CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT
Leaving the competition in the dust Pollard’s Sawdust Supplies provides a simple and reliable solution for pipeline bedding and dunnage bags, continually supplying its products for use on some of Australia’s largest projects.
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ollard’s Sawdust Supplies has been providing Australia with quality wood shavings since 1968. The company’s principal activity is recycling virgin timber byproducts, processing them into sawdust and wood shavings, and packaging them in polywoven or hessian bags. Today, Pollard’s is a leading manufacturer and distributor in Australia for sustainably sourced wood shavings and sawdust. Pollard’s primary material is pine and Australian hardwood, and their eco-friendly product is both biodegradable and chemical free. Pollard’s is a reliable solution for pipeline bedding and dunnage bags, supplied with timely service and competitive pricing. McConnell Dowell Senior Pipeline Engineer Andrew Tsitas has used the company for years in the business of storing and transporting pipe. “It’s not a particularly sexy technology, I must admit, but it is a key ingredient for ensuring the integrity of pipe cuttings,” says Mr Tsitas, who has worked in the industry for 25 years. He and the team at McConnell Dowell use dunnage bags to prop, lift and protect heavy loads, and to prevent jostling during freight. “We purchased some large diameter steel mains pipe last year and now we’ve delivered it without complication using Pollards sawdust bags. It might sound like a pretty basic
operation, but to be able to turn around thousands of bags at a snap of the fingers is a pretty impressive feat,” says Mr Tsitas. “Pollard’s provides a reliable and efficient service for all of our projects around Australia.” Sawdust bags are a semi-permanent foundation for pipelines, and each bag will have multiple uses before it eventually disintegrates. This degradation process is accelerated by wear and exposure to sunlight. “It depends how heavy the pipe is,” Mr Tsitas explains. “It’s a consumable. Typically, we get 60 to 70 sawdust bags per pallet.” Timber dunnage is ideal for medium-term storage or transport applications, and for keeping pipe off-ground. Pollard’s sawdust bags are strong, durable, light and available in three sizes. The bags will not explode under the weight of the pipe, with the largest able to withstand 15 t of weight. Compared to sandbags, dunnage backs are considerably lighter, making them better for maneuverability and lower risk from an ocuupational health and safety perspective. Pollard’s bags are shipped all across the country and pallets arrive on site shrinkwrapped and weatherproof. They have been used on a multitude of projects involving companies like McConnell
Pollard’s sawdust bags are strong, durable, light and available in three sizes.
Dowell, Steel Mains, Spiecapag, John Holland, and Nacap. These projects include the Victorian Desalination Plant, Northern Gas Pipeline, the Lake Way Gas Pipeline, Agnew Gas Pipeline, the Victorian North-South pipeline, and the Wentworth to Broken Hill Pipeline where Pollard’s provided approximately 25,000 bags. “We’ve used Pollard’s for many years,” says Mr Tsitas. “It’s testament to the reliability of their service to supply a large number of bags in a short space of time.” Steel Mains is Australia's leading manufacturer and supplier of complete steel pipeline systems for the transportation of water and wastewater, and another satisfied Pollard’s customer. Frank Deiesi is Steel Mains’ Customer Support and Training Officer and has held a working relationship with Pollard’s for 13 years. Mr Deiesi chooses Pollard’s for its quality, competitive pricing, availability and turnaround. “I can get the product within 24 hours of placing an order,” he says. On larger products, Pollard’s is still able to deliver to order. “We had a particular project – Wentworth to Broken Hill - which was a 262 km pipeline. We had an agreement with Pollards that we would hold two road train’s worth of stock, which is equivalent to roughly 44 pallets, and at any given time, I could have requested another 44 pallets within a week.” Mr Deiesi also prefers Pollard’s product because it is more ergonomic than sandbags while biodegradability is also a big priority for Mr Deiesi and the team. “We try to make it easy for the customer on the other end to unload and to manoeuvre the product,” he says. “It’s all good and proper to deliver, but the laying contractors need to make sure they can dispose of the product properly.” Pollard’s is based in Plenty, Victoria, and supplies within Australia and overseas. Their variety of graded sawdust products can be used for a range of applications besides dunnage, including animal bedding, meat and cheese smoking, and for absorbing oil or chemical spills.
For more information visit www.sawdust.com.au
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The Australian Pipeliner | October 2021
