The latest news from National Precast Concrete Association Australia

NATIONAL PRECAST ANNOUNCES NEW SERVICES, MEMBERSHIP FEES AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

NATIONAL PRECAST CEO SARAH BACHMANN GIVES AN OVERVIEW OF NEW SERVICES AND BENEFITS AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS AND THE ORGANISATION’S LATEST BOARD APPOINTMENTS.

National Precast’s precaster membership offers Australian precast manufacturers valuable resources, support and exposure to take their business to new heights.

In November 2018, the organisation announced the details of a major overhaul. This includes revised membership fees, new services, and a new Board of Directors.

National Precast Chief Executive Officer Sarah Bachmann says that with a change in membership category structure and a

The AGM saw the biggest change to the National Precast board in its 27 years of operation.

solid package of services now on offer, membership is continuing to grow.

“Our work stands out for all the right reasons as we strive to promote, protect, and empower the precast industry,” Ms. Bachmann says.

SERVICES THAT STACK UP According to Ms. Bachmann, National Precast membership network offers fantastic return on investment – now more than $56,000 in savings. “New services available to precaster members offer access to important information needed to boost productivity, remain compliant and gain a competitive edge,” she says.

Included in the new package of services for precasters are: • 35+ Australian Standards for download and print

More than 35 precast-specific Australian Standards are now available to precaster members for download and print. Valued at up to $14,000 per annum, Ms. Bachmann says this one service can pay for a year’s membership for a small- to medium-sized precaster. • Monthly Cordell Precast Project Reports

Partnering with CoreLogic, National precast sends precaster members monthly Cordell Precast Project Reports. These reports have been tailored to contain essential details for 200+ projects where precast has been specified, that are valued at $2+ million from around Australia. • Discounted Cordell Connect subscriptions

CoreLogic now offers precaster members a 50 per cent discount on its Cordell Connect Project Detail subscription rate. This discount can save members up to $14,000 (one user, national annual subscription, commercial categories). Subscribers can receive information on civil projects in three local government areas for as little as $99 +GST per month. • Cordell Construction Monthly reports

Cordell Construction Monthly reports are sent to all National Precast members, giving an overview of construction market activity. They also serve as a regular update on the number and value of construction projects that are in planning or have commenced construction across residential, community, commercial and infrastructure developments. • ACIF News and the Customised

Forecasts Dashboard

All precaster members can now determine what the local construction market will look like in 12 months or 10 years by accessing the Customised Forecasts Dashboard. This is a highly regarded, valuable forecasting tool that has been developed by the Australian Construction Industry Forum’s (ACIF) Construction Forecasting Council. ACIF forecasts provide a credible ‘compass’ on upcoming demand for work across all sectors in all states, as well as what is happening with construction costs and labour requirements. • Case studies

Precaster members can have five project case studies written for them every year. Once finalised, members are provided with 20 printed copies, which can be distributed to existing and potential clients. Many members use these as a part of their tender submissions.

These case studies are also supplied to National Precast’s media partners for publication in a range of national and international magazines. These magazines – and member project case studies – are read by thousands of builders, architects and engineers.

As well as the new services, National Precast is appointing coordinators for each state.

Part of this role is to organise informal gatherings for local precasters and their suppliers and liaise as a regular conduit between precasters and the CEO.

SWEEPING LEADERSHIP CHANGES FOR THE NATIONAL PRECAST BOARD 2018’s Annual General Meeting saw the biggest change to the National Precast board in its 27 years of operation.

Goodbyes were said to inaugural Board member Matt Perrella (Delta Corporation), as well as to Peter Healy (Hollow Core Concrete) and Glenn Degenhardt (formerly from Humes).

Reappointed were Kevin Crompton (Ultrafloor), Craig Zinn (Stresscrete), Ian Coulter (Precast Concrete Products), Graham Underwood (Rocla) and Michael Waeger (Waeger Precast).

This new Board term welcomes new Board members Paul Adams (Humes), George Spiropoulos (Euro Precast), Daniel Coutts (Austral Precast),Riccardo Musella (Reinforced Earth) and Alberto Ferraro (PERMAcast).

“National Precast is about adding value, whether that is to our members as they run their businesses or to the broader industry,” Ms. Bachmann says. “That can mean helping precasters to solve problems or helping designers to understand precast’s sustainability benefits and the ever-evolving aesthetic options. The new package of services now available to precasters really stacks up and gives a very positive return on investment.” Precasters wishing to find out about National Precast membership should visit National Precast’s website at www.nationalprecast.com.au/memberpage-1 or contact Sarah Bachmann on 0414 880 351.

CONNECTING AUSTRALIA’S EAST AND WEST WITH PRODUCTIVE RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE

NATIONAL PRECAST MEMBER PERMACAST HAS MANUFACTURED AND DELIVERED PRECAST CONCRETE ELEMENTS KEY TO THE TORRENS RAIL JUNCTION PROJECT IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

The Torrens Rail Junction Project in South Australia was implemented to increase productivity on the Melbourne-Adelaide-Perth rail line, reduce delays at level crossings within the metropolitan road network and improve urban environment through the provision of upgraded cycling and pedestrian linkages.

It is the second project in the separation of freight and passenger rail lines in metropolitan Adelaide, with the first being the Goodwood Rail Junction project. It has been delivered by ConneXion Alliance, comprising the South Australian Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure, Laing O’Rourke, AECOM, and Kellogg, Brown & Root (KBR).

The Torrens Rail Junction is located where South Australia’s interstate freight railway crosses the Outer Harbor

All precast elements on the project were manufactured in PERMAcast’s Cardup factory in Western Australia.

passenger railway in the north-western rim of the Adelaide ParkLands. Works to increase the flow of Adelaide-Melbourne rail freight line commenced in 2016 with an upgrade of the junction.

The project has removed major congestion points in the freight and rail network by lowering the Outer Harbor rail line below the interstate rail line. It has also removed three level crossings and constructed three road/rail and three pedestrian/cycling bridges along the 1.5 kilometres of lowered railway.

THE PRECAST PACKAGE National Precast member PERMAcast manufactured and delivered several types of precast concrete elements for the construction of two parts of the project – the new lowered Bowden Railway Station and the Torrens Junction Bridge. All units were cast in specially built moulds and comprised both precast and prestressed elements. The components included: • 46 precast bridge barriers • 30 bridge approach slabs • 58 platform retaining walls • 58 platform panels • 18 ramp retaining walls • 142 pad and strip footings • four platform end walls • four 18-metre prestressed prop beams.

PERMAcast Managing Director Alberto Ferraro says the precast package included a mix of architectural and structural elements.

“We manufactured two-tone coloured platform slabs as well as retaining walls with patterns and coloured concrete,” Mr. Ferraro explains.

“Being a rail project, all reinforcement was welded and required electrical continuity for earthing purposes.”

RAIL LINES ON TRACK Precast was specified as the main construction method because of its speedy construction times and offsite manufacture.

“We needed to build a large number of moulds and set up the project within weeks,” Mr. Ferraro explains. “A full precast design meant that there was minimal interference with live train rails.”

Installation of the bridge deck demanded a team of almost 400 workers each day for 16 days, working to install a 90-metre-wide bridge, which included 950 cubic metres of concrete, 68 planks of 12 tonnes each, excavation of 22,500 cubic metres of soil and laying of the rail track.

AN INTERSTATE JOURNEY All precast elements were manufactured in the precaster’s Cardup factory in Western Australia – 2723 kilometres away from the project’s South Australian location.

Offering extensive logistics solutions for clients and providing purpose-build transport stillages, PERMAcast ensured that all elements arrived on site within tolerance specifications and without damage. “ Transport of the precast had to be delivered on more than 200 semi-trailers, which was extremely challenging, as some products weighed 33 tonnes,” Mr. Ferraro says.

With a highly skilled team and a 250,000-square-metre storage yard, the precaster has the capacity to manufacture and manage large-scale projects, like the Torrens Rail Junction. “Our in-house fleet of prime movers and trailers gives us additional flexibility in coordinating with and meeting our clients’ required delivery schedules,” Mr. Ferraro says.

The Goodwood Rail Junction project was the first project in the separation of freight and passenger rail lines in metropolitan Adelaide. Completed in 2014, it included an upgrade of rail infrastructure along with new pedestrian facilities for the community. Now also completed, the Torrens Rail Junction enables 1800-metre-long freight trains to operate between Adelaide and Melbourne – an increase in the maximum length of trains by approximately 20 per cent. It will also remove the need for freight and passenger trains to interact on the Outer Harbor line and will free up traffic for tens of thousands of vehicles at critical intersections. The Parklands and surrounding inner-city suburbs are already a hive of activity and the Torrens Rail Junction Project is set to bring this pocket of Adelaide to another level with improved safety and convenience.

Project: Torrens Rail Junction

Precaster: PERMAcast

Client: Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure

CONTRACTS – IN BRIEF

ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE MAGAZINE PROVIDES AN UPDATE ON SOME OF THE MAJOR PROJECT CONTRACTS AND TENDERS RECENTLY AWARDED AND OUT TO MARKET ACROSS THE AUSTRALASIAN INFRASTRUCTURE SECTOR.

NEW SOUTH WALES TfNSW awards $725M Regional Rail Project

The Momentum Trains consortium has been selected by Transport for NSW to deliver the $1.26 billion Regional Rail Project as a design, build, finance and maintain contract.

CIMIC Group companies Pacific Partnerships, UGL and CPB Contractors, as part of the Momentum Trains consortium, will deliver a new regional rail fleet and a new maintenance facility in Dubbo.

Contract awarded for $79M Blue Mountains rail works

Sydney Trains has awarded a $79 million contract to adjust the track and overhead wires to allow more trains to travel to the Blue Mountains.

The Mount Victoria area remodelling project will be undertaken by John Holland which aims to improve the reliability of train services within the region.

NORTHERN TERRITORY Local contractor to deliver sealing works in NT

A contract has been awarded to Alice Springs-based Exact Contracting to deliver 15 kilometres of sealing works on the Northern Territory‘s Barkly Stock Route.

The upgrades will provide a more reliable link between the Stuart Highway and the Tablelands Highway.

Tender released for $39.9M Keep River Road upgrade

The Northern Territory Government has released the tender to deliver the $39.9M Keep River Road upgrade, which will see up to 28 kilometres of the road upgraded to improve flood immunity, freight capacity and productivity for cattle producers.

QUEENSLAND Construction tenders won on $75M Warrego Hwy works

The Queensland Government has awarded tenders for the $63.6 million Dalby-Miles Pavement Widening and Safety Upgrades project and the $11.7 million Oakey-Miles Safety Upgrades Package 2.

Georgiou Group has won both construction contracts as part of the $635 million Warrego Highway Upgrade Program.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA SA water awards $304M solar panel installation contract

Enerven has been awarded the multi-million-dollar contract to install half-a-million solar panels across 80 SA Water sites over the

next two years.

The company will install 154 megawatts of new solar photovoltaic generation and 34 megawatt hours of energy storage under the framework agreement.

Contractors shortlisted for $354M North-South Corridor

Two consortia have been shortlisted for the major works contract on the $354 million Regency Road to Pym Street project, which will deliver a 1.8-kilometre section of North-South Corridor. The two consortia shortlisted are McConnell Dowell Constructions, Mott MacDonald Australia, Arup Group; and CPB Contractors and GHD.

VICTORIA Preferred tenderer announced for $375M Mordialloc Fwy

Major Projects Victoria has appointed its preferred tenderer for the $375 million Mordialloc Freeway project, which will link Mornington Peninsula Freeway to the Dingley Bypass.

A McConnell Dowell/Decmil joint venture has been named as the preferred tenderer, with a $25 million early works contract awarded for detailed design works to commence immediately.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA Builder selected for $1.3B lithium plant in WA

Construction of the largest lithium hydroxide plant in Western Australia is well underway, with the earthworks construction contract awarded late last year and an engineering services firm now announced as the builder.

The Albemarle Kemerton Plant will be built by Civmec at the Kemerton strategic industrial area near Bunbury.

BGC Contracting was awarded the project’s earthworks construction contract by Albemarle Group at the end of last year.

Main Roads WA awards $46M Reid Hwy contract

Main Roads Western Australia has awarded a $46 million contract to design and construct a dual carriageway and overpass in to Decmil.

The works include delivery of a dual carriageway along Reid Highway from Altone Road to West Swan Road in Caversham, Perth.

Contract awarded for balance of plant works at WA wind farm

Decmil has been awarded a $72 million contract for balance of plant works at 180-megawatt Warradarge Wind Farm in Western Australia.

The project will be delivered in collaboration with Vestas, which won the engineering, procurement and construction; and operations and maintenance contract in January.

NEW ZEALAND Contract won to build $1.2B NZ wastewater tunnel

Work on New Zealand’s largest wastewater project – the $1.2 billion Central Interceptor tunnel – is set to begin in May, following the construction contract award to the Ghella Abergeldie Joint Venture.

The tunnel will stretch over 13 kilometres from Western Springs to the Mangere Wastewater Treatment Plant in Auckland.

Contract awarded for NZ outfall pipeline project

McConnell Dowell has been awarded the design and construction contract for the Watercare Services Snells Algies outfall pipeline project in New Zealand.

The pipeline is set to move wastewater from Warkworth to a new Snells Beach water treatment plant, ending the discharge of treated wastewater into Mahurangi Harbour.