Business North July / August 2021

36 | Phone: 03 983 5500 waterfordpress.co.nz Your Business, Your Industry, Your News. DO OUR READERS KNOW YOU EXIST? Specialised team to tackle projects Karen Phelps Downer Waikato is building its capacity to undertake construction projects in the region. Team culture - page 38 Downer Waikato REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT D owner Waikato is building its capacity to undertake construction projects in the region. The company has set up a specific team of around 40 staff to work on construction proj- ects, from small works for the general public such as driveways and small earthworks, right up to large-scale construction. No matter the scale of the project Downer has the team for the job, says Downer Waikato stakeholder manager Matt Kofoed. “At Downer, our customers are at the heart of everything we do and Downer is a trusted name with the right processes and operative structures to back up any size project. This gives our clients a lot of security,” he says. No matter what the project Downer works closely with customers to help them succeed, using world-leading insights and solutions. With a history dating back over 150 years Downer designs, builds and sustains assets, infrastructure and facilities and is the leading provider of integrated services in Australia and New Zealand and employs approximately 50,000 people across more than 300 sites. The company’s construction project line is currently very busy and includes small works for Waitoa Tannery, private concreting and asphalt car park works around Hamilton for business owners and it is about to commence work to realign State Highway 30 and replace the Kopaki rail overbridge south of Te Kuiti for Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency. The new overbridge spanning the North Is- land Main Trunk line will be built alongside the existing timber one, with the bridge approach- es on SH30 and the entrance to Kopaki Road both realigned to make them safer. The first stage of the project involves realigning SH30 and moving the intersection of the highway and Kopaki Road further away from the bridge to allow more visibility for turning traffic. Completion of the bridge and new approach roads is expected by Autumn 2023 and Matt says the project is a good example of the significant capabilities of Downer that can be brought to any project. He says the expertise of the Downer team can add considerable value to clients’ projects. Downer has been certified under the ISO44001 collaborative business relation- ship management systems to help business partners maximise the value of collaborative working . For example when undertaking the Roto- kauri Transport Hub project in North Hamilton the Downer team helped to reduce the cost of the over bridge construction by $100,000, by suggesting a different methodology. This wasn’t an example of early contractor involvement, rather a chance to improve the project once it had been designed and was ready to commence, but Matt says the sooner Downer is involved the better. “This allows us the opportunity to add our expertise to the mix to see where improve- ments might be made with the aim of saving our clients time and money,” he says. Downer has a full in-house design team who completed the full survey and design for the Pellikan/Dumfries Link Road project in Tokoroa, which the construction team is currently building. It also directly manages the importation of bitumen products for asphalt production through a separate business known as Road Science. This is significant, as the Marsden Refinery is no longer producing bitumen products so these will now have to be imported. “Our Road Science team is now one of the major importers of bitumen to New Zealand. Imported bitumen has different technical specifications to locally produced product. We test and trial solutions, coming up with the right products to suit our clients’ projects,” explains Matt. With a main depot in Hamilton and regional depots in Paeroa, Ngāruawāhia and Tīrau, Downer Waikato has the capacity to cover the whole region with its services. All the asphalt is produced at the Hamilton depot where the surfacing, construction and contract team is based. The other regional depots offer offices and equipment for local contracts making for a fast, efficient service. Civtec is experienced in the construction and maintenance of utilities and telecommunication networks including Fibre, Electricity, and the Three Waters. With a modern fleet of specialised plant and equipment, we have the gear and knowledge to complete the job. www.civtec.co.nz | hello@civtec.co.nz | 07 849 0098 improvement through connection