November 2013
Darwin the hub for top end expansion
Wednesday 30 October 2013 @ 13:10
With the rapid growth in demand for access equipment in the Northern Territory, the industry has grown to the extent that a number of national rental companies have moved into Darwin to have a local presence.
Recognising the growth of the industry in the region, the HRIA and EWPA convened a special information night staged in Darwin at Il Lido Waterfront Kitchen with 43 people in attendance. The group was comprised of representatives of local Darwin companies, suppliers and representatives of national companies, Genie included.
“The EWPA and HRIA jointly facilitated the function in order to bring the Top End industry together,” said Phil Newby, Executive Director of the EWPA. “While the projects are spread right across the vast Top End, Darwin is pivotal to the activity.”
“This is a vast market faced with all the same issues that companies throughout Australia have to contend with. There are serious work site compliance issues, Safe Work laws, machinery compliance... all to be addressed in a particularly hostile environment.’
“We brought everyone together and they started talking and quickly acknowledged that everyone is confronting the same issues. This is an elevating work platform market in a very heavy industrial setting. There are some major contractors in the Top End and the investment runs into the billions of dollars.”
As a result of the inaugural meeting, the feedback has been positive to the point that many participants have pushed for another meeting. Ultimately, Phil Newby expects a division of the EWPA will be formed to represent the Top End of Australia.
Service Training IN the Northern territory
A service training course recently stag ed in Darwin has been acclaimed as an outstand ing success. As a part of the commitment from Genie to the Top End, Genie Technical Support & Training Manager, Michael Sandstrom, travelled to Darwin to run the course for a range of service technicians from the leading hire companies.
Participating in the course were Force Access, Top End Access, Wilson Hire, Go Hire and Onsite.
Over the intensive training period in Darwin, Michael Sandstrom covered four courses which focused on specific Genie® models. These included the GS™-DC electric drive scissor, GS™-RT rough terrain diesel scissor lifts, (in particular the GS™-2668RT and GS™-3268RT) diesel boom lifts and a half day “off-hire” course.
“We are always pleased to visit our customers on location to ensure they receive factory training and technical assistance from Genie,” Michael said.
“The Top End is certainly a very busy place in the access industry, so to deliver training to our customers in their home town ensures that we get the best possible attendance.”
Top End Big Deals
While a number of Australian mining projects have recently sta lled during 2013, Darwin has proven to be the shining light for civil and mining operat ions in Australia. There are some massive projects planned or underway.
These include the giant Itchys LNG project. This has now entered the construction phase and is estimated that during the peak of construction, 4,000 workers will be needed in Darwin. The Xstrata Macarthur River zinc mine is undergoing a $360m expansion that will see the capacity of the mine double.
The Darwin Airport is undergoing a large expansion program in a $60m project, effectively doubling the size of the existing terminals. Also, the Darwin Waterfront precinct is in the process of its second stage of development with the addition of 1,300 residential apartments, retail suites, a marina and community infrastructure.
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