere NSW 2116 ABN 31 150 551 732
Telephone: +61 2 9684-3300 Facsimile: +61 2 9684-3390
Web: www.braums.com.au
VICROADS
looking at transportation altogether in a different way. “We’re in the business of moving people and goods. We recognise a diverse choice of transportation modes for our customers—cars, trains, buses, trams, and active transport modes including walking and cycling,” says Fisher, noting that use of public transportation in Melbourne is growing rapidly at a double-digit rate, each 5-year census period. “If we’re going to be successful in moving people in such a rapidly growing city, as
CONSTRUCTION
a roads organisation we have to really embrace public transport as a solution to the future for moving people, as opposed to just more cars.” VicRoads is taking several steps toward improving journeys for both driving and public transport options. Some of these steps include installing Bluetooth readers at traffic signal sites to accurately measure and predict travel patterns and travel times, capital investment into Victoria’s successful managed motorways, and the development
SUPPLIER PROFILE
BRAUMS PTY LTD
Employees: 35+ Industry: Transportation, Supplying the Intelligent Transport Systems market Australia’s LEADING HPSM Traffic Signals Company. Having partnered with the world’s leading signal and VMS manufacturers SWARCO-FUTURIT, together with ATC, BRAUMS delivers innovative and advanced technology to benefit Road authorities and users. Services: Electronic Engineering, Design, Manufacturing and Integration of advanced ITS devices. Management: Andrew Bull - Managing Director Website: www.braums.com.au
w w w. v i c r o a d s . v i c . g o v. a u
85
Photo by Misheye
The Tullamarine Freeway and M80 Ring Road hosted a visual tribute to commemorate the centenary of ANZAC
and impending relaunch of the VicTraffic app. “Some years ago VicRoads released its first version of VicTraffic to provide customers and travelers with some data around congestion levels on the network,” says Fisher. “By next year, we’re looking to relaunch that app with substantial improvements. For example, Victoria Police can close roads during incidents. When there are 86
April 2016
such unforeseen circumstances, how do we get this information to customers and then provide available alternatives? That’s a gap we want to be able to fill using the VicTraffic app and other communication channels.” L O O K I N G A H E A D AT W H AT ’ S N E X T VicRoads has significant plans for the year ahead, especially at the
CONSTRUCTION
SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE. MAKE THAT FAST AND READY.
Telstra’s Workforce Mobility Solutions. Today the rules of business have changed. To act in the moment and seize every opportunity, your team needs the right collaboration and mobility tools. With Telstra by your side, you’ll deal with one single partner to develop and deliver a complete, integrated solution for your business. So it’s easier to get your team up to speed. Telstra’s Workforce Mobility Solutions is how. telstra.com/workforcemobility
Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) World Congress taking place in Melbourne in October 2016, where the agency will display some of its biggest initiatives and engage the industry for collaboration. “One thing that’s very important to us is that we need to partner with the industry to make this successful,” says Fisher. “The Congress is one place where we’ll be showcasing some of the initiatives that we want to deliver on, but also we want the industry to
“We’re in the business of moving people and goods. We recognise a diverse choice of transportation modes for our customers —cars, trains, buses, trams, and active transport modes including walking and cycling.” – Nick Fisher, Director of Road Operations w w w. v i c r o a d s . v i c . g o v. a u
87
VICROADS
VicRoads recently installed 70 concrete bridge beams over the Princes Freeway to form the new Sneydes Roda interchange in Werribee
better engage with VicRoads to help Victorians.” VicRoads is also turning a strong focus to freeway improvement to support the region’s large population of motorists, and has 88
April 2016
partnered with Public Transport Victoria to support the growing population of mass transit users. “We’ve partnered with PTV to understand how we can prioritise public transport movements,
CONSTRUCTION
Company Information NAME
VicRoads INDUSTRY
Transportation / Construction HEADQUARTERS
Kew, Victoria - Australia ABOUT
VicRoads purpose is to deliver social, economic and environmental benefits to communities throughout Victoria by managing the Victorian arterial road network and its use as an integral part of the overall transport system
particularly public transport modes that are on-road,” says Fisher. “At the moment we have a tram system that’s the biggest in the world. There are a lot of opportunities, and we will be working with PTV to see how we can make that far more successful. That is the future for us.” w w w. v i c r o a d s . v i c . g o v. a u
89
90