NEW ZEALAND’S CIVIL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
MIKASA
50 YEARS AND STILL GOING STRONG Mikasa plate compactors are top of the line.
INSIDE: Tranzcarr’s Warwick Bell reflects on his award-winning career Tourist crashes prompt major overhaul of a Waikato intersection Fixing SH20A – airport gateway gets a motorway makeover Please don’t stress the pipes – are cracks really a problem?
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CONTENTS CONTRACTOR
18
INSIDE: Regulars
Highlights / Features
2 Editorial 4 Upfront 16 On the Cover 46 Training 64 Classic Machines 68 Motoring 70 Innovations & Contractors’ Diary 72 Civil Contractors NZ Comment 72 Advertisers’ Index
18
Comment 58 Shanti Davies Simpson Grierson 60 Malcolm Abernethy Civil Contractors NZ 61 Jonathan Bhana-Thomson
Tranzcarr’s Warwick Bell recipient of the Gus Breen Memorial Award reflects on his career.
22
Higgins sets roundabout straight
Tourist crashes prompt a major overhaul of a Waikato intersection.
28
Reaping the hard yards A decade’s hard graft starts to pay dividends for Andy Silcock.
34
Fixing SH20A Airport gateway gets a motorway makeover.
40
ANZAC road maintenance Cooperation with Queensland and NSW will improve our future road maintenance.
44
Please don’t stress the pipes
ON THE COVER Celebrating over 50 years in this market, Mikasa is a world leader in the manufacture of light compaction equipment for the construction and hire industries. See page 16
The Concrete Pipe Association responds to anecdotal evidence of an increase in cracked under-road pipes.
NZ Heavy Haulage Association
62 Janet Brothers Life Care Consultants
A winning change of direction
48
The Masher - a seismic breakthrough The role a Ministry of Works D8 bulldozer played in the evolution of base isolators for earthquake protection.
63 Helmut Modlik Connexis 54
The mother of all tunnels Norway is building the longest underwater road tunnels in the world.
28
48
54 MAY 2015 1
CONTRACTOR EDITORIAL
Progress or vandalism? “We don’t need roads everywhere. Roads do not only bring tourists; they bring rubbish, pollution and open up new corridors for the spread of pests. We will fight to keep it the way it is.” This recent comment from the iwi representing Maori interests in the southern West Coast refers to the proposed road from Haast to Hollyford, shortening the drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound (see story on page 9). The idea for the road has been around for over 130 years, and the alternative proposal for a monorail through the forests was rejected on the basis of “significant impact on the area’s flora, fauna and natural heritage”. Will this road ever eventuate? Maybe not. At the same time, despite numerous protests, about-turns, and a legal challenge, the Ports of Auckland is proceeding with preparation works for two large port extensions, pushing out into the Waitemata Harbour to handle larger ships. Without the extensions, no ships; no ships – no trade, and the economic viability of the Port would be compromised. So says the Port’s chairman Graeme Hawkins, quoted in the NZ Herald. Finding that balance between economic pressures and environmental protection will never be straightforward, and extreme views won’t make it any easier. At least nowhere in New Zealand looks anything like the sprawling mess of Mexico City, pictured. It’s a shame someone there didn’t say, many years ago, “We don’t need roads everywhere… they bring rubbish, pollution and open up new corridors for the spread of pests.” In other “progress” news, Contractor magazine has joined the 21st century, and last month launched its free email newsletter to bring you updates “between magazines”, including links to stories from past issues you may have missed, and a hint of what’s coming in the next issue. If you’d like to receive this free service, just email kevin@contrafed.co.nz. And while you’re thinking digital – check out our new combined Contractor and Q&M website at www.contractormag.co.nz (it’s also mobile-friendly) for current and archive material, and links to Contrafed’s other titles EnergyNZ and Local Government Magazine. We have two Heavy Haulage features for you this month: Warwick Bell of Tranzcarr and associated company Machinery Movers, who didn’t enter the industry in the traditional way, was awarded the Gus Breen Memorial Award last year. And a relative newcomer to the industry, Andy Silcock is building his own reputation after a decade’s hard work. You can see these two features on pages 18 and 28 respectively. We also take a look at two “tourist-related” projects this month. The new roundabout which replaces the T-intersection where SH3 meets SH37 in Waikato will make it safer for tourists visiting Waitomo Caves; and SH20A in Auckland will be upgraded to motorway status by replacing the intersection with Kirkbride Road at the gateway to Auckland International Airport. If you heed some opinions, any new roads are vandalism; but if you’ve been stuck in traffic because of inadequate infrastructure and planning, you’ll definitely be on the side of progress. Kevin Lawrence, editor
PUBLISHER Contrafed Publishing Co Ltd Suite 2.1, 93 Dominion Road, Mt Eden, Auckland PO Box 112357, Penrose, Auckland 1642 Phone: +64 9 636 5715 Fax: +64 9 636 5716 www.contrafed.co.nz GENERAL MANAGER & EDITOR Kevin Lawrence DDI: 09 636 5710 Mobile: 021 512 800 Email: kevin@contrafed.co.nz EDITORIAL MANAGER Alan Titchall DDI: 09 636 5712 Mobile: 027 405 0338 Email: alan@contrafed.co.nz REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS Richard Campbell, Hugh de Lacy, Peter Gill, Gavin Riley, Lawrence Schaffler, Richard Silcock, Jeremy Sole. ADVERTISING / SALES Charles Fairbairn DDI: 09 636 5724 Mobile: 021 411 890 Email: charles@contrafed.co.nz ADMIN / SUBSCRIPTIONS DDI: 09 636 5715 Email: admin@contrafed.co.nz PRODUCTION Design: TMA Design, 09 636 5713 Printing: PMP MAXUM
Contributions welcome Please contact the editor before sending them in. Articles in Contractor are copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the permission of the publisher. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the shareholding organisations.
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The official magazine of Civil Contractors NZ www.civilcontractors.co.nz The Aggregate & Quarry Association www.aqa.org.nz The New Zealand Heavy Haulage Association www.hha.org.nz The Crane Association of New Zealand www.cranes.org.nz Rural Contractors New Zealand www.ruralcontractors.org.nz The Ready Mixed Concrete Association www.nzrmca.org.nz Connexis www.connexis.org.nz
ISSN 0110-1382
2 www.contractormag.co.nz
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CONTRACTOR UPFRONT
Introducing Peter Silcock The new Civil Contractors New Zealand chief executive Peter Silcock is no stranger to running an association, but it will be his first experience with our industry. Peter steps into the position from his current long-term role as chief executive of Horticulture New Zealand, and takes over from Jeremy Sole who left the association at the end of last year. “We are confident that Peter will manage the consolidation of Civil Contractors New Zealand following the coming together of the New Zealand Contractors’ Federation and Roading NZ,” says CCNZ president Dave Connell. “Peter brings with him a wealth of knowledge on managing membership organisations and how to best represent industry to stakeholders. He has extensive experience in managing membership organisations and representing sector at government level. “We are looking forward to working with Peter as the organisation moves forward in representing civil infrastructure contractors. This is a very positive appointment for our organisation and industry during a period of sustained growth.” Peter Silcock played a key role in the establishment of Horticulture NZ in 2006 and in the development of the industry’s development strategy. Before getting into the CEO seat he talked with Contractor magazine. Q. You have worked for primary grower representative organisations for over three decades. You played a key role in the setting up of Horticulture NZ in 2006 and in the development of the industry’s development strategy, 10/2020. Why did you decide that it was time to make a change in industries? I am looking for a change and new challenges. I have had a great career in the horticulture industry and have been offered a chance to develop along with the organisations I have worked for. Working with the various boards, my staff and members we have achieved a lot but, after 10 years in my current role, I am looking for something new. I have enjoyed working for membership organisations and am looking forward to learning about a new industry and applying the knowledge and experience I have gained. Q. What skill have you learnt in your past career that you think will be an asset representing Civil Contractors NZ? Most of the work I do is transferable I think. The subject matter is different but the skills and principles are the same. Things like strategic and business planning, working with an elected board, financial and staff management, communications and industry advocacy. I think the most valuable skill I bring is my ability to develop and sustain relationships and build and be part of a strong team.
“Peter brings with him a wealth of knowledge on managing membership organisations and how to best represent industry to stakeholders.
Q. You have extensive media experience representing the horticulture industry and have gained a lot of positive news coverage as its representative. Will you being taking a similar approach to civil construction? Yes, my current role has quite a high media profile. I think that industry organisations like Civil Contractors NZ and HortNZ have a role to create a positive public image of the industry we represent. I am not sure yet how we will do that at Civil Contractors NZ. I need to work through that with the board, but the media needs to be part of any national organisation’s communications plan. We need to balance the organisation’s direct communications with members with comments and a profile of the issues in the wider media. I think the key is to generate positive exposure rather than always responding to negative stories. Q. Other than the fact the horticultural and civil contracting industries are both soil-based, have they anything else in common? I am on a steep learning curve regarding the civil contracting industry but I already see a lot of similarities. Both have very big and small operators, both have more than their fair share of self-starters and innovative people, the members are incredibly hard working and both industries are looking to build their profile and attract people with the right skills and attitude. The other similarity is that both industries are incredibly important to New Zealand’s future, they are intertwined; horticulture like other industries relies on the infrastructure like roads, bridges, ports and dams to be able to grow, distribute and export products to the world. Q. When do you start the new role? I need to work out my notice period here at Horticulture NZ so I don’t start with Civil Contractors until July 1. I am really looking forward to meeting everyone and working with the members, staff and stakeholders.
Gorge remains a headache The Manawatu Gorge has been a thorn in the side of the NZTA for some time and recently was closed again for two weeks following a geotechnical assessment carried out on-site that revealed tension cracks in the rock face above the road at the site of a slip near Ashhurst. Transport Agency regional performance manager Mark Owen says that while the amount of debris which came down in the slip was not large, the unstable state of the rock face above the slip site means 4 www.contractormag.co.nz
the road had to be closed. “We know that this is a critical route for the region, but the safety of motorists is our number one priority and we need to be sure that the site is stable … We understand that closures like this are frustrating and have a significant impact on people and on businesses. That’s why we’ve put a lot of work into making both SH3 and the alternate routes on the local road network more resilient over recent years.”
Waterview off-casts make great Memorial In time for the 2015 ANZAC commemorations, a small rural town has built a monument to its people who fought for this country over the past 100 years, thanks to the Waterview Connection project. The newly erected Soldiers Memorial on the Village Green at Te Kauwhata in north Waikato was made from five concrete segments that had been rejected for installation in the motorway tunnels at Waterview in Auckland. The segments each weigh 10 tonnes, and had been moulded at the project’s precast concrete factory at East Tamaki in Auckland where more than 24,000 segments for the tunnels have been made. “We are extremely honoured that we have been able to support Te Kauwhata’s community and make a contribution like this – especially as ANZAC Day marked the centenary of the troop landings at Gallipoli in Turkey,” says the project’s Precast Sub-Alliance manager Andy Bould.
Two of the segments lean together and represent the spirit of ANZAC – New Zealand and Australian soldiers supporting each other. The other three have inscriptions in English and Maori, and the names of locals who served in all the services from World War 1 through to East Timor. Thirty-nine people from the community died on duty and 214 returned. The memorial was conceived and erected by the Lions Club of Te Kauwhata and Districts. The coordinator of the memorial project, David Hosking, says it would have been too expensive for the Lions club to build it from scratch. “We then had the ‘brainwave’ of asking the precast factory if any tunnel segments were available. The support from the factory and the wider Waterview project has been fantastic. We’ve never had a memorial in the town to recognise people from the district who served our country in many distant places around the world,” he says.
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CONTRACTOR UPFRONT
Truckin’ down memory lane The Edendale Crank-Up is now the biggest event held in Southland and is probably the biggest vintage machinery show in the country. This year, the 28th renewal of the event, attracted the largest crowd in the south ever to attend such an event. The first CrankUp was held in 1986 on a local farm with 25 tractors, plus other
machinery assembled for a public display. The annual event has grown in popularity each year and was shifted to the Edendale Recreation Grounds in January 1988. This year there were over 1000 entries of vintage tractors and machinery, and a vast array of pre-1995 commercial vehicles. By Peter Owens.
Auckland’s City Rail Link contract awarded The City Rail Link (CRL) took a significant step forward with the appointment of two construction consortia to start on the first phase of the CRL construction in the Downtown area. Project director Chris Meale says there was wide interest from the industry and Auckland Transport has appointed two joint venture contractors for the work – Downer NZ and Soletanche Bachy JV, and Connectus (McConnell Dowell and Hawkins JV) for the first phase of design at a cost of about $3 million. The next phase will provide for a negotiated contract to construct the City Rail Link. The Downer-led joint venture has been chosen to progress the CRL work through and under Britomart Station and Queen Street to the Downtown Shopping Centre site with construction likely to start in early 2016. The contract includes setting up temporary accommodation for Britomart Station’s ticketing and customer service operations, 6 www.contractormag.co.nz
underpinning the historic former Chief Post Office building, to allow the construction of the rail tunnels beneath and reinstating Britomart Station and upgrading urban space and surrounding roads. “We are excited to have won a contract for what will be the most significant improvement to Auckland’s transport network since the opening of the Auckland Harbour Bridge,” says Chris Moloney of Downer. The Connectus Consortium will construct the cut and cover tunnels under and along Albert Street from Customs Street to Wyndham Street. The work is likely to start in October with the relocation of a major stormwater line in Albert Street between Swanson and Wellesley Streets. • A feature update on the CRL will appear in the June issue of Contractor magazine.
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CONTRACTOR UPFRONT
The NZ National Agricultural Fieldays will be held June 10-13, 2015 at the Mystery Creek Events Centre near Hamilton.
Workplace drug detecting success
Health & safety reform
A growing number of New Zealand businesses are recognising the danger of drug abuse in the workplace and addressing the issue, according to the Drug Detection Agency (TDDA). “Our 2014 statistics show a growing diversity of industry sectors are drug testing on-site with TDDA teams and their vigilance is beginning to pay off,” says the company’s CEO, Kirk Hardy. One such company is civil construction company Rhodes for Roads, which has turned around its staff workplace culture to now have zero tolerance for drugs and alcohol onsite. The Warkworth-based company first employed TDDA 10 years ago to drug and alcohol test its staff, both before they were employed and on a random ongoing basis. Rhodes for Roads general manager, Brendon Henry says, “To this day we’ve always had a very good safety record but we wanted to be proactive. We knew that drugs and alcohol were an issue in our industry and we decided to do something about it before a serious incident happened, we certainly don’t want drug or alcohol impaired staff operating heavy machinery. “When we initiated the testing it was a contributing factor to some staff deciding to leave, but we wanted the message to be strong and clear that drugs and alcohol are not acceptable in the workplace. Now people are applying to work for us simply because they know we have zero tolerance and that we are helping provide a safe workplace.”
The Health & Safety Reform Bill was introduced into Parliament in March 2014. It is currently before Parliament’s Transport and Industrial Relations Committee, which is considering public submissions and is due to report back. A detailed PDF explaining the basics of the Bill has been prepared for members of Civil Contractors NZ and their employees and has been developed using the Health & Safety Reform Bill web pages at http://www.business. govt.nz/worksafe/about/reform. Once the Bill is passed, it will be several months before the new Health and Safety at Work Act comes fully into force this year. This will enable the supporting regulations to be made, and WorkSafe to finalise the supporting guidance and Approved Codes of Practice. Civil Contractors New Zealand will keep members informed on legislation progress. Recent indications are that the legislation will come into force in the third quarter of 2015.
8 www.contractormag.co.nz
A controversial highway proposal It must the country’s most historic road proposal and is still going nowhere soon. The idea is to link Haast on the West Coast of the South Island via the Hollyford Valley to Milford Sound and Te Anau in the South Island, and it was first mooted in the 1870s. This Haast-Hollyford Highway became more realistic after a road was built north from Lake Te Anau to Milford Sound, which is a major tourist route. Most recent Haast-Hollyford Highway proposals have focused on extending this road north. The South Island Local Bodies Association regularly passed remits from the 1950s through to the 1980s in support of such a road but the Ministry of Works at the time considered it a low funding priority. The most recent incarnation of the road is a $230 million toll road, which got off to a controversial start when plans to apply for resource consent were put on hold while a dispute was resolved over claims that part of the 136 kilometre proposed route was a paper road that officials illegally removed from maps nearly 40 years ago. The southern and northern ends are apparently already ‘legal’ roads.
Supporters of the proposed highway point to increased tourism opportunities in this wilderness region, construction jobs over its four-year build, and that it would shave a not insignificant 355 kilometres and four to five hours off the trip between Haast and Milford Sound and offer a new South Island tourist loop. It would also open up a wilderness area that few Kiwis will ever experience. Those opposing say the road would dissect the World Heritage Area, existing tourism economies such as Te Anau and Manapouri would be hurt, and the road would not be economically viable. Most recently the iwi representing Maori interests of the southern West Coast says it would cut through the southern heart of its ancestral homelands. “We recognise and understand the importance of tourism to the West Coast economy, as this is our home and livelihood too,” it said in a statement. “However, some places are just too special. We don’t need roads everywhere. Roads do not only bring tourists; they bring rubbish, pollution and open up new corridors for the spread of pests. “We will fight to keep it the way it is.”
CONEXPO-CON/AGG
ranked top show The international CONEXPO-CON/ AGG construction industries exhibition captured the lead spot in the Top 250 trade show ranking of North American-based expositions. The Trade Show News Network (TSSN) compiles the annual list, based on net square feet of exhibit space and the event won the top ranking for its record show space of more than 2.35 million net square feet. The next show will be staged in 2017. More information: www.conexpoconagg.com.
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CONTRACTOR UPFRONT
Call for concrete awards The Concrete Society is accepting entries for its 2015 Concrete Awards until July 3. There are five categories with an overall supreme winner – judged an outstanding achievement in the advancement of concrete practice in design, construction, rehabilitation or research. The Monte Craven Architectural Award may be assigned to recognise any construction project which displays a significant demonstration of functional suitability, aesthetic appeal, environmental sensitivity and/or is of such form or shape that makes its execution in concrete outstanding. The Infrastructure Award may be assigned to any infrastructure projects such as bridges, tunnels, wharves, liquid retaining structures, sewage and water treatment plants and concrete roads, which is judged an outstanding achievement in the advancement of
concrete practice in design, construction, rehabilitation or research. The Residential Award is specifically for residential buildings made of concrete, block-work or other cementitious materials. The Landscaping Award is for the use of concrete in a landscaping situation and may include (but is not limited to) concrete paving, retaining walls and the use of coloured concrete or special concrete features. The Technology Award encompasses entries from individuals, firms, research or educational institutions who have made significant contributions to the understanding or use of concrete as evidenced by new technology, research or technical publications, new equipment, new techniques, design innovations or educational activity. • For more: ph 09 536 5410, or email concrete@bluepacificevents.com.
Hamilton section readies to start The $972 million Hamilton section of the massive Waikato Expressway is expected to be underway by the end of the year after the Transport Agency board approved funding in April. The project team is currently in the tender phase with two consortia and the successful group is expected to be announced in October. The Hamilton section includes an interchange with north facing ramps at Resolution Drive, full interchanges at Greenhill Road and Ruakura and a southern interchange near Cherry Lane at Tamahere, which will provide north facing ramps. The southern interchange also includes an east west connection over the expressway for local traffic at Tamahere. A memorandum of understanding between the Transport Agency, Hamilton City Council, Waikato District Council and Tainui Group Holdings, regarding each organisation’s role in ensuring good connections to the expressway, including a multi-party funding agreement for the extension of Resolution Drive to connect to the Hamilton section of the expressway, will now go to the City Council’s Finance Committee on May 21. The Resolution Drive extension will include walking and cycling links and a roundabout connection at the intersection of Kay Road and Resolution drive.
10 www.contractormag.co.nz
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CONTRACTOR UPFRONT
Skilled immigrants up
Hi-tech tolling installed
Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse says an increase in the number of skilled migrants is a sign of the country’s strong economic outlook. The 14th annual Migration Trends and Outlook report shows that the number of Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) residence approvals increased by 12 percent in the 2013/14 financial year after showing decreases for the previous four years. More than 20,000 people were approved residence under the SMC last year and there was also an 18 percent increase in the number of Essential Skills workers – the second consecutive increase since the start of the global financial crisis. “These figures clearly show that New Zealand is a favoured destination for skilled migrants and that the government’s policies are attracting the right people here,” Woodhouse reckons. “It is also encouraging to see a 15 percent increase in the number of international students approved to study in New Zealand. In 2014, international education contributed $2.85 billion to the economy. It is our fifth largest export industry and supports more than 30,000 jobs.” The Migration Trends Key Indicators report – December 2014, also shows that the increase in skilled migrants and international students is continuing. The number of SMC approvals between July and December last year was up six percent from the same period in 2013 while there was a nine percent rise in the number of Essential Skills workers approved. The number of international students approved to study was up 22 percent.
Two high-tech electronic tolling gantries, the first of their kind here, will be operational on key routes in Tauranga later this year. One of the nine-metre high electronic tolling gantries has already been installed on the Tauranga Eastern Link (TEL) ahead of the official opening of the motorway later this year. The second toll gantry will be built on Tauranga’s Route K (Takitimu Drive) in April, in preparation for when the Transport Agency takes ownership of the road from Tauranga City Council in July 2015. NZTA Waikato/Bay of Plenty regional director Harry Wilson says both of the new toll points are “single gantry, multilane free flow systems”, and are the first of their kind in New Zealand. “Motorists have been using the electronic toll system on the Northern Gateway Toll Road (NGTR), north of Auckland, since 2009, however technology has moved on since the dual-gantry on the NGTR was installed,” says Wilson. “The gantries in Tauranga are a single gantry which spans all of the lanes and has an exterior cladding. “All of the technical elements are housed inside the gantry cladding and in the technical shelter on the roadside. This results in a sleeker and more sophisticated design and it also means there is less potential for driver distraction when any maintenance work is carried out.” Wilson says the main benefit of the free-flow systems being used in Auckland and Tauranga is that there is no need for toll booths, allowing drivers to travel straight through, reducing travel times and providing a more predictable journey. “Each gantry has 16 cameras, which will capture an image of the vehicle’s front and rear registration plates using the latest optical character recognition technology.” The gantry installation is also a significant milestone for the TEL (one of the seven RoNS) and visible evidence that the project is nearing its final stages, he adds. “Tolling the TEL between the Domain Road interchange and the Paengaroa roundabout allowed the project to start a decade earlier than originally planned.” Light vehicles using the TEL would pay $2 and heavy vehicles $5. The Route K toll tariff will be $1.80 and $4.80 after July 2015.
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Huntly section starts later this year The NZTA awarded the Huntly section of the Waikato Expressway to a joint venture between Fulton Hogan and HEB Construction, with Opus and Jacobs Design providing design and construction services. The Huntly project is made up of 15.2 kilometres of dual carriageway and will connect the Ohinewai section of the Expressway, in the north, to the Ngaruawahia section at Taupiri. A total of nine bridges and two half-diamond interchanges will be constructed as part of the project construction that starts late this year, with the full length of the Waikato expressway due to be finished by late 2019.
Rumble in the Rubble
Water efficiency resource A resource is now available for businesses and other organisations aiming to become more water-efficient in their processes and operations. ‘Be Waterwise for Businesses and Organisations’ has been developed by Watercare as part of its commitment to help Auckland organisations use water more wisely. The book is free and available online on www.watercare.co.nz and details the steps an organisation could take to become more water-efficient, from understanding its water use and identifying areas for improvement to implementing various initiatives as a programme. It contains a comprehensive range of tips and best practices for different types of industries including offices, retail, manufacturing, food and beverage processing. It also features case studies, both local and international, of efficiency initiatives that organisations have adopted with great results. “As Auckland’s water and wastewater services provider, we are perfectly positioned to help our customers understand how they use water and where they can see the benefits of becoming water-efficient, both environmental and financial,” says Watercare chief executive Raveen Jaduram. “It is also an important part of the demand management plan – reducing wastage of water means the need for additional water sources and treatment infrastructure can be deferred.” While the best practices in water efficiency are different for each industry, the basic steps to become a waterwise organisation remain the same and are universally applicable. “The principles in the book can be implemented in any type of organisation, whether it is a small, office-based community centre or a large, process-heavy company. There’s more that Auckland businesses can do to become water-efficient, and we are happy to work with them through the process.” says Watercare sustainability manager Roseline Klein.
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Ramping up housing supply through a highway interchange Investing in youth – a worthy school project in Northland
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CONTRACTOR MAY 2015
This unique event was held last month in Christchurch’s Cathedral Square as an open-air boxing fight night event with contenders from 16 different companies which are all contributing to the Christchurch rebuild. With contenders coming straight off the construction site, these contestants put their bodies on the line to help raise funds for charity. This year money was raised in support of the For Everyone Charitable Foundation (FECF), which gives out grants to community groups, schools and people around the country who need help with small projects that would otherwise be difficult to find funding for. Whether it’s new life jackets, horses for disabled riders, funding to fix up community spaces, or a new playground – FECF makes a difference at a grass roots level. Boxing contenders this year included Jonny Dixon from Construction LTD who fought Kenny Brown from Fulton Hogan Civil South. The pair were among the heaviest of the contenders, with Johnny (aged 27 and 186cm tall) weighing in at 100kg, and Kenny (also aged 27 and 183cm tall) weighing 115kg, who won the bout on points.
MAY 2015 13
CONTRACTOR UPFRONT
A night shift Yet another great crane shot, this time a Terex Superlift 3800 crawler crane lifting a bridge over a French highway by a Belgium company called Sarens. The lattice boom crawler crane was employed to lift a pedestrian and bicycle steel bridge over the A4 Autoroute near Schiltigheim, in Alsace. The project’s conditions were unique. “We didn’t have a special permit for a heavy-load transport with the required weight,” says Sarens project manager Joost Elsen. “That meant that we first had to figure out how exactly we’d be able to get a crane with the necessary lifting capacity to the site.” The crane made it possible to overcome this challenge with a special feature that is called “Quick Connection” by the manufacturer. This feature makes it possible to disassemble the crane’s basic structure
into two parts in order to significantly reduce the weights involved in transporting the machine. A total of 56 transport vehicles were required, and these vehicles faced an adverse situation of their own: Since the access road to the site was extremely narrow, the trucks had to drive on a gravel road for about a kilometre, in reverse and one by one, before reaching the spot where the crane would be set up. Despite this time-consuming procedure, the Sarens team was able to get the Superlift 3800 crane ready on time with four assembly technicians and the crane operator. “The crane’s ease of assembly literally paid for itself in this case,” Elsen says. In order to affect traffic as little as possible, the lift was performed at night. For the lift, the Sarens technicians set up the Superlift 3800 crane with an SSL1
configuration, a 54-metre main boom, and 325 tonnes of Superlift counterweight so that the machine would be able to pick up the bridge section at a working radius of 40 metres. In order to prevent the 65-metre-long and 350-metre-wide load from swinging around when lifted, it was slung to a perfectly balanced spreader. This enabled crane operator Michael Bräckle to safely lift the component to a height of 20 metres. After this, the main boom was raised in order to reduce the working radius to 29 metres so as to be able to lower the Superlift counterweight radius from 18 to 11 metres. With this compact configuration, the crane was able to turn 180 degrees within its tight working area and swing the bridge over the highway. “To do this, we used the crane’s Vario Superlift system, which was developed precisely for this kind of scenario – a clever idea from Terex,” says crane operator Bräckle when praising the feature. Once the bridge was swung over the highway, the crane moved forward about 12 metres under load. When the crane had reached its final destination, the main boom was brought down and the Vario system was used to bring the SL counterweight back to a radius of 18 metres. Finally, the bridge section was lowered onto the bridge piers at the original working radius of about 40 metres. “We would have never been able to do this job without the Superlift 3800. Without the Quick Connection feature, we wouldn’t have been able to get a machine that was powerful enough to the site, and without the Vario Superlift system, there wouldn’t have been enough space for the lift. In fact, these are perfect examples of the technological ingenuity behind the Superlift 3800 that won us over from the start. That’s why we have three of them in our fleet,” Elsen says.
Recognising and celebrating suppliers who ‘Go the Extra Mile’ for customer service and safety. The GEM Awards (Going the Extra Mile) is The Transport Agency’s opportunity to recognise and celebrate suppliers who ‘Go the Extra Mile’ for customer service and safety. This is a fantastic way to celebrate and recognise the appraisal of work that can sometimes go unseen but not untouched by everyday New Zealanders. Applications open in May for the 2015 GEM Awards and we look forward to further examples of industry excellence for the GEM Awards 2015. For more information and an application pack go to
www.nzta.govt.nz/about/awards/ 14 www.contractormag.co.nz
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MIKASA – 50 years and
Celebrating over 50 years in this market, Mikasa is a world leader in the manufacture of light compaction equipment for the construction and hire industries. A GLOBAL BRAND synonymous with quality and reliability, the Mikasa
brand has truly earned its reputation as the country’s foremost provider of compact plate compactors. For 32 of those 50 years New Zealand distributor Youngman Richardson & Co has been instrumental in growing the market and can now boast that it has the largest range of light plate compaction equipment in the country. The New Zealand construction industry recognises quality when it sees it and the total Mikasa package of product, after-sales service and genuine parts is the very reason why contractors continue to support Mikasa. Manufactured in Japan, Mikasa plate compactors provide top of the line performance, easy handling, low maintenance and long life. These are just some of the reasons why owners and end users rely on these plate compactors for a wide range of projects. Ideally suited for civil engineering, construction and drainage contractors and the hire industry, they offer a high compaction capacity and travel speeds. 16 www.contractormag.co.nz
Mikasa introduces wheel kits to new MVC models Youngman Richardson & Co has recently added three new models to the Mikasa Forward Plate Compactor range including a new optional extra. The new 64kg, 84kg and 95kg models that make up the Mikasa MVC “Cart” plate compactor series now feature a wheel kit that can be easily folded up within the handle bar frame when in use. When not functional the wheel kits fold down allowing for the Mikasa to be transported and moved more conveniently around job sites. The new Mikasa MVC vibratory plate compactors including the top of the line MVC T90R (102kg) are great value-for-money performers providing better machine balance on asphalt and even on hard surfaces. With a specially designed base and with extremely high frequency these plates compact large areas perfectly with fewer passes whilst at the same time reducing labour costs. The Mikasa 64kg and 84kg also have the option to accept a water tank, the 95kg and 102kg models come complete with a water tank as well as an hour meter and tachometer.
Mikasa MV H reversible Plate Compactors Youngman Richardson & Co recently released the new MVH 8 Series Mikasa Reversible Plate Compactors to add to its already extensive
still going strong range. The Mikasa MVH308, the MVH408 and the MVH508 are all reversible plate models and come with the option of a Compass Compaction Meter. “Reversible plates provide the best value in compaction,” says Youngman Richardson & Co’s sales manager, Phil Fairfield. “Our wide range of plates is ideal for high production compaction applications involving all types of products. Another great feature of these Mikasa Reversible Plate Compactors is that a Hatz Diesel engine drives them. Both the engine and compactors are backed by a two-year manufacturer’s warranty and what’s more, there is a petrol option,” says Phil. The new range Mikasa Reversible Plate Compactors come with heaps of other features that set them apart from the competition. These include cyclone air cleaners, an anti vibration handle, a sturdy lifting frame and variable speed controls.
C ompaction Meter adds value The Compass Compaction Meter is a measuring and display system for the Mikasa MVH308, MVH408 and MVH508 reversible plate models that provides continuous compaction control. The technology helps contractors improve compaction efficiency and maximise productivity while avoiding costly over-compaction with an easy-to-use series of LED lights that indicates the progress made with each machine pass. Other benefits of the Mikasa Compass Compaction Meter include a uniform approach to compaction and the assurance of a quality job no matter how experienced or not the operator may be. In addition the Mikasa Compass Compaction Meter is able to measure machine frequency.
M ikasa MTX Trench Rammers Youngman Richardson & Co also has a wide range of Mikasa Trench Rammers ranging from 46kg to 80kg. Available in petrol and diesel Mikasa Trench Rammers are world leaders for balance, compaction, ease of operation and functionality. Features include a single function throttle lever, an air cleaner system, a vibration absorbing handle system (VAS), heavy duty ribbed bellows, a one-piece wooden foot with a hardened steel plate, large fuel tanks and tachometer. All these features add up to high work efficiency and less operator fatigue.
Service, service, service! Youngman Richardson & Co is committed to customer support and has recently introduced new workshop facilities and mobile mechanics. The new purpose-built mobile service utes have been specifically fitted out to handle planned and unplanned maintenance across all equipment including Mikasa products. Meanwhile more efficient workplace layouts have been created to improve service times whilst the company’s reputation for a fast turnaround of parts continues to impress. l For more information or a demonstration of the Mikasa Compactor range of products, contact Youngman Richardson & Co. Ltd, 09 443 2436 or for South Island enquiries, 03 341 6923. MAY 2015 17
CONTRACTOR PROFILE
A WINNING CHANGE OF DIRECTION
Warwick Bell passed up a promising career in the legal system to become a highly successful heavy-haulage operator with a global award to his name. By GAVIN RILEY.
THE POPULAR IMAGE of a heavy-haulage
Warwick Bell at work in his office at Tranzcarr Heavy Haulage in Manukau.
18 www.contractormag.co.nz
operator is someone who entered the industry early and drove a truck for years before rising through the ranks to manage the company. Warwick Bell doesn’t fit that image. He entered the industry late and has never driven a truck (nor held a licence to do so). But, along with business partner Dave Carr, he is arguably the most successful heavy-haulage operator in the country. The two are co-directors of Manukaubased Tranzcarr Heavy Haulage and associate company Machinery Movers, which between them employ some 55 staff and operate a fleet of more than 200 pieces of plant, trucks and trailers, and a fork-hoist fleet of more than 25 units. “I’ve always joked that we have a big blue demarcation line down the yard whereby I don’t cross the line with equipment and operational procedures and my strengths are in the running of the companies and chasing the work,” Warwick says. “The truth is, the success of our business is that we all spend a lot of time discussing all aspects of the companies and what work we chase and how we set out to complete it. We now deal in major projects with big budgets and the control of these is vital to our continued success.” In 2001 Tranzcarr scored a stunning success by winning the United Statesbased Specialised Carriers & Rigging Association’s global haulage job of the year, beating competition from the US (two entries), Argentina and Germany. Warwick travelled to Florida to present Tranzcarr’s entry, which was its relocation
BHP ironsands project at Taharoa in 2001 – a 250-tonne bridge on the move and a 450-tonne surge bin ready to go.
of BHP’s entire ironsands processing plant at Taharoa in the Waikato. BHP had intended digging canals and floating the three large pieces five kilometres to the new site, but Tranzcarr successfully counter-proposed hauling the 450-, 600and 1000-tonne sections by road. The project meant doubling Tranzcarr’s fleet of Cometto trailers with the purchase of another 20-axle lines from a company in the US, and hiring another 14-axle lines of Nicolas trailers from Australia. BHP also required Tranzcarr to construct the road for the haul and the two landing areas for the plant sections to be extracted and relocated, as well as strengthening a bridge over a sacred stream. A world-class heavy-haulage success is a long way removed from Warwick’s original career, which eventually could have seen him occupy an important role in New Zealand’s legal system. Born and raised in Gisborne, the fifth of seven children, he left Gisborne Boys’ High School with university entrance and sixth-form certificate, and in 1975 started work in the Justice Department at Gisborne Magistrates’ Court. Four years later he was promoted to Auckland Magistrates’ Court and worked in various roles at Otahuhu, North Shore and Henderson, as well as on the 1981 Springbok-tour trials in Auckland High Court. But despite being appointed registrar for the first district-court jury trial in New Zealand in the Auckland High Court, his restless mind, plus friends telling him he could achieve more meritbased promotion possibilities elsewhere, led him to look for invigorating work in
Hauling the 45-metre-long, 400-tonne Big Fish superyacht, launched in 2010.
the private sector. When the son of Mogal Freight’s national sales manager joined the Mairangi Bay Surf Club where Warwick was captain, that connection gave him an opening in 1983 to be employed by Mogal at its Southdown terminal as a sales rep, despite being in his mid-20s and having no transport-industry experience. His clients included James Hardie, NZ Forest Products, Fletcher Wood Panels AHI, UEB Industries, and (after two years’ hard work by him) a major slice of the Coca Cola account in Auckland. In 1988 Warwick returned from an extended overseas holiday to find that Mogal Freight had been sold to Mainfreight and his employment had been overlooked in the upheaval. Mainfreight’s Bruce Plested offered him a role in the despatch operation with the likelihood of eventually moving into operation management, but Warwick regarded this as a backward step and instead accepted Mogal Heavy Haul manager Richard Hyde’s offer, after a 10-minute interview, to join him as a support person (see sidebar page 20). In 1990 Mogal was bought by the Owens Group, which divided the operation into a Hyde-led Owens Project Services, for mostly offshore work, and Owens Heavy Haul for work within New Zealand, with Warwick as manager and branches in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Although Owens (formerly Carlton) Cranes created the ability to offer more turnkey proposals to the infrastructure sector with “lift and shift” operations, Warwick says that at that time heavy
haulage in this country was at a crossroads, with Dale’s Freightways gone and no platform trailers around. Fortunately, Mogal had forged a relationship with Megalift from Australia and Warwick managed the operation using trailers and staff from Australia and a keen group of former Dale’s staff employed by Machinery Movers in Auckland. Through working on projects together, he developed a strong relationship with Machinery Movers and in 1996 (after two months of pondering) he accepted owner Dave Carr’s invitation to join him. He was also able to fulfil his wish to buy into the business and became the company’s managing director. Owens initially regarded his departure with scepticism but before long the two companies were working together on major projects at Otahuhu and Stratford power stations. In 2000 NZL Transport wanted to sell its heavy-haulage operation, complete with Cometto platform trailers, and approached Machinery Movers. This led to the forming of Tranzcarr Heavy Haulage, with Warwick and Dave taking on the respective business and operational leadership roles they still occupy today. The following year Tranzcarr bought Owens Heavy Haulage. Warwick says it was decided from day one to keep Tranzcarr and the successful and established Machinery Movers entirely separate, with each company having its own offices in the Manukau yard. However, there was much overlapping of resources, such was the direction both companies were heading in the industry. MAY 2015 19
CONTRACTOR PROFILE
The 760-tonne first section being hauled up an 18 degree gradient at Mill Creek wind farm, Porirua, in 2014.
“This was a very tough time, trying to develop the Tranzcarr brand. We were the first non-corporate entity to own platform trailers in New Zealand and didn’t have an extended bank account and struggled at times to survive.” The support operations of the two companies were amalgamated and an expansion programme was begun. In 2004 Tranzcarr won the tendered transport contract for the Te Apiti wind farm in the Manawatu and this saw the start of a number of similar projects the company has worked on in the 10 years since. New Zealand-made specialised trailers able to carry wind-farm blade sections up to 49 metres long were added to Tranzcarr’s expanding fleet of transport trailers. At this time the company also won the transport contract for the Genesis Energy e3p power station at Huntly. Large teams from Tranzcarr and Machinery Movers were needed to make the project possible. “To haul the heaviest loads, among them a 377-tonne gas turbine, required some major route modifications including having to cross over the southern motorway twice on the journey from Auckland’s port,” Warwick says. “Each haul took five nights and required temporary bridging to be erected over 14 structures along the route. We also needed to look at newgeneration trailers to carry such a heavy load and went scouting the suppliers before a decision was made to go with Goldhofer UT trailers out of Germany.” Despite his challenging role as an industry leader, Warwick Bell has made time to give outstanding service to his fellow heavy-hauliers, which last year culminated in his receiving the Heavy Haulage Association’s Gus Breen 20 www.contractormag.co.nz
Memorial Award. He was elected to the HHA executive in 1997 (his first year away from Owens) and 18 years later is still on the board – “although my time is coming to an end”. He led the review which changed the executive into a board and in 2001 was elected the first chairman, a role he held for five years. He has also represented the HHA on the Axle Weights and Loadings Advisory Group that includes representatives from the road-transport and crane industries, Police and local authorities, and is convened by the Transport Agency. Why the long and exceptional service? “I’ve always held the view that this [heavy haulage] is my business and if I can assist with the industry then it would have a bearing on that business.” Warwick, 56, is married to Nicky, whom he regards as very supportive and who has worked in freight forwarding and project management; he has three adult sons from his first marriage; and he has had a 40-year love affair with surf lifesaving, which began in Gisborne.
He is a life member of both the Mairangi Bay Surf Lifesaving Club and the Northern Region Lifeguard Services, has received an award for distinguished service to NZ Surf Lifesaving, was chairman of the organising committee for the 1998 world championships in Auckland, and only recently stepped down from a director role on the national board and as a trustee on the Marine Rescue Centre Trust at Mechanics Bay, Auckland. Warwick says his success in the heavy-haulage industry has come from having very skilled, knowledgeable and dedicated people around him who enjoy challenges. And he makes no apologies for stating in the recent Mighty Moves history of heavy haulage in New Zealand that “anything can be moved if you throw money at it”. “That may sound very crass but in our business it’s so true. Much of my time these days is spent doing feasibility studies for all sorts of companies. The first question they ask is, can this be done? And like a good painter with a blank canvas, I start…”
Taking the initiative When Warwick Bell joined Mogal Heavy Haul more than 25 years ago as a support person for manager Richard Hyde, he found himself working for someone whose management style was very much hands-on and can-do. Together they travelled throughout New Zealand and Australia as Mogal (later Owens) expanded, until the day came when they arrived on the wharf at Sydney to oversee the shipping of two transformers made by ABB and destined for Cromwell sub-station. “When we turned up ship’s side, all the wharfies had gone to smoko,” Warwick recalls. “The port supervisor asked if we were the riggers and quick as anything Richard replied ‘yes’ and I was despatched up the ladder onto the top of the transformers to attach the ship’s lifting gear so they could be craned onto the ship. “Both transformers were rigged and lifted inside 20 minutes and we’d left the wharf area before the wharfies returned from smoko.”
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CONTRACTOR PROJECT
HIGGINS SETS ROUND
22 www.contractormag.co.nz
ABOUT STRAIGHT PATRICK WATSON looks at a major
intersection project in the middle of the Waikato.
TWO AND A HALF YEARS after 31-year-old
American tourist Kallan Stithem died at a notorious King Country intersection while on his honeymoon, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) and Higgins have broken earth on a project that should provide a safer road. Only seven months prior to Stithem’s death, Canadian tourist Michele Smith also died in the same spot – making the black spot a known issue and media target for road safety stories. The completion date for the three-legged roundabout in Waitomo was originally planned for Christmas last year, but a number of things have held up the build. According to Fairfax Media, property purchase issues have played a chief role in the delays. For now, however, the project is on track. It is estimated to be complete in May 2015 and has a projected price tag of $3.6 million. The roundabout will replace a T-intersection where State Highway 3 (SH3) meets State Highway 37 (SH37) – the gateway to the worldfamous Waitomo Caves. NZTA estimates 1300 vehicles a day use SH37 to and from the Waitomo Caves. Higgins project manager Leon Scheepers says his company has been involved in many similar projects around New Zealand and is wellequipped to handle projects of this type. A similar Higgins build was the SH2/25 roundabout, which saw it teaming up with Cambridge Construction to improve the road user experience between Auckland and the Coromandel. “We go through a number of stages on projects like this,” Scheepers explains. “[These include] traffic management set up, survey work, clearing the site, bulk earthworks, the installation of stormwater and subsoil
The roundabout will replace a T-intersection where SH3 meets SH37 – the gateway to the world-famous Waitomo Caves.
MAY 2015 23
CONTRACTOR PROJECT
The 16-week project requires the team to work on five different project fronts simultaneously. This will achieve completion in this 16-week period, whilst maintaining safe traffic flow through the project and an enjoyable journey for road users.
24 www.contractormag.co.nz
drainage, construction of a retaining wall and pavement layers, kerbing and sealing, installation of traffic signs and completion of line marking, landscaping and grassing.” Scheepers says Higgins has 27 staff involved, but that the traffic management and tight 16week project time are admittedly a bit of a challenging aspect of the contract. “All traffic is to be maintained on sealed surfaces during the construction phase. An added challenge is substantial level differences between the old and new road lanes being constructed, as well as the challenge of ensuring traffic can pass through the construction site safely 24 hours per day,” he says.
“[In addition to this] the 16-week project requires the team to work on five different project fronts simultaneously… [This will] achieve completion in this 16-week period, whilst maintaining safe traffic flow through the project and an enjoyable journey for road users.” To deal with the traffic aspects of the job, Higgins took on Transfield Services as subcontractors. Other subcontractors include Crawford Construction to do the bulk earthworks; McIndoe Plumbing for the stormwater and subsoil draining work; Evergreen landscaping for fencing and landscaping; Inframax for aggregate supplies; Rural Contractors for sand
“All traffic is to be maintained on sealed surfaces during the construction phase. An added challenge is substantial level differences between the old and new road lanes being constructed, as well as the challenge of ensuring traffic can pass through the construction site safely 24 hours per day,” he says.
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MAY 2015 25
CONTRACTOR PROJECT
The roundabout option was selected after public consultation and feedback and an investigation by NZTA traffic safety experts, all of which also added to the slower timeframes.
26 www.contractormag.co.nz
supplies; and NZBarriers for the retaining walls. According to Scheepers, a particularly innovative approach to the build is Higgins’ use of HiLab construction in the pavement layers, which is being used to improve the strength of the pavement. A temporary speed reduction of 70kph has been in place since September 2012 and, while there have been some complaints, most Waitomo residents have been tolerant of the reduced speed limits. This may be in part because of the impressive machinery Higgins has on site, which includes a fleet of vehicles including two graders, seven diggers, five rollers, two water carts and four trucks. The New Zealand Transport Agency’s (NZTA) principal safety engineer Michelle Te Wharau says the tender was only announced after undertaking extensive research on previous crashes at the site. “We worked closely with the Waitomo District
Council, police, other road safety partners and the community to identify the best way to improve the intersection,” she says. The roundabout option was selected after public consultation and feedback and an investigation by NZTA traffic safety experts, all of which also added to the slower timeframes. “The new roundabout is being built about 100 metres north of the current intersection,” Te Wharau says. “As part of the project, SH37 will be realigned to improve its link to the new SH3 intersection and a right-turn bay will be built on SH3 for Mangarino Road. “A roundabout is a more forgiving intersection if people make mistakes... roundabouts provide safety benefits as they encourage slower speeds on their approach and the impact from a crash is less likely to result in death or serious injury.” The reduced speed limits will remain in place until the project is completed this month.
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CONTRACTOR PROFILE
REAPING THE HARD YARDS
Andrew Silcock, founder of Progressive Foundations & House Movers.
28 www.contractormag.co.nz
‘Up and over.’ A Parnell house is craned into position above power lines, another house and over trees.
While there are any number of veteran contractors out there still putting in the hard yards, such as Warwick Bell who is also profiled in this issue, we caught up with an up-and-coming contractor and his business partner who are starting to reap the rewards of a decade of hard working investment.
IT’S GONE 2AM and Andrew (Andy) Silcock and
his team from Progressive Foundations & House Movers (PFHM) are midway through relocating a house from Pukekohe to Albany on Auckland’s North Shore. Apart from a few hours’ sleep, they have been on this job since early the previous morning. “This is pretty typical of any house relocation,” says Andy. “You get used to the long hours which, in the case of house relocating, usually take place at night when the roads are clear. A lot of time is also spent preparing a house for moving, clearing access to the new site and building the foundations, driving the route to check for obstacles and road works, liaising with respective councils and NZTA, and completing the paperwork.” Andy grew up in Wellington, attended Wellington College and showed aptitude in making things. He completed an automotive mechanics course at polytech and an apprenticeship at Honda Cars before moving to Serco and working on heavy equipment at Trentham Army Base. Having gained mechanical and heavy vehicle handling experience he took up a position with Alpha Specialised Movers, where he obtained his heavy-truck licence and learnt about house relocations. Transferring to Auckland in 2001, he was appointed foreman with an Auckland-based relocation firm and gained further experience driving over-dimensional loads and managing staff. The beginnings of PFHM go back to October 2005,
when Andy started out building house foundations for a large construction company which was on the cusp of using rib-raft flooring – a new technique in this country at the time, but commonly used in Australia, and now the mainstay for new residential foundations. “While I had worked out a business plan it was a steep learning curve, but there was plenty of work around so a good time to give it a go on my own,” he recalls. “I started off working out of my home garage with basic tools, a second-hand Hilux and a domestic trailer. It was long days, working seven days a week and alone in all weathers. “I was doing mainly rib-raft slabs and footings, working from architects’ and engineers’ plans. The business grew by subcontracting to housing construction companies, working anywhere between Kaiwaka and the Bombays and putting in 12–16 hour days. “With the growth of the business I took on two staff (one of whom is still with the company) and purchased some additional equipment. “In 2009 we saw a slowdown in new-builds and a number of housing companies folding. It got pretty tough competing for work, so it was a good time to diversify. “We got into site excavations, driveways, retaining walls and basement excavations in addition to the foundation work, so purchased a second-hand excavator, a 1992 Western Star 6x4 tip truck and a Mustang skid steer – all of which MAY 2015 29
CONTRACTOR PROFILE
Above: A house is winched onto the TRT hydraulic trailer unit at a very uneven site. Opposite page: As dawn approaches, PFHM moves a small cottage along an Auckland street to a new site. The skid boards on the roof deflect overhead utility lines.
Above: A two-storey house being moved to a property at Matakana on the company’s Kenworth trailer unit.
30 www.contractormag.co.nz
have proven to be pretty reliable and capable of handling the diversity of our work. “With my previous experience in relocations it was a natural step to expand in this direction as well, so we started doing basic house lifting work using hydraulic bottle jacks and timber core supporting gear.” In 2012, Ian Stanton joined PFHM as a partner, bringing valuable knowledge in welding, diesel and hydraulic mechanics. Andy says he’s a valuable asset to the business and in addition to work supervision has responsibility for fabrication, maintenance
and servicing of equipment. The company now runs, in addition to the Western Star, a W924 Kenworth truck coupled to a TRT threeaxle hydraulic house trailer, two Mustang skid loaders, a 5.5 tonne Kobelco excavator, an Hitachi excavator, a Ford 5610 winch tractor, a custom-built hydraulic jacking plant, and several utes and trailers. “We lease a 2500 square metre yard in Drury, South Auckland where we have our depot and maintenance garage, and have begun buying old housing stock from developers. We truck the houses to our yard for basic renovation
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CONTRACTOR PROFILE
Clockwise from top: Foundations for a new house near completion with the laying of damp proof course at this site on the Bombay Hills. A 1920s villa jacked up on the Kenworth rig and ready to be moved to a new site. A tight squeeze. Negotiating a bend through native bush at the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre. The building has been hydraulically tilted to avoid damage.
32 www.contractormag.co.nz
and on-selling, predominantly for relocated housing, baches and site offices.” The business philosophy of PFHM is to provide a ‘hands-on’ owner-operator style of operation with Andy or Ian supervising each job from start to finish. “That way we can control all our work,” says Andy. “We provide a one-stop-shop, from the removal of a building, through to site clearance, excavation and foundations, retaining walls and driveway formation. Our aim is to provide and facilitate a speedy and hassle free service.” While pretty upbeat about the future of the business and the growth of the housing market in the greater Auckland area, Andy says the everchanging rules and regulations in the industry are making it harder for small businesses. “When I started out, health and safety along with risk management pretty much relied on using your common sense,” he says. “These days, with so many rules and regulations, a lot of my time is spent arranging
and checking everything off. With RMA and local authority regulation changes, delays with consents and ever-increasing costs, administration is taking up an increasing amount of time. Maintaining safety equipment, signing off safety check sheets, and the provision of safety signage is almost becoming a full-time job.” Andy’s fiancée Amelia helps out by looking after the administration and marketing of the company, while managing the sales of the housing stock and will shortly move into an onsite sales office at the Drury yard. “We recently became members of the Heavy Haulage Association, and apart from the benefits of being a member, we are pleased to be part of a group that is providing a united voice to government and local authorities on the matters and issues facing the industry,” he says. “I have certainly learnt a lot over the last 10 years of being in business, but the hard yards are beginning to pay off.”
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CONTRACTOR PROJECT
34 www.contractormag.co.nz
A two-year roading project at Auckland Airport is a solution to one of the country’s most congested and dangerous intersections, and it has to ‘look good’ for the tourists. BY ALAN TITCHALL.
Fixing SH20A
IN SIMPLE TERMS, the SH20A (Auckland) to Airport upgrade involves turning a current expressway standard intersection into a motorway standard one. A lot of readers will be familiar with the Kirkbride intersection on SH20A as it guards the entrance to Auckland Airport and it can feel as if your birthday has come and gone waiting for a signal light to turn green. Construction has already started on the $140 million project, which won’t be completed until early 2017. It involves constructing a trench for traffic in both directions on SH20A to pass underneath Kirkbride Road and separate motorway and local traffic. It also involves constructing Watercare’s Hunua 4 watermain across SH20A at Kirkbride Road, which will be done at the same time as the road works. Provision is being made for future bus shoulder lanes, along with enhanced stormwater drainage and treatment. As 75 percent of the country’s visitors arrive through Auckland Airport, a lot of work has also gone into the landscaping and urban design of this project, which was fast-tracked in 2013 to improve transport routes that are critical to national growth. The project is being built by the MHX Kirkbride Alliance, made up of the NZTA, Beca Infrastructure, Fletcher Construction and Higgins Contractors – the same team that delivered the SH20 Manukau Harbour Crossing project in 2010, and the SH20 Walmsley Road upgrade in 2011. In addition to being a ‘gateway’ for airport traffic, the project site is close to community neighbours that include a school, businesses and even homes. While the construction is being managed around this, much thought has gone into the final design in the likes of the trench retaining and noise walls.
MAY 2015 35
CONTRACTOR PROJECT
Unique challenges and solutions Service relocations The location of critical services is creating a challenge for the project team. For example, power and data feeds linking to the Mangere Wastewater Treatment Plant and Auckland Airport run across the alignment of the trench. These feeds need to be temporarily relocated before construction can begin. Service relocation will have an impact on traffic flow and the team is working closely with the airport and the service providers to come up with a sequence of work that best manages the flow and transitions. Directional drilling techniques are also being used which will reduce disruption to the road.
Temporary traffic management Bluetooth traffic nodes have been installed across transport routes within the project area. This BlipTrack monitoring will provide live traffic volume data from the network so the team can monitor detour routes and make changes if required.
Construction challenges Digging through six to eight metres of peat to construct the trench creates technical challenges for the team. The soil composition means large plant can’t be placed on top of the peat to dig. It will have to be placed outside and reach a distance to dig, or smaller plant will have to be used. The peat makes construction of the diaphragm wall more challenging. Finding a suitable site to dispose of the peat creates another challenge. It is not much use for anything else on site. The water table is high which creates issues with flotation, leak protection and the tension piles. The project is the largest use of tension piles in the country.
What new technology is being used? The team is adopting a cloud-based project information management system and is currently selecting the best one to implement. It will allow mobile access to critical project information for quality and safety teams and give field access to the functions in the project office. Using cloudbased technology promotes efficiencies in document collation, particularly at the 36 www.contractormag.co.nz
Above are two diagrams outlining changes to turning rules at the intersection throughout 2015 and 2016.
point of project hand over. Machine control is likely to be used for surveying the completed base profile.
What is the total amount of material being shifted? The approximate dimensions of the trench are: width = 30 metres, length = 600 metres and depth = 7.5 metres at the deepest point. Some 60,000m3 of peat is to be cut to waste; 40,000m3 of spoil is to be disposed of; and 9500m3 of concrete is needed for the base slab plus 2500 tonnes of reinforcing. The majority of the trench retaining walls are of diaphragm wall
construction, similar to the Waterview Connection approach trench. There is 6000m3 of concrete and 1200 tonnes of reinforcing going into the walls.
How is the watermain construction being carried out at the same time? The pipe is a critical pathway and is being constructed first. Widening work will first be undertaken on the western side of the intersection. This will allow for traffic to be moved to this side of the corridor while the first part of the pipe is installed on the eastern side, to the point, which is
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East Cape, Hawkes Bay & Wairarapa Steve Goss 029 271 7895
Waikato & Coromandel James West 029 299 8909 Rotorua & Bay of Plenty Shayne Kennedy 029 200 7270
Nelson, Marlborough & West Coast Chris Jones 029 200 8382 Canterbury James Lundy 029 208 0423
Central North Island Paul Roche 021 954 376
Otago & Southland Brent Duncan 029 222 4682
Branches Nationwide | Phone 0800 93 39 39 | GoughCat.co.nz
CONTRACTOR PROJECT
now the traffic island. During this stage, widening work will also be done on the eastern side of the intersection so the flow of traffic can be diverted there, allowing for construction of the rest of the section of pipe.
How will traffic be diverted? The on-ramps and off-ramps that run parallel to George Bolt Memorial Drive will be constructed during the second stage of the project. Traffic will be diverted along them while the trench is built (there will be traffic diversions in place throughout the project).
Could you explain the Hunua 4 part of the project? Hunua 4 will increase the security of the water supply to the Auckland region and cater for population growth. The new watermain will run for 28 kilometres from Redoubt North Reservoir in Manukau Heights to Campbell Crescent in Epsom, connecting to the local water supply network along the way. Ultimately, the watermain will extend through to reservoirs at the top of Khyber Pass in the city. A significant piece of infrastructure, Hunua 4 is 1.6 to 1.9 metres in diameter and is capable of carrying up to 3000 litres of water a second.
Over 15 kilometres of watermain has already been constructed with the first 7.5 kilometres brought into service. This has increased the security of the water supply and provided additional capacity in large areas of Manukau, East Tamaki and East Auckland. The next area to benefit from the watermain being commissioned will be Mangere; of particular note the Airport and the surrounding industrial and business areas. This connection will have been made by Christmas 2015. • Details supplied by MHX Kirkbride Alliance and Watercare.
Adrian Littlewood, chief executive at Auckland Airport, says he is surprised at the number of people who ask him if the second runway at the airport is now under construction, as they are referring to the landscaping along George Bolt Memorial Drive close to the airport. The nine metre high mounds of earth topped with rock are meant to create a ‘dramatic gateway’ and were designed by New Zealander and acclaimed San Franciscobased urban design adviser James Lord. The mounds are about 100 metres long and referred to as Maori stonefields. However, you can be excused for thinking they are aggregate stockpiles waiting for the crusher. Littlewood, who was appointed chief executive in November 2012, was making a presentation to the first meeting of the Auckland branch of Civil Contractors NZ earlier this year. While the airport with its workforce of 12,000 has spent $225 million on development work in the past four years, the second runway is actually on hold, he says. Work did start on this runway but then the big A380 aircraft started to arrive, meaning the existing runway could handle far more passengers.
38 www.contractormag.co.nz
PHOTO: DAVID STRAIGHT, ARCHITECTURE NOW
No – that’s not the new runway
Auckland Airport is a big place and the company owns as much land as Heathrow Airport in London. Eventually a new domestic terminal will be built next to the international terminal. Littlewood says the design work for the second runway, about two kilometres away from the existing one, is completed and current plans are for work to resume in eight years time, and with a five-year build period. This means it will be about 2030 before Auckland Airport needs to accommodate more air traffic.
CONTRACTOR TECHNOLOGY
ANZAC road maintenance
The NZTA has been working with an Australian federal agency to improve future road maintenance.
IF YOU DROVE up behind a semi-trailer over the summer and had two ‘security-looking’ cameras staring down at you – don’t worry – it wasn’t a clever speed trap or big brother watching your driving habits. This 15-metre truck and trailer (known as a Traffic Speed Deflectometer or TSD), driven over our main roads for a few months earlier this year, was working for the NZTA and is part of a co-operated project between our transport agency and the Australian ARRB Group (formerly the Australian Road Research Board), which also operates the truck in Queensland and New South Wales. Inside the trailer is a bank of computers, lasers and cameras that profile roading pavement on the move at normal traffic speed and provide information about its strength, while two 3D cameras on the back identify cracks and other pavement surface issues. Commissioned by the ARRB Group, the trailer (featuring ARRB technology) was made in Denmark last year. As the lasers cannot operate on wet surfaces, it was agreed that New Zealand would utilise the truck over our drier summer months (January to March), while the state of Queensland would use it during autumn, and New South Wales during spring. The semi-trailer unit arrived here just after Christmas and covered some 11,000 lane kilometres (around half of our state highway network) in the first of five Kiwi summer surveying projects. The data gathered is currently being extrapolated and analysed with the aim of predicting roading stress before damage appears and making future maintenance programmes more accurate and cost effective. “Allocating road maintenance investment on the basis of need, will allow us to fix the greatest infrastructure issues impacting negatively on road safety,” says Tommy Parker, NZTA’s group manager highways and network operations. Some of the $1.8 billion spent on our state highway network 40 www.contractormag.co.nz
in the 2013/14 year involved renewing over 1000 kilometres of our state highway network that year. The transport agency says it is still using its traditional road surveying technology – namely a Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) – to measure surface deflection of a pavement under a dynamic load to evaluate its structural adequacy. This technology is mounted on a towed trailer, which is operated under a separate contract. The difference is that this existing technology only collects pavement condition information every 50–200 metres and, as the operation is a static test it requires a traffic management programme involving lane closures. The ARRB Group technology, on the other hand, collects pavement information continuously and reports every 10 metres at normal road speeds, so doesn’t need a traffic management programme. Obviously, it can also cover greater distances in the same timeframe. The two limitations of the new technology are that it doesn’t currently record accurately while the truck is travelling under 40 kilometres per hour, and the truck requires a heavy rear axle, loaded to 10-tonnes, so the NZTA had to acquire special overweight permits for both state highways and local roads. The transport agency says the first project over the past summer, which finished in March, was “very successful, with no major hitches”. Luckily, there were only two rain days in the South Island during the operation down there. The ARRB Group truck and trailer will return to New Zealand at the end of this year. Meanwhile, the Transport Agency says that if, as expected, the new laser technology proves successful and becomes standard here for the routine collection of pavement strength data, there will still be a place for the traditional FWD on specific roading projects.
TSD data collection The Traffic Speed Deflectometer (TSD) is a fully integrated survey vehicle capable of collecting pavement condition data at highway speeds of up to 80kph, typically up to 15 times faster than the traditional stationary or slow moving equipment such as a Falling Weight Deflectometer or Deflectograph. It collects: pavement strength; cracking; longitudinal and transverse road profile; pavement macro texture; road geometry; GPS position; and digital imaging. The sensors used to derive the deflection measurements are Doppler lasers, which measure the instantaneous deflection velocity of the pavement, as a load is applied via rolling trailer tyres on the rear axle. The Doppler lasers are mounted on a rigid beam that is aligned longitudinally along the left side of the TSD trailer chassis (see photo right). The Doppler lasers are mounted at 100mm, 200mm, 300mm, 450mm, 600mm and 900mm from the centre of the wheel load, at a nominal, two degree angle. A vertical deflection velocity is measured as the pavement reacts to loading, as well as a proportion of horizontal velocity (driving speed) of that response. The deflection velocity (Vv) is divided by the instantaneous survey speed (Vh) to result in a measure of defection slope.
MAY 2015 41
CONTRACTOR TECHNOLOGY
TSD data outputs
FIGURE 1
Compared to other strength measuring devices the TSD collects a very large amount of raw data. For every 0.02 metres travelled the system provides deflection information to an equivalent resolution of five microns (a 20th of the width of a human hair). Data volume is approximately six megabytes per kilometre. Approximately 1000 data samples are recorded per second per sensor.
Figure 1 From deflection velocity and resultant slope measurements, other traditional deflection measurements can be mathematically modelled through beam curve fits and numerical modelling.
Doppler beam The Doppler sensors are mounted on a stiff beam to ensure that the relative position between the sensors remains unchanged. The beam is suspended by a servo system. The servo system keeps the distance between the Doppler sensors and the road constant to keep the sensors in focus. A gyroscope, accelerometer and inclinometer are mounted in the centre of the Doppler beam assembly to a provide data to compensate for any movement of the beam. The beam and internal trailer temperatures are kept constant with an air-conditioning system and circulation fans. This is to ensure there is no expansion or contraction of beam and mounting components that may introduce thermal torsional movement or bending of the beam, thus ensuring the relative Doppler alignment angles remain constant.
Pavement loading The axles are loaded with a weight of 10 tonnes (nominally five tonnes per wheel set). This applies an approximate 50kN loading to the pavement. Strain gauges are mounted to the rear axle to measure the bending moment on the loaded axle on both the left and right side. The load data is collected continuously and averaged over the selected report interval, in kilograms, for both left and right side axles.
Pavement temperature The pavement surface and air temperature are recorded to an accuracy of +/-1째C and with a calibrated air temperature probe and a calibrated infrared temperature sensor.
The data processing software divides the road surface into small sections five metres long by four metres wide that are automatically analysed for cracks and other surface defects.
42 www.contractormag.co.nz
Automated crack detection The ARRB Automated Crack Detection system (ACD) consists of two high-performance 3D sensors that are fitted to the rear of the TSD trailer, 2.2 metres above the pavement as pictured. Each sensor consists of two main components: a high-power spread line laser and a high-speed 3D camera mounted offaxis to the laser light source. When combined, the two 3D laser units project a four-metre wide laser line consisting of over 4000 measurement points onto the pavement. Half of the image is captured by each camera that interprets the distortions to the straight laser line as variations in the vertical surface profile. Because of the high pixel resolution, measurement accuracies of 0.5mm are possible. A picture of the road surface can be built up by combining sequential transverse profiles which, at 90kph, are only 5mm apart (closer together at lower speeds). The sensors produce both range and intensity profiles which are merged to produce a 3D image. The information contained in this image allows the ACD to automatically identify and map cracks and a variety of other defects. The data processing software divides the road surface into small sections five metres long by four metres wide that are automatically analysed for cracks and other surface defects. Each crack map can be used to identify and report the crack type and, because the image is calibrated, the extent of cracking can be accurately measured in both the longitudinal and transverse directions. The ACD system can also measure crack width which allows the severity of the cracking to be determined. The results from each image are combined and expressed for a given interval eg, 100 metres.
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CONTRACTOR TECHNICAL
PLEASE DON’T STRESS THE PIPES Anecdotal evidence points to a slight increase in the incidence of cracks appearing in newly-laid concrete stormwater pipes. The Concrete Pipe Association says multiple factors underpin the issue, but that a better “awareness” at construction sites will eliminate most of the problem. LAWRENCE SCHÄFFLER reports. WHILE EVIDENCE OF pipe cracking relative to the amount of infrastructure being installed around the country is small, and the vast majority of projects are being installed successfully, any discovery of cracks in a newly-installed stormwater infrastructure isn’t great news: It often means re-excavating parts of the pipeline to replace cracked sections. An expensive, time-sapping delay. Cynics might attribute more cracks to a greater use of camera technology. CCTV inspections of newly-installed infrastructures are almost de facto today – ergo, they’re merely better at revealing a problem that has been there, unnoticed, all along. Australasia’s Concrete Pipe Association (CPA) disagrees. It accepts that the greater use of CCTV partially explains the increase, but insists there are other causes. Sources we talked to refered to multiple possible causes; one of the most common being damage caused by heavy construction equipment driving across back-filled trenches after the pipes have been installed. These are typically big front-end loaders, bulldozers and dump trucks filled with soil, aggregate or rubble, or vibration rollers. Any pipeline, however correctly designed, specified and installed, can be subjected to excessive loading afterwards – often when large earthmoving vehicles drive across the back-filled trench, and axle loads can be well in excess of the pipeline’s design specification. Suffice to add, contractors should have greater awareness around the site with heavy vehicles kept to designated areas away from the trenches. Excessive load problems can be an issue with pipes laid under a road and road-building crews refilling the trench want to ensure that the aggregate is well-compacted before 44 www.contractormag.co.nz
laying the asphalt, but then over-compaction can also impart excessive loads on pipes. Pipeline installation also needs a correctly prepared bed – with the pipe sections supported uniformly along their lengths, because uneven beds will magnify the potential for damage from a random, excessive load. Pipes are not designed to act as load-bearing concrete ‘beams’ by only being supported at either end with nothing in the middle. That’s an invitation to trouble.
Road collapsed over concrete pipe.
Severity of cracking Concrete pipes used in stormwater installations are usually between 225mm and 300mm in diameter, and 2.4m to 2.5m long. They’re usually affected by two types of cracks – longitudinal and circumferential. The former occur along the length of the pipe, the latter around its circumference. However, longitudinal cracking is very rare and any issue is likley to be with circumferential cracking and it typically occurs when the pipe is forced to act as a beam. All pipes are manufactured to a joint Australia/New Zealand precast concrete pipe standard – AS/NZS 4058. A related standard – AS/NZS 3725 – covers the design for the installation of buried concrete pipes. As part of the manufacturing process, batches of pipes are randomly selected for a longitudinal proof load test. This
places a compression load on the pipe and allows for a crack with the maximum width of 0.15mm. This easily meets the standard’s requirements. While the industry generally welcomes greater use of CCTV for post-installation inspection, the camera has a fish-eye lens which magnifies cracks so they look much larger than they actually are – particularly under lights. So the technique does need, say experts, education in terms of interpreting the footage. It has also been pointed out that concrete has the characteristic of ‘autogenous healing’, where the calcium carbonate in the cement reacts with water and oxygen, leaching from the concrete as a granular white powder. The powder fills and seals cracks. Research has shown it’s effective with cracks up to 0.5mm in diameter.
Road Science for superior pavement products, technology and testing
John Vercoe, Technical Manager
Road Science - 9/2 Owens Place, Mt Maunganui, New Zealand - 07 575 1150 www.roadscience.co.nz MAY 2015 45
CONTRACTOR CAREERS DAY
First Industry Careers Day of the year THE FIRST YOUTH INTO Industry Careers Day was held at the Northland Field Days in Dargaville as a collaborative effort between Alistair McIntyre, the event organiser, representatives from industry, service providers, schools, and past students. Alistair says the day would not have been possible without the Kaipara Vintage Machinery Club, which allowed the team to use its site space and provided volunteers; the support of the Northland Field Days; and members of the Civil Contractors Northland branch. “Twenty-four selected students from six local schools attended, and more than 30 companies, both local and national. “Experienced employees, business operators and students who have recently gained apprenticeships or work placements, provided these students with the opportunity to learn more about the infrastructure and quarrying industries.” The feedback from the schools showed the event was definitely on the right track, Alistair adds. “Everyone who attended told us that the event exceeded their expectations. “We saw some of the student’s enthusiasm levels rise throughout the day as they learnt more, saw the practical applications of what they had learnt at school, and discovered aspects of the industry they were not aware of. Some of them discovered a new skill. We hope they all left with a sense of achievement and accomplishment, and inspired to find out more, and carry on their journey into industry.” 46 www.contractormag.co.nz
Students had the hands-on opportunity to operate two mini excavators, a mini loader and two plate compactors, after they had carried out the necessary pre-start checks. Pre-start checks were also carried out on a vintage tractor supplied and supervised by KVMC. The information about identifying and selecting the correct parts was provided by Kamo Parts and Gough TWL. Connexis was also on site, providing students with information about relevant qualifications, as was NorthTec.
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CONTRACTOR HERITAGE
This is the Masher when first built in 1974 for the twisting beam energy absorbers used in the South Rangitikei viaduct, and being refitted in 1976 to develop the leadrubber bearings. Sam Vanicek helps Cameron Smart (white shirt) to guide part of the test rig into place.
48 www.contractormag.co.nz
Wellington Te Papa Museum
The Masher
– a seismic breakthrough Wellington’s Te Papa museum is internationally renowned for its fine collection as well as its ingenious earthquake-proof technology – the 135 base isolators (lead-rubber bearings) on which the building rests. The story about the evolution of those bearings is perhaps less well-known. LAWRENCE SCHÄFFLER explains.
Above: Te Papa’s renowned and ingenious earthquake-proof technology has a legacy going back to the 1970s.
BASE ISOLATORS – large, rubber blocks with lead column cores – create a cushion between a building and its foundations. The lead core softens under seismic pressure, absorbing energy that would otherwise be transferred to the building. The concept was conceived and developed in the early 1970s by Dr Ivan Skinner and Dr Bill Robinson, two scientists with the then Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR). Its real baptism of fire came in 1982 with the construction of Wellington’s William Clayton building. The world’s first office building to use the technology, it rests on 80 bearings. Since then base isolation has been used in thousands of buildings worldwide, including the San Francisco City Hall and the approaches to the city’s Golden Gate Bridge. In many cases the technology has been retrofitted to existing structures in seismically-active areas. The base isolation principle was born when Skinner, head of Engineering Seismology at DSIR, told Robinson he proposed to use steel dampers to seismically isolate the new office building being planned for the Ministry of Works (it was later renamed the MAY 2015 49
CONTRACTOR HERITAGE
William Clayton building). Robinson thought there had to be a better damping material than steel and his investigation eventually arrived at lead. But his experiments with lead shear dampers weren’t particularly successful: the lead failed fairly quickly – it needed to be supported in some way. His solution was placing a lead plug through the layers of steel and rubber. Dreaming up the base isolation principle was one thing – simulating and proving its effectiveness on a realistic scale was something else. That problem fell to Cameron Smart – another DSIR scientist.
The Masher
Figure 2: Left: Twisting beam earthquake energy absorber under test in the Masher. It measured force with a strain gauge load cell, displacement with a linear voltage displacement transducer, and combined their analogue signals as hysteresis loops on an oscilloscope or paper chart recorder.
Twisting beam earthquake energy absorber under test in the Masher. It measured force with a strain gauge load cell, displacement with a linear voltage displacement transducer, and combined their analogue signals as hysteresis loops on an oscilloscope or paper chart recorder.
The Masher, 1974 50 www.contractormag.co.nz
As was a common problem for the era, research funding was tight, so Smart designed a test rig which used – as its central component – an old D8 Caterpillar bulldozer scrounged from the Ministry of Works. Its 100kW diesel engine was capable of providing a vertical load of 300 tonnes and a displacement of up to 91mm. The following extract is paraphrased from the book Smart wrote about his family in 2011: Baby Boomer – A Life to be Bettered. “In the late 1960s Ivan Skinner conceived of base isolation to defend buildings and bridges against earthquakes. Ivan developed the mathematical theory but needed a machine to test the full-size dampers – I was to design it! “The Ministry of Works could make an old Caterpillar D8 bulldozer from a quarry available to us. The deal was done for $1000, and an area in one of the wooden sheds built by the US Marine Corps in 1942 was partially cleared for the machine. “I decided to take the power from the left rear sprocket through an eccentric, using this as the first link in a four-bar chain to change rotary to reciprocating motion. The eccentric was to take the form of one inside another, so that by rotating the inner with respect to the outer the two stroke could be varied between tests. “The eccentrics and connecting rod were to be made of spheroidal graphite cast iron, and I found some elderly patternmakers in Porirua to make the pattern equipment. The other parts were to be steel weldments. “I made a 1/10 scale model of the
CONTRACTOR HERITAGE
Above: Bill (left) and his technician Alan Tucker operating the Masher.
reaction frame in thin sheet steel and took this to several fabricators, telling them I wanted one of these but 10 times as big. William Cable’s foundry in Gracefield and their fabricating shop in Kaiwharawhara proved to have the best combination of price and competence, so I awarded them the contract. “We could not afford a proper paint job, so we scrubbed off the worst of the dirt and flaking paint with wire brushes and brushed the Caterpillar parts yellow and the PEL parts orange, a colour scheme very popular in the 1970s. I called it the Masher – Machine for Simulating Earthquakes.” Robinson tested numerous bearings on the Masher, progressively increasing the diameter until, at a lead diameter of 170mm, the D8’s gearbox failed after two cycles. This result was deemed a success, the William Clayton building received its bearings. Robinson was honoured with a Queen’s Service Order in 2007 in recognition of his contribution to the reduction of the earthquake vulnerability of communities. He died in 2011.
The first base-isolated structures
Above: The South Rangitikei viaduct under construction, and below, in use.
52 www.contractormag.co.nz
While the William Clayton building was the world’s first office building to receive the lead-rubber bearings, it wasn’t the first structure to use the DSIR’s base isolation concept. That honour rests with the North Island’s soaring Mangaweka Railway Viaducts, completed in 1981, a year before the William Clayton building. They are the world’s first base isolated bridges. The three massive viaducts, among the highest in New Zealand, were constructed between 1973 and 1981 to move the Main Trunk Line away from geologically unstable land. The South Rangitikei viaduct is a 78 metre tall, 315m long triple-span structure, while the Kawhatau (73m high) and North Rangitikei (81m high) viaducts are both 110m long single-span structures. All use concrete twin-shafted vertical piers carrying a continuous prestressed hollow box. In an earthquake the pier bases could lift up to 13cm to allow energy and pressure to shift from one pier leg to the other. The rocking action is controlled by large “energy dissipaters” installed in the pier bases.
AUCTION NIGHT FRIDAY
Last year we dug deep with TAKEUCHI This year we’re stepping up to the plate with WACKER NEUSON At the CCNZ Auction on Friday night, we’ll be offering a selection of Wacker Neuson equipment to go under the hammer. This is your opportunity to not only make an astute gear purchase for your company, but also to make a great contribution to the WORKSAFE cause, with proceeds going to CCNZ and Worksafe NZ. Once again, we look forward to your support on the night!
www.nzeg.co.nz 0800 959 959
NZ EQUIPMENT GROUP LTD 30 O’Rorke Road, Penrose Auckland 1061. Unit 1/ 22 Lowther St, Sockburn Christchurch 8042. PO Box 17457, Greenlane 1546, NZ.
CONTRACTOR INTERNATIONAL
The mother of all tunnels Currently under construction, a highway project on Norway’s southern coast will feature the longest underwater road tunnels in the world.
WHEN IT COMES to straightening major highways around its rugged fjords and island-dense western coastline, Norway doesn’t muck around with some pretentious Resource Management Act. The long, winding detours around fjords linked by numerous ferry crossings are being gradually improved with increasingly long tunnels that cut through mountains and travel under the sea. The grand plan is to link Norway’s whole western coastline under what they call ‘no-ferries’ projects that will cut out the eight ferry crossings on Norway’s main western road network.
Crossing the region’s large fjords will involve floating bridges, record suspension spans and underwater floating tunnels modeled on the country’s oil and gas infrastructure, and floating platforms anchored to the sea floor (see illustration). The first and most ambitious of these projects is the US$1 billion E39 Rogfast subsea twin tunnels, which are set to become the world’s longest and deepest undersea road tunnels at about 27 kilometres. Currently the longest tunnel in the world is the 18,680 metre-long Shin-Karmon tunnel in Japan, which was
The long, winding detours around fjords linked by numerous ferry crossings are being gradually improved with increasingly long tunnels that cut through mountains and travel under the sea.
54 www.contractormag.co.nz
A total of 3.8 million tonnesof spoil is estimated, which will go into coastal fill sites. Most of the spoil is trucked out of the tunnels, but a conveyor system is used in the steepest parts.
HYDRO-Excavation non-mechanical and non-destructive applications... WHEN PRECISION IS PARAMOUNT SOUTHEYS PROVIDE THE SOLUTION. • Location and mapping of underground utilities; • Trenching through utilities or landscaping; • Cleaning over or under utility services; • The ability to work in the proximity of energized services; • The ability to work in confined areas or where access for conventional excavation equipment is not possible; • Models ranging from 3000 to 8000 litre capacity, suitable for all types of jobs.
E: rob@southeysgroup.com T: NEW ZEALAND: 0800 493 7639 AUSTRALIA: 1800 986 082 INTERNATIONAL: +64 27 275 4306
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AU CK L A N D • W EL L I N G TO N • I N V ER C A R GI L L
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CONTRACTOR INTERNATIONAL
Right: Crossing the region’s large fjords will involve floating bridges, record suspension spans and underwater floating tunnels modeled on the country’s oil and gas infrastructure. Below: The tunnels at 8.5 metres are small in their cross section width, but will accommodate two, 3.25-metre wide traffic lanes, with a separate bore in both directions. Cross passages between the bores will be 12 metres apart.
It is estimated that about 4000 cars a day will start using the tunnels after completion, doubling to about 8000 cars a day by 2035. Motorists will take 15 minutes to drive through the subsea tunnels.
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built in 1975. Connecting Randaberg near Stavanger (the centre of Norway’s oil and gas industry) and Bokn in Rogaland, currently only accessible by a 45-minute ferry ride, they will travel under two fjords – Boknafjord and Kvitsøfjord. The deepest point will be about 385 metres beneath sea level. The project started this year and finishes in 2023 and involves blasting 1.15 million cubic metres of hard rock. A total of 3.8 million tonnes of spoil is estimated, which will go into coastal fill sites. Most of the spoil is trucked out of the tunnels, but a conveyor system is used in the steepest parts. Because of the rock’s hardness, TBMs were ruled out and it was decided that traditional drill and blast techniques, which the Norwegians are good at, would be faster anyway. Construction is typically an initial safety layer of shotcreting after blasting and mucking out, then support bolting
(typically three metres long and longer in poor conditions) and then further shotcreting. Engineers estimate installing using 250,000 bolts and about 100,000 metres of shotcreting. Designed by consultant Nordconsult, the tunnels at 8.5 metres are small in their cross section width, but will accommodate two, 3.25-metre wide traffic lanes, with a separate bore in both directions. Cross passages between the bores will be 12 metres apart. With a fiveyear construction period, completion is scheduled for February 2018. The project is being led by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration and constructed by Swiss constructor Marti Group. Construction costs will be financed by tolls until the year 2039. It is estimated that about 4000 cars a day will start using the tunnels after completion, doubling to about 8000 cars a day by 2035. Motorists will take 15 minutes to drive through the subsea tunnels.
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CONTRACTOR LEGAL COMMENT
Lessons from Mainzeal SHANTI DAVIES, SENIOR ASSOCIATE, SIMPSON GRIERSON
ON A QUIET WAITANGI DAY in February 2013 when many of us were still at the beach or bach, one of New Zealand’s largest construction companies, Mainzeal Property and Construction (Mainzeal) was put into receivership. The aftermath was felt widely across the construction industry. Now, just over two years on, the question is – what did we learn from the Mainzeal collapse? First, robust due diligence needs to be done on contractors (or subcontractors) prior to entering into the contract. This should include pre-qualification processes such as company searches, obtaining trade references, conducting financial stability analyses and possibly requiring tenderers to provide their audited accounts. One very effective means of due diligence is to require contractors to provide an unconditional on-demand bond from a “High Street” bank. If a bank is prepared to provide such a bond, this is generally a good indication that the contractor is in reasonable financial health. Banks will do better due diligence than you can! Second, it is important to get the terms of the construction contract right. A key term is the security that will be available to remedy defects and complete outstanding work in the event of a contractor or subcontractor insolvency. Security may include cash retentions (or a retentions bond) and/or a performance bond. An unconditional on-demand bank bond will typically provide greater security because the bond surety is unlikely to dispute a call made under this type of bond. Collateral agreements from key subcontractors and suppliers
Another lesson is to recognise the early indicators of an impending insolvency. By keeping your ear to the ground you will often hear about events that indicate the contractor is having cash flow problems. such as deeds of continuity and subcontractor warranties are also a good means of security because they provide a direct contractual relationship with the subcontractor or supplier. Another key term is for “insolvency” (broadly defined) to constitute a breach of contract that entitles the innocent party to terminate immediately and/or resume possession of the site to complete outstanding work. In such circumstances, the termination (or possession of the site) provisions should 58 www.contractormag.co.nz
provide that any contractor-owned plant, materials and equipment on the site may be used to complete the works and that the contractor must assign the benefits of any warranties. The contractor’s right to further payment should be suspended until final completion. The “final account” process should only be undertaken after final completion when all additional costs are known. The contract should generally not allow for any payment for off-site materials. In the exceptional cases that such payments are permitted, an off-site materials agreement must be required, and any security interest created under it registered under the Personal Property Securities Act (PPSA). In relation to security interests generally, these must all be registered under the PPSA. This should include any security interest created by the contractual entitlement to use any contractor owned plant to complete the works post termination or upon taking possession of the site. Another lesson is to recognise the early indicators of an impending insolvency. By keeping your ear to the ground you will often hear about events that indicate the contractor is having cash flow problems. An obvious example is the contractor making late (or missing) payments to its subcontractors or suppliers. Another is regular requests for advance payments for works or materials. The media will often report on stories that signal a company is having financial difficulties. However, in the Mainzeal case the press appeared as blind as anyone to the troubles that Mainzeal was facing, even after the resignation of its three independent directors. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, on an insolvency you must act fast and immediately take possession of the site and all plant and materials whether on or off the site. Possession really is 9/10th of the law! You can bet the receiver will get in fast, as occurred on many of the larger Mainzeal projects, but he or she will not be there to look after your interests. Hire trucks, buy chains, and get on with it! The site should be made secure by erecting fencing and engaging 24-hour security (and other necessary measures) to prevent any materials, plant, and equipment from “walking off” the site without your prior approval. It is also important to take steps to adequately protect the works and any materials and equipment on the site from the weather, fire and other risks. Re-possession could be delayed for a long period during which damage may occur if the works and any materials and equipment are not properly protected. Also, check that insurances remain in place during this period. If the above lessons are learned, the chances of another Mainzeal situation can be reduced, and if not prevented at least you will be better prepared.
CONTRAFED M A RC H 2 0 1 5
NEW ZEALAND’S CIVIL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
A VERY VERSATILE DOZER
THE VOICE OF NEW ZEALAND INDUSTRY APRIL 2015
ENERGY NZ PERSPECTIVES 2015
NEW ZEALAND’S CIVIL CONTRACTING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
PUBLISHING CO. LTD OIL & GAS IN FOCUS AUTUMN VOL.9 NO.2 2015
PERSPECTIVES 2015
GOING FOR THE HAT TRICK
CablePrice’s John Deere 700J LGP handles heavy work in a number of conditions, from rural earthmoving to forestry roading and civil work
Wirtgen New Zealand takes a multifaceted approach to construction hardware in conjunction with M2PP Alliance partner, Higgins.
Statoil’s Kiwi plans The Norwegian giant discusses ambitions
INSIDE:
INSIDE:
Ex Association chief executive Jeremy Sole reflects back Contracting innovations: Christchurch’s wastewater upgrade Ramping up housing supply through a highway interchange Investing in youth – a worthy school project in Northland
National Excavator Operator Competition highlights Heavy hauling one of the biggest loads ever through Northland ANZAC Memorial Park opens in time for 2015 commemoration Road cones – there’s more to them than you’d think
18/02/15 5:39 pm
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Exploration – hope versus adversity
Vol.9 No.1
Two experts on finding the big one Vol.9 No.1
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ENERGY NZ
20/03/15 7:51 pm
Geothermal – where to now Future proofing a great resource
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NZ LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE
NZ LOCAL GOVERNMENT MAGAZINE
VOL 52 • MARCH 2015 • $8.95
VOL 52 • APRIL 2015 • $8.95
NEW ZEALAND QUARRYING & MINING Volume 12 - No 1 | February - March 2015 | $8.95
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Maximising the resource
NEW ZEALAND QUARRYING & MINING
GOING BACK FOR VALUE
Volume 12 - No 2 | April - May 2015 | $8.95
Scalping lime and serpentine deep in the heart of the Waikato
Amuri Lime “couldn’t be happier” with its second Hitachi wheeled loader from CablePrice
Seeing our cities in
A WHOLE
ON TRACK
NEW LIGHT
Geospatial experts map out walking paths & cycleways p16
GORE’S STEVE PARRY
On making every minute count p20
IN PRAISE OF GOOD WORK
The bare bones for smart cities p16
Local government’s fantastic EAs & PAs p24
GOING DIGITAL
New Plymouth District Council turns mobile-first p30
DOLLARS & SENSE
Stevenson Resources is redeveloping its Drury Quarry to get at new resources.
WHEN CONSENTING GETS TOO HARD
Bathurst Resources’ corporate manager talks about her job and the industry.
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY Great consultation documents p14
EATING AWAY AT OUR ASSETS
The corrosively high cost of failing water infrastructure p34
A BROAD BAND OF OPPORTUNITY
A small Taranaki quarry under consenting pressure packs it in
LOOKING FOR THE GOD PARTICLE
TODD’S AUSSIE MINE INVESTMENT
Government’s $350 million pledge p28
Todd Corporation sets up a minerals arm to invest in Pilbara iron ore.
LEST WE FORGET
The search for the ideal skid resistant roading stone continues
Wellington City Council marks 100 years since Gallipoli p36
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VISIT OUR WEBSITE
One of the country’s oldest city quarries has started its rehabilitation
CHATTING WITH SAM AARONS
How should local government be funded? p12
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TIME TO FILL IT UP
LOOKING 150 YEARS AHEAD
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CONTRACTOR COMMENT
Health & Safety reform takes shape MALCOLM ABERNETHY, EXECUTIVE OFFICER, CIVIL CONTRACTORS NZ AS WITH THE PREQUALIFICATION work that I mentioned in this column last month, there is considerable work and discussion going on around Health and Safety. Best practice Guides and Approved Codes of Practice are being written by WorkSafe NZ and regulations are being drafted. Indications are that the legislation will be passed this month (May), but will not come into effect until January or February 2016. For those contractors or businesses operating health and safety systems there may be very little change to what and how they manage these programmes and systems. For others, considerable work will be required to meet the legislative requirements and businesses should start doing that sooner rather than later. There are many consultants offering assistance with developing systems and ensuring compliance with some using scare tactics. It is my view that meeting the new requirements imposed by the bill is not that onerous especially for those companies operating substantial health and safety management systems. There are some new terms and new requirements – for example, The Health and Safety Reform Bill introduces the concept of a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking, known as a PCBU. PCBUs are in the best position to control risks to workplace health and safety as they are the ones carrying out the business or undertaking. That is why the PCBU will have the primary duty under the new law. Despite its name, a PCBU will usually be a business entity, such as a company, rather than an individual person. A person might be a PCBU if they are a sole trader or a self-employed person. The Bill talks about the PCBU’s primary duty of care as far as is reasonably practicable with regards to health and safety at work. A definition of reasonably practicable is provided as ‘meaning what is or was reasonably able to be done at a particular time to ensure health and safety, taking into account and weighing up all relevant matters.’ Because PCBUs have duties to workers affected by their work, not just to those they directly employ or engage, it’s possible for PCBUs to have overlapping duties. This is a fundamental part of the Bill’s design. The Health and Safety Reform Bill also strengthens worker engagement and participation in work health and safety matters. The Bill sets out two overarching PCBU duties for involving workers in work health and safety. The PCBU must: (1) Engage, so far as is reasonably practicable, with workers who work for its business or undertaking and are directly affected, or likely to be directly affected, by a health and safety matter of the
PCBU, and (2) have effective practices that allow workers who work for its business or undertaking to have an opportunity to participate in improving work health and safety on an ongoing basis. These are known as worker participation practices. Many companies already have a high level of worker participation but the Bill places greater emphasis on this aspect of health and safety management. A new duty proposed by the Bill is that an officer of a PCBU (such as a director, board member or partner) must exercise due diligence to ensure that the PCBU complies with its duties. This places a positive duty on people at the governance level of an organisation to actively engage in health and safety matters, reinforcing that health and safety is everyone’s responsibility. As the Health and Safety reform Bill makes its way through parliament there is a great deal of additional work going on within many organisations outside of WorkSafe NZ. To address the due diligence requirements of the legislation NZTA is proactively working toward the implementation of many of the new legislative requirements through its Zero Harm group. Civil contractors and many of its members are involved with this group which has essentially replaced the former health and safety committee run by Roading NZ and NZ Contractors’ Federation. Zero Harm is a two tiered industry group governed by the Industry leaders working in the roading sector. The second tier consists of health and safety managers from the same companies who assist in the development of ‘minimum standards’ when applied to roading construction operations and maintenance. The governance group was set up as leadership forum primarily as a sign-off of industry direction or finalising key industry policy. It has functioned effectively in this role and there is an ongoing momentum of good tools and guidelines developed by the working group. Minimum Standards are similar to best practice guides and offer tools that a contractor can work to. To date work has been completed on minimum standards for Health and Safety reporting, Safety in Design and Utility Identification and Protection. While the work done under the Zero Harm initiative is written for the roading sector the information and processes within the minimum standards are readily transferable to other sectors. Many other initiatives are proposed to help contractors in achieving minimum standards and addressing the requirements of the new legislation that include training, development of systems and reporting of incidents. As these initiatives are rolled out Civil Contractors NZ will keep members informed.
Postal Address: PO Box 12013, Thorndon, Wellington 6144 Physical Address: Margan House, 21 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington 6011 Phone 0800 692 376
60 www.contractormag.co.nz
COMMENT CONTRACTOR
Getting workable rules JONATHAN BHANA-THOMSON, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, NZ HEAVY HAULAGE ASSOCIATION
The fly in the ointment is the ever-changing regulatory and safety environment that is constantly evolving and being pushed to ever greater compliance requirements.
THE POSITION OF an industry association can be a difficult one. First and foremost you are representing the collective needs of your industry sector with various national and local government authorities, as well – as in our case – the owners of various infrastructure that include, for example, overhead line networks. Meanwhile the industry association is also taking what government and asset owners are saying and translating it into language that can be understood quickly and efficiently by operators out there running a business, trying to comply with all the requirements, and hopefully making a buck so that they are still there this time next year. I’ve often thought that after an Association has been around for 50 years (as we have) and after being 15 years with the Association, that there should be no more problems for me to solve – they should have been all sorted by now. The fly in the ointment is the ever-changing regulatory and safety environment that is constantly evolving and being pushed to ever greater compliance requirements.
Willing compliance In my view the regulatory environment simply has to have rules and procedures that encourage compliance. To do anything else will mean that users that have to work within these systems will lose faith in them, see the compliance burden as too high, and opt not to engage with them. This is not to say that operators will not undertake completely unsafe actions, but will rather comply with the aspects of practices that make them safe enough without jumping through unnecessary hoops. I am not saying that I condone the actions of any person who actively operates outside the expected requirements – I encourage every member of my Association to do so. But sometimes a regulatory authority has a brain explosion and implements a regime that it becomes difficult or even impossible to comply with. Take a current example where an infrastructure owner that issues approvals for travel for many operators within the heavy haulage and house relocation sector has just implemented a
lead notification time that is simply extreme, and with no ability to vary the date of travel that has to be nominated some four weeks out. In the real world this simply will not work. In my view, this infrastructure owner has implemented a regime that suits entirely their purposes and has no regard to the actual users that try to operate within their system. To do so simply discourages willing compliance and instead pushes operators to use natural human inventiveness to try a different way. This results in combative situations, which can only lead to potentially more risky outcomes, which is not the direction where things should be heading.
Conversations rule To achieve a better outcome the alternative method is simple dialogue with users. Frankly I think that regulators sometimes get so tied up with looking after their own interests that they forget that there are real people out there who have to try to comply with their new wonderful and ultimately wacky systems. The answer is dialogue with those people who will have to comply and work within these processes, so that when a new regime starts they are already half way there by having users that understand and accept them. This applies to all sorts of situations, be it the traffic management plans put in place to control traffic around worksites (as I discussed in my last column), permit and approval regimes put in by asset and infrastructure owners, or the legal requirements set by central government. In my time with this Association, there have been occasional glimpses where the dialogue with users flickers into life as part of the developmental process, but this is not generally the case. I would strongly encourage all authorities, no matter the type, to please consider the plight of the users of their systems right up front. Too often the scope of projects does not consider this as a critical step and this is to the ultimate detriment of the outcome. So the take-home message is to step up and talk early and often. MAY 2015 61
CONTRACTOR COMMENT
When your heart needs a jump-start JANET BROTHERS, MANAGING DIRECTOR, LIFE CARE CONSULTANTS
A defibrillator can increase the chances of survival from a cardiac arrest from a natural five percent up to 70 percent.
IN THE PAST defibrillators have been the property of A&Es and cardiac units; now they are a part of our community and some workplaces – so what has changed? AEDs or Automated External Defibrillators have been designed for use by virtually anyone with little or no training and, in fact, up to a few years ago the best results (ie, the most survivors) have been recorded at Chicago Airport where AEDs have been used by the general public. Airports around the world were one of the first industries to proactively make sufficient numbers of defibrillators accessible to the general public along the same lines as fire extinguishers. Other industries have now followed suit. You will see them at many workplaces and community facilities hanging on a wall, or you can find a sticker saying there is a defibrillator on site. A defibrillator can increase the chances of survival from a cardiac arrest from a natural five percent up to 70 percent. Effective CPR will keep blood (therefore oxygen) pumping to the brain and other major organs, but this action cannot start a ‘stopped’ heart. Only a defibrillator can do that. A ‘cardiac episode’ where the heart just stops is called ‘asystole’ and there is nothing which will help it restart. However, when the heart goes into fibrillation where it stops beating but is in a flutter, this is when a defibrillator, if used quickly, can bring back a heart beat. Another cause of a cardiac episode is when the heart pumps so fast it becomes inefficient. This is called ‘tachycardia’ and, once again, you will want to have a defibrillator handy. These three cardiac episodes all look the same with the same signs and symptoms which can include: shortness of breath, sweating, anxiousness and a feeling of doom. There is often
chest or arm pain, nausea and vomiting involved. Without defibrillation a victim’s chances of survival decrease by 10 percent every minute – so after 10 minutes things will be looking very grim, hence a defibrillator is a very handy piece of equipment to have around. The AED guides users through the necessary steps with clear instructions through voice prompts. The instructions cannot be overridden so they are idiot proof, which also means you can’t ‘shock’ yourself by accident. In addition, to give the victim the best chance of survival you also need to ring 111 and start CPR as soon as possible to keep an oxygen supply going to the brain. Brain cells die quickly with no oxygen. At www.aedlocations.co.nz there are over 2500 defibrillator locations identified and mapped and there is also a smartphone application for the GPS location. This website and app are updated by volunteers and are only as good as the information they have so if you know of a defibrillator location and it is not on the website let them know so it can remain a valuable tool for increasing a victim’s chances of survival. As technology has improved, the cost of a defibrillator has decreased and at present a defibrillator costs around $2900 (and if you purchase it through Life Care it includes free defib training). A small price to pay for something which can have such a significant influence on survival.
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COMMENT CONTRACTOR
Recognising cross industry skill sets HELMUT MODLIK, CEO, CONNEXIS
CONNEXIS HAS positioned itself as the “infrastructure ITO” serving companies that build and maintain the horizontal infrastructure upon which our vertical built environment depends. As a consequence, it has become very clear to us that seemingly diverse industries within the infrastructure sector actually share many technical and non-technical competencies. For example, entry level competencies are often very similar across the infrastructure sector regardless of the specific industry. This is also true of the “first line management” and supervisor competencies required to motivate and lead staff. Furthermore, beyond the entry level and supervisory competencies noted, we constantly see skill set similarities that provide opportunities for employers and employees. Connexis is working towards transferrable qualifications that are recognised across infrastructure industries, rather than developing a different version for each one. This will enable staff in the infrastructure sector who are already multiskilled, to further develop and validate their capability to be deployed across a broad scope of contracts. This will increase the workforce flexibility for their employers, and for smaller companies in particular, will broaden their potential customer and service base, providing a more flexible and sustainable business model that can adapt to the cyclical nature of infrastructure investment. Identification and recognition of shared skill sets across the infrastructure sector is a priority for Connexis. We see it as our role to help employers to identify their transferrable skills, and to support their development to increase their capability to service current and potential customers. Our aim is to support the whole horizontal infrastructure sector and to build qualifications that allow our customers to work across that broad
domain as seamlessly as possible. An excellent recent example was a customer with an outstanding training culture who was primarily serving horizontal telecommunications drilling, but was able to move rapidly into servicing the gas distribution sector with relative ease and only a modest investment in additional training. Such flexibility is clearly a significant benefit, particularly to smaller companies which can build a wider scope of operations for providing services to a range of infrastructure industries. Another recent example relates to plastic pipe wielding, where we are working with a company to ensure that the standards set for working with this technology meet international best practice. What actually runs through the pipes is irrelevant, whether gas, water or fuel. The competency required to prepare, trench, lay and connect the pipes will be the same. Having a workforce with transferrable skills clearly increases a company’s agility in reacting to changes in infrastructure investment priorities and winning new contracts. The emergence of Connexis as a cross sector infrastructure ITO engaging with a broad range of infrastructure industries, in tandem with the convergence of thinking within the sector on shared competencies, means that we are increasingly able to provide visibility on these shared competencies, to highlight areas for rationalising resources, and to help increase the highleverage knowledge base within an organisation. This is a win-win situation. Employees who become multiskilled tradespeople will add significant value to their employers and the wider industry with their transferrable skills, which in turn will increase their own value and ability to earn, and simultaneously meet the government aim of creating a more productive workforce.
MAY 2015 63
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International-Harvester
270 PayScraper
Ten years ago, when I first wrote about the International 270 PayScraper (Contractor, September 2005), the article was heavily abridged to fit available publishing space. Also the photos used at the time weren’t all that good so it is high time to revisit this machine, and give it the treatment it deserves! BY RICHARD CAMPBELL DESIGNED TO REPLACE the obsolescent model 2T-75 PayScraper, a design that International Harvester (IH) had inherited when it bought out Heil in 1954, the model 270 PayScraper was introduced in 1963. It was originally intended to call the new machine the 2T-70 but IH management vetoed the idea as it wanted to present a fresh image to the construction world, so the name 270 PayScraper was used instead. Rated at 14 cubic yards struck and 18 cubic yards heaped, the 270 was allhydraulic as opposed to its predecessor which was predominantly cable operated. IH appears to have “got it right” from the outset with the model 270, as very few changes were made to the machine during its nine-year production life. Previous PayScraper models did not have 90 degree steering ability to either 64 www.contractormag.co.nz
side, so to save some time and money in R&D costs, IH bought licence rights from Euclid for its follow-up style hydraulic steering system and incorporated it into the 270. The main hitch casting and kingpin was angled forward approximately three degrees from vertical to help prevent noseover during sharp turns, a common issue with overhung scrapers of the day. An aggressive marketing campaign began in earnest in 1964, with advertisements in all the major construction magazines with IH ready and willing to demonstrate the new scraper on the jobsite of your choice. There was also a great deal of lobbying of state highway departments and overseas authorities promoting the new machine. Sales were initially slow but picked up as time went on with several large sales to
fleet owners. International Harvester had stiff competition in the 14 cubic yard market segment with offerings from Caterpillar (619C and from 1965 the 621), Michigan (model 210), Wabco (model C and from 1968 the 229F) and Allis-Chalmers (TS260). Although Euclid did not offer a singleengined 14 cubic yard machine, it more than made up for this shortfall with its twinpowered TS-14. Despite all the heavyweight competition, the 270 sold reasonably well and was popular with operators. International also sold a few 270s to the US Army, which shipped them offshore to Vietnam for airbase construction. During 1965, IH also introduced a selfloading elevating scraper based around the 270’s tractor unit called the E270 (a
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machine we examined in the August 2010 issue of Contractor). International-Harvester began design work on a replacement for the 270 PayScraper in the early 1970s which ultimately resulted in its 400-series of machines built around a modular concept. The 270 remained in production until 1972, by which time just over 720 had been manufactured. It was superceded by the model 431 PayScraper in 1973.
The 270 described The model 270 PayScraper was powered by an International DVT-573 turbocharged V8 diesel engine putting out 260 horsepower. Twin-Disc provided the transmission, a full powershift 8-forward 2-reverse speed
type which gave the 270 PayScraper a top speed of around 34mph. Brakes were air over hydraulic shoe type, with automatic slack adjusters. When introduced, the standard tyre was the 24x29 but this was upgraded to the wide base 26.5x25 type quite early in the machine’s production life As mentioned previously, International got its steering system from Euclid. This consisted of two, double-acting hydraulic cylinders with follow-up control, giving a full 90 degree turn in either direction. It featured variable ratio which allowed the machine to steer faster the quicker the wheel was turned. The bowl was constructed of high tensile steel and held 14 cubic yards struck. Operation was all-hydraulic with two vertically mounted cylinders providing
1. You are seated on an International TD-25B track type tractor while it push-loads an International 270 PayScraper in sticky clay. The good line of sight the tractor operators had is quite apparent in this view. (Photo: Author’s collection)
2. 270 PayScraper belonging to C Hundley Ltd carving out a new site for a shopping centre in Collinsville, Virginia, USA, 1967. Push tractor is an International TD-20B. This is good “scraper dirt” and the contractor is benefiting from the downhill grade to get a heaped load. (Photo: Author’s collection)
3. The only photo the author has ever seen of a 270 PayScraper with a factory-fitted cab. There are no doubt photos of machines with locally fitted cabs but this particular machine is a distinct rarity. As can be seen, this photo was taken on the day the machine was delivered, Illinois, USA, 1963, making it one of the very first off the line. (Photo: Author’s collection) MAY 2015 65
CONTRACTOR CLASSIC MACHINES
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BRIEF SPECIFICATIONS International-Harvester 270 PayScraper Engine:
International-Harvester DVT-573, turbocharged V8 cylinder diesel rated at 260 flywheel horsepower at 2500 rpm Transmission: Twin-Disc powershift with 8 forward and 2 reverse ranges Top Speed: Brakes:
34 mph Air over hydraulic shoe type brakes, wedge operated
Tyres: Steering:
26.5x25, 24 ply E3 Two double acting hydraulic cylinders, 90° turns left and right
Turn circle: 29’ 4” Operation: Full hydraulic with hydraulically operated cable apron Capacity: 14 cubic yards struck, 18 cubic yards heaped Length: Width: Height: Op. weight:
35’ 3” 11’ 2” 9’ 4” 21.1 tons empty, 42.2 tons loaded
66 www.contractormag.co.nz
down pressure and lift (similar to the Caterpillar 621), a single cylinder powering the ejector and another cylinder attached to a fabricated arm for raising and lowering the apron. The apron mechanism was very reminiscent of Euclid scrapers of the period as the arm was attached to the apron by a short length of cable. A three-section reversible cutting edge was used with an adjustable drop centre. Cutting edge width was nine feet nine inches. Good all-round visibility was a feature of the operator’s compartment. The operator sat well forward on an air suspension seat with all instrumentation to the right of the steering wheel in an easy-toread group. Operating levers for the bowl, apron and ejector were located directly to the operator’s right and actuated the appropriate hydraulic valves (which were remotely mounted) by means of linkage rods. These linkages could get a bit sloppy as wear and tear set in resulting in a slight delay before things happened. The transmission shifter was placed in front of the bowl control levers and took the form of a notched quadrant.
Optional equipment Not a great deal of optional extras were ever offered for the 270 PayScraper. There was a fully enclosed factory installed cab but the author has only ever seen one of these fitted, the usual installation being either a lightweight sun canopy or plain windshield. Other options included heavy duty cutting edges, cold weather starting aids for the engine and a full lighting package with heavy duty alternator.
The New Zealand connection Largest user of this type was the NZ Ministry of Works which bought 10 machines from InternationalHarvester NZ, three in 1964 and a further seven in 1967. These were used quite extensively in the Wellington, Turangi and Auckland regions on roading, subdivision and some of the North Island hydroelectric jobs before they were sold off at government auction into private ownership.
For the model collector The usual depressing story applies here. No models have ever been issued of the International 270 either in conventional or elevating configurations in any scale. Perhaps one day ...?
1. Coming down off the cut is one of Black Rock Contracting’s International 270 PayScrapers. Black Rock was working on Interstate I-79 construction, Charleston, Virginia, USA. This machine has the earlier spec 24x29 tyres which were found to lack adequate flotation on jobs and replaced with the wide base 26.5x25 type quite early in the machine’s production. (Photo: Author’s collection)
2. Great factory photo showing the operator’s position on a 270 PayScraper and just how close to the front of the machine he was positioned. No problems seeing over the nose of this beast. The general industrial “feel” of the machine is also well conveyed in this image. (Photo: Author’s collection) 3. Factory photo of two 270 PayScrapers on the job. Push tractor is an International TD-20B with a cable-operated blade. The operators really got the bare bones basic version of the 270 in this image as the only ‘extras’ appear to be the lights! (Photo: Author’s collection)
4. Finishing off the topsoil stripping, this International 270 heads for the stockpile. In this almost direct side-on view, the Euclid licensed steering system is plainly visible. Euclid/Terex would later return the compliment by copying the bowl lift arrangement for its TS-18. The 270 was basic – a simple no-nonsense machine that was capable of shifting dirt cheaply.
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(Photo: Author’s collection)
5. Although a little blurry, this image gives a good impression of what sort of load the 270 PayScraper was capable of achieving with an International TD-25 up its pushblock. There are no details about this photo but it was believed to have been taken in the USA. (Photo: Author’s collection)
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MAY 2015 67
CONTRACTOR MOTORING BY PETER GILL
WHAT WAS THAT BLUE LIGHT?
Oozing pheromones The Ferrari importers have long been good to me and I have knocked up some thousands of road test kilometres in their cars, especially the Ferrari California. The California is considered by Ferrari as their “every day” sports car, one that can be driven coolly and calmly to the supermarket without anyone seeing or hearing too much showbiz, or smelling garlic. The latest iteration of this two plus two classic has just rolled into our showrooms, and it oozes pheromones (and garlic) as always. But now, as if it were needed, they have added two turbochargers. The engine block is new, not that there was much wrong with the old one. The engine is now a 3.9 litre V8. Depending on what options you order, the price hovers between $400,000 and $500,000. To be allowed to buy one, I am advised from the pillow beside me that I would need to change my wife.
There’s a mystery that I am hoping readers may help me solve. Miss Google does not seem to know the answer, which is rare. Maybe I simply did not ask her the right way. In my boyhood, I recall trucks having a small blue light on the top of the cab. While reminiscing recently, too much of which apparently sends you blind, I recalled this fact. I have no idea what the significance of this was. Or when it disappeared and why. Many trucks of the same era had a large mechanical hand attached to the frame of the driver’s side window that the driver extended to signal a right turn. The hand could be made to turn upwards to signal that the truck was slowing down. So, if there’s a reader who can recall that era, he or she might be able to help with the story of the blue lights. Or have I imagined the whole thing? If so, I will change my brand of port.
Gone in 3.6 seconds I am not over the moon about electric cars. They are so quiet, they creep up on people and run them over. The batteries they require cause major pollution in the manufacture. And in many countries, though not ours, the electricity they require for charging comes from highly polluting coal-fired power stations. I believe that we can do far more to make internal combustion engines cleaner and more powerful. And to be fair, car manufacturers have made considerable strides in that regard in the last 10 years or so. When a rusty shackle can bring Auckland’s entire electricity supply down, imagine several hundred thousand people all plugging their cars into the grid at 6pm. That said, I recently road tested the Tesla Roadster. It’s a state-of-the-art electric sports car from the US. It whisked my jocks from standstill to 100km/hr in 3.6 seconds. If I am wrong about that I will either get a new stopwatch or change my brand of pale ale.
68 www.contractormag.co.nz
It came with batteries Electric cars? Anyone would think they were a brand new invention if you listen to today’s car companies. Let me tell you about a car called the Detroit Electric that was sold in considerable numbers between 1907 and 1939. It ran on batteries and had a range of at least 130 kilometres. It was popular with women who did not wish to bend over in their bustles and hand crank an engine. Today’s Nissan Leaf doesn’t go much further than that on a full charge. What’s more, you’d be hard pressed to get into it with a bustle on. If you think you’ve seen me trying to do so, then please change your brand of sherry.
Fat, thirsty and irrelevant No Jeep before the newly released Grand Cherokee SRT has had such mixed genes. Because Chrysler, owner of the Jeep brand, has been a bit tarty, and of necessity has slept with various partners including Mercedes Benz, but now with Italy’s Fiat, this new Jeep SRT is French/Italian/American. From its flirtation with Mercedes between 1998 and 2007, the formerly all American Jeep picks up a lot from the Benz ML. The Italians have thrown in sexy upholstery because they love their comfort. SRT stands for Street and Racing Technology, which is the brand for the high performance end of Chrysler. Huge though it is, with its weighty 6.4 litre V8 petrol engine, it can hit 100km/hr in eight seconds (not exactly 3.6 seconds? Ed). It can also tow three tonnes. It has made landfall in New Zealand at a shade under $200,000. In my view, it’s fat, thirsty and irrelevant. Unfortunately, I know the feeling. There’s only one way to change the thirst.
WATER RETICULATION
RECALLING SERVICE MIGRAINES When she was but a young maiden and not yet my wife, Anne worked for the Automobile Association as a uniformed officer in many roles. The AA management at that time was comprised of either very progressive gents, or dirty old men, because her uniform included one of the shorter corporate skirts on the landscape at the time. To get her about the place helping with motoring advice, driving instruction, and helping manage the breakdown service, the AA issued her with an Austin Mini panel van. I found this risible, because if any vehicle caused the AA Breakdown Service migraines, it was the Mini and 1100 series of cars. With the distributor just inside the front grille, Minis and 1100s ground to a halt in the rain in their scores per day. A really good Mini panel van on today’s market will fetch as much as $15,000 to $20,000. I know this because I have received reports of such sales from auction houses. If I am wrong, I will change my brand of fax paper.
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hynds.co.nz MAY 2015 69
CONTRACTOR INNOVATIONS
Easy to use survey equipment The Trimble SitePulse System is a new Site Positioning System designed for heavy civil construction sites. Replacing paper plans, the system empowers field managers with the same 3D constructible model and digital information that construction surveyors, grade checkers and machine operators use and share wirelessly. “Trimble now gives supervisors the ability to access the same digital model their field crews use, at a lower price point and with less complexity,” says Elwyn McLachlan, business area director for Trimble Site Positioning Systems. “With up-to-the-minute data, field managers can make more informed decisions, more quickly, and also provide better documentation for audit purposes.” Trimble says its Site Positioning Solution has a simple, easy-to-use interface, and is ideal for construction managers who do not have a surveying background. The software runs on either the Trimble Site Tablet or any third-party Android tablet.
In action: The new version of Trimble’s GCS900 Grade Control System and Trimble CCS900 Compaction Control System with performance improvements for dozers and machine-to-machine communication capabilities for soil, landfill and asphalt compactors.
Trimble distributor Sitech Construction NZ has been set up as a Trimble distributor and was formed out of GeoSystems NZ, a provider of geospatial solutions since 1985. Daniel Wallace, general manager of Sitech NZ and GeoSystems NZ, says this country is recognised on the world stage as an innovative and forward thinking country and there is a big appetite for technology which improves productivity and safety and reduces cost, waste and environmental impact. “Our team is looking forward to working with clients, from those working on small site construction to large infrastructure projects, to better understand how to apply innovative construction technology to achieve this. “With over 100 years of combined construction experience in the Sitech team, I believe we have the best technology and people to deliver unprecedented gains to civil contractors.”
Eroad success in North America Kiwi Transport technology and services provider Eroad has launched electronic fuel tax reporting service in North America. It is the first automated electronic fuel tax reporting service in North America, making it much simpler for trucking firms to file their quarterly fuel tax returns required by the International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA). Fuel tax is the main source of revenue for road
funding in the United States and Canada, and the IFTA regime ensures revenue from fuel tax relates to the actual journey travelled by each vehicle. IFTA returns are traditionally done manually using a paper-based system. The electronic IFTA service complements Eroad’s electronic Weight-Mile Tax (WMT) service, launched last year in Oregon.
CONTRACTORS’ DIARY Date Event 19 Jun
Venue
Contact
CCNZ Nelson Marlborough Awards
Annesbrook Community Church, Stoke
nelson.marl@civilcontractors.co.nz
27 Jun
Shed 10, Auckland Waterfront
www.nzcontractors.co.nz/auckland+branch
Hynds Contruction Awards
8-10 Jul
Crane Assoc of NZ Conference Trinity Wharf, Tauranga
www.cranes.org.nz
15-17 Jul
QuarryNZ Conference
Claudelands, Hamilton
www.quarrynz.com
5-7 Aug
Civil Contractors NZ
Taupo
12-14 Aug
NZ Heavy Haulage Conference James Cook Hotel, Wellington
28-30 Jun 16 Hillhead Quarry Exhibition
Lafarge Tarmac’s, Hillhead Quarry, England
Please send any contributions for Contractors’ Diary to kevin@contrafed.co.nz, or phone 09 636 5710
70 www.contractormag.co.nz
www.nzcontractors.co.nz www.hha.org.nz www.hillhead.com
Accolade for Lingong The ultimate benchmark for Chinese construction equipment – China’s TOP50 Construction Machinery Products of the Year Awards – recognised the SDLG concept LG6460E excavator in its 2015 listing. The awards are organized by the China National Construction Machinery Association. Shandong Lingong Construction Machinery Co (known as Lingong), manufactures the SDLG range of products and is also one of the largest producers of wheel loaders in the world – and produces a range of excavators, road machinery and other construction equipment.
New John Deere loaders CablePrice is now selling the new John Deere E-Series skid steer loader and compact track loaders (CTLs). The new E-Series features enhancements developed after extensive input from customers worldwide with features to improve uptime, increase productivity and lower operating costs. The E-series line-up consists of eight models. In skid steers, there are three mid-frame models (318E, 320E, 326E) and one large-frame model (332E). In CTLs, there are two mid-frame models (319E, 323E) and two large-frame models (329E, 333E). Powered by Turbocharged Yanmar 3.1 or 3.3 litre diesel engines, the mid-size frame models with less than 75hp engines, are Tier 3/Stage 3A compliant, while the large-frame units, with greater than 75hp engines, meet Interim Tier 4/Stage 3B engine emission standards. The large-frame skid steers and CTLs feature a flat floor design with 33 percent more foot room than previous series, giving operators more comfort in the cab. Lower noise levels also contribute to reduced operator fatigue and increased productivity. The E-series can be specified from factory with the low-effort electro-hydraulic (EH) controls with a performance package for additional comfort and ease of operation. The EH controls enable the operator to not only change the control pattern, but also select the propel aggressiveness for boom and bucket rate control, including creep mode. Other new optional features include connect-under-pressure auxiliary hydraulic couplers, a new programmable courtesy lighting feature that automatically shuts the machine lights off after
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operation, a new keyless-start feature with anti-theft and power quick-tatch. The mid-frame models have been improved to enhance performance and make the machines more versatile. The optimised boom design provides best-in-class boom and bucket breakout throughout the lift path. It also offers greater reach at truck-bed height, improved dump angle and increases lift height to the hinge pin. The engines in all large-frame models feature cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) with an exhaust filter consisting of a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) and diesel particulate filter (DCF). The machine monitor features an automatic exhaust filter cleaning mode, which manages the filter cleaning process when activated. CablePrice (NZ) is conducting a nationwide demonstration during May and June of the 318E, 319E and 323E with various attachments. Call them to find out more and how you can join in on the action.
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MAY 2015 71
CONTRACTOR CIVIL CONTRACTORS NEW ZEALAND
Working for members News pages, covering the association’s latest news, views, activities and intentions.
Health & Safety Reform MBIE has advised that the next phase of consultation on changes to health and safety law is about to get under way. The Health and Safety Reform Bill is due to be reported back to parliament by the end of May this year. Meantime, Cabinet has approved the preparation and release of exposure drafts of the major regulations that will accompany the Bill once it becomes law. These will be made available on the MBIE website. The purpose of exposure drafts is to give interested parties an opportunity to see how the new regulations will look and get stakeholder feedback on whether the decisions taken by Cabinet are adequately covered in the proposed regulations. Input from this process will enable the legal drafting of the regulations themselves to be much better informed. Expert industry input will assist in ensuring that technical aspects of the regulations are fit for purpose. MBIE will also use the exposure draft process to consult further on specific elements of the regulations that Cabinet has not yet made final decisions about. At this stage, MBIE expects the following draft regulations to be ready for release in early April: General risk and workplace management; asbestos; major hazard facilities; redrafted regulations recently made under the HSE Act: petroleum exploration and extraction; mining; and adventure activities. Towards the end month it was expected that an exposure draft of administrative regulations would be released detailing infringement offences and fees in phase one of the regulations, along with a prescription of a standard infringement notice. An exposure draft of the worker participation, engagement and representation regulations will be released after the Bill has been reported back to Parliament.
An exposure draft of the regulations for work involving hazardous substances is expected to be ready for release around November this year. You can read the Cabinet papers on the MBIE website at http:// www.mbie.govt.nz/what-we-do/workplace-health-and-safetyreform/development-of-regulations-to-support-the-new-healthand-safety-at-work-act. Some of the content of the papers has been withheld in order to protect the confidentiality of the Select Committee process for the Health and Safety Reform Bill.
Information from the Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety The Government has approved a package of measures to strengthen enforcement of employment standards, including: • Tougher sanctions; • clearer-record keeping requirements; • increased tools for labour inspectors; and • changes to the Employment Relations Authority’s approach to employment standards cases. All these changes will be reflected in an Employment Standards Bill which will be introduced to Parliament this year. The Bill will go through a normal select committee process including public submissions before it is passed into law. Before the new law comes into force, MBIE will develop an information and education plan to inform businesses, including small businesses, and workers of the changes. • For more detail contact Civil Contractors New Zealand, Malcolm Abernethy.
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ADV ERT ISERS INDEX Advancequip 7
EROAD 9
OMC Power Equipment
AB Equipment
Glenbrook Machinery
43
Position Partners
11
Global Survey
51
Prime Pump
5
Road Science
45
ACE Equipment
IFC, 15 IBC
67
Buildmax 3
Gough Cat
CablePrice OBC
Hirepool 31
Rocktec 63
CCNZ
Hynds Pipe Systems
69
Ryco 12
Connexis 41
Kiwi Asset Finance
47
Southeys 55
Contractor subscription
13
Kobelco
21
Taylor Built
Counties Ready Mix
71
Kubota – CB Norwood Distributors
27
Transdiesel 57
DitchWitch NZ
39
NZTA 14
72 www.contractormag.co.nz
53, 60
33, 37
Youngman Richardson
25 OFC, 16, 17, 62
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