| 47 T T Russell Fredric Concrete pumping improves efficiency The Putzmeister pump has been an integral part of Watercare’s $1.6 billion Central Inceptor project, a mega 14.7-kilometre-long bored wastewater tunnel connecting Grey Lynn under central Auckland, and Manukau Harbour to Mangere. Concrete Logistics CONSTRUCTION Tackling some deeply challenging projects has required Concrete Logistics to think outside the square in terms of equipment needs and project management. Managing director Ray Charman says what is now a multi-faceted company started purely as a concrete placing business. “We originally started off as a concrete placing business and then we found we had issues trying to pour. The logistics side of it – we found coordinating the other subtrades that tied into what we actually do to get to the concrete down was the issue, not being able to get coordination between other companies’ pumps and our placing team. “After a year or two, I thought we would have a shot at getting a pump and seeing whether we could just manage our own work flow with pumping concrete as well as placing it.” It was not long before the business needed three concrete pumps, and with customers benefiting from the efficiencies created, the fleet grew to its present 10, based on a strategy of building faster, smarter and “for a cost that works for everybody”. “If we can reduce the cost of how we can build, then it becomes affordable for everybody and we’ve got continual work.” Another crucial aspect of its strategy has been staff retention, which has ensured a depth of experience among Concrete Logistics’ team. “The people that we have in our company are our company,” Ray says. “We’ve managed to be able to grow a little bit in the last year, which has been pretty tough with redundancies and everything else going on around us that we’ve been able to increase in September and October by about another 20 staff for a total of about 90.” Early last year, Concrete Logistics’ added a specialised concrete pump, a Putzmeister iONTRON to its fleet. Purchased at a cost of $1.2 million, it is the first ‘green’ hybrid concrete pump in Oceania, and can operate either on electricity or diesel, with the benefits of fewer carbon emissions and being considerably quieter and cheaper to run when electrically operated. The Putzmeister pump has been an integral part of Watercare’s $1.6 billion Central Inceptor project, a mega 14.7-kilometre-long bored wastewater tunnel connecting Grey Lynn under central Auckland, and Manukau Harbour to Mangere. Concrete Logistics’ suite of equipment, and the technology incorporated, along with the experience of its team was a selling point in gaining the Central Interceptor work, plus the company has also undertaken tunnel-related work for City Rail Link, Ray says. Some of the Central Interceptor structures and shafts had not been built before in New Zealand to the depths involved, he says. The project included 18 drop shafts and access shafts between three and 12 metres internal diameter at depths of 12 to 80 metres. Concrete Logistics was required to pump concrete down to 70 metres, which was a significant technical challenge necessitating careful project planning, including consulting with specialists in Germany. A key solution was to break the fall of the concrete into stages to ensure it maintained its correct composition, and to make its delivery manageable at the terminal end. “For all our projects, it’s about trying to get involved in the programme planning at the start of the job where we can see wins for the client in cost benefits, but also time and holding costs.” CONTACT OUR DIRECTORS Joshua Murray – 021 0297 0490 | Josh.m@cedarconstruction.co.nz Nigel Pearce – 027 457 5747 | nigel@cedarconstruction.co.nz Joshua Crampton – 027 484 2048 | Josh.c@cedarconstruction.co.nz Serving Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty & Beyond Visit us at www.cedarconstruction.co.nz LET’S BUILD SOMETHING GREAT TOGETHER! DELIVERING QUALITY, BUILDING THE FUTURE With over 35 years of experience, Cedar Construction specialises in apartments, commercial buildings, terrace housing, and community spaces. Our expert team of construction managers and carpenters ensures efficient project completion with superior craftsmanship and a problem-solving approach.
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