IPWEA Blogs

Kiwi duo present in France on AM and Social Housing Policy Reform within a Circular Economy

By Freda Wells posted 5 hours ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
IPWEA NZ's Vice President Priyani de Silva Currie reports back from the AITF Conference in France, June 2019 A positive and productive IFME meeting and AITF conference was held in Dunkerque in June with many of the participating IFME member countries including UK and Scotland, The Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Italy, France, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US and China present.  The new and direct leadership of John Thomson from UK/Scotland is improving the outcomes and objectives of these meetings. (see picture below.) Four technical subcommittees also met during the IFME meeting to progress objectives in key areas of Asset Management, ...
0 comments

Internal Combustion - It was a deadset miracle when they told me the IVMS wasn’t too bad!

By intouch posted 5 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
Strewth! Staff were going off when I told them the business was going to install an in-vehicle monitoring system across the vehicle fleet. First, they thought it was a furphy but then, when they realised it was fair dinkum, they thought I just wanted to see how much they bludged or how often they stopped for a coldie. Some of the staff were absolute mongrels until it all turned around real quick when they realised the IVMS would benefit them too. First of all, they were stoked when they discovered that the system got rid of the dramas, boredom and repetitiveness of filling in log books. Second, they were happy as Larry when they worked out that the IVMS could ...
0 comments

The Plant and Vehicle Management Manual (PVMM Ed4) is due for release this month

By intouch posted 5 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
The fourth edition has been comprehensively updated to reflect contemporary fleet management practice and will be available in both electronic and hard copy New sections have been included on strategic and operational fleet management, alternate fuels, staff development and compliance to name just a few. The PVMM Ed4 remains the preeminent how-to manual for fleet management in Australasia. A special offer for the PVMM Ed4 has been provided to IPWEA FLEET subscribers with the annual subscription renewal notices
0 comments

Sun sets on pre-2013 Fleet Management Certificate

By intouch posted 5 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
If you were enrolled in the IPWEA Fleet Management Certificate before 1st March 2013 then assessments will no longer be accepted after 31 July 2019. All assessments must be received prior to 31 July, alternatively, you can upgrade to the current certificate course at a cost of $440 including GST, but you must do this by 31 July 2019. For further information contact Ross Moody at ross.moody@ipwea.org
0 comments

IPWEA FLEET Plant and Vehicle Management Professional Development Opportunities July

By intouch posted 5 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
Check out IPWEA's latest FLEET events and plan your year for professional development. Mechanical Maintenance Supervisor Training provides a valuable overview of the key skills and attributes of a Workshop Supervisor. This one-day course delivered by fleet practitioners is essential professional development for any aspiring supervisor, or current supervisors looking to hone their skills. Newcastle NSW: 24 September 2019 On-line Training Live, on-line and interactive Fleet Management Training will commence in September 2019. This training provides participants with essential need-to-know principles and techniques for best-practice fleet management. It ...
0 comments

IPWEA FLEET Member Profile - Andrew Douglas

By intouch posted 5 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
The fleet management industry has such a diverse range people and roles, and everyone has a unique story of their journey in our industry. This month we talk to Andrew Douglas, Coordinator Fleet and Depot Support – Baw Baw Shire Council. Andrew has recently been appointed to the IPWEA FLEET Council helping to provide guidance in best practice plant & vehicle management and to support the IPWEA Fleet program. FLEET intouch: How did you get started in fleet and plant, and what was your first job in the industry? Andrew Douglas: I was working as an operational manager and the company I worked for entered an alliance which involved transferring their ...
0 comments

IPWEA FLEET Manager’s Column - major capital acquisitions

By intouch posted 5 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
Happy New Financial Year! Here we are officially over halfway through 2019. For most of us that will mean a brand new budget and 12 months to get some of those major capital projects completed. As I wrote back in January , the start of a new year, or new financial year for that matter, provides a great opportunity to reset and plan for the period ahead.  One of the biggest pitfalls in major capital acquisitions can be a lack of planning. Given the number of stakeholders involved and the broad range of processes that need to be followed, it’s worth planning early. Consider some of the steps and the associated timeframes involved in the procurement of ...
0 comments

Is your Asset Replacement Policy up to Speed?

By intouch posted 5 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
Over the years at IPWEA, we have consistently seen fleet practitioners grapple with the creation of effective asset replacement policies. It’s not an easy task to create effective policies and it can be tempting to take one of the easier routes, like continuing to apply past policies, looking to examples from others, or simply applying a ‘one size fits all’ industry rule of thumb. However, in this age of data abundance and analytics, there’s likely to be a better way that can lead to an improved asset replacement policy for your organisation’s fleet – and a better bottom-line.  For a long time now, fleet practitioners have wanted to optimise asset replacement. ...
0 comments

Can brighter signs really save lives on our roads?

By intouch posted 11 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
As a driver you must be able to see traffic signs, they need to be clearly visible both day and night. Traffic signs play an integral role in the road safety equation. They bring order to our road network, allowing us to navigate the system in relative safety and security by providing: information about the road conditions ahead, instructions to be followed at major crossroads or intersections, warnings and/or guidance to drivers and pedestrians and the proper functioning of road traffic. By law you are required to follow all road signs, not noticing or obeying them is your mistake. But what if you missed it? What if you couldn’t see it? The consequences ...
0 comments

WA oil and gas engineer among Australia's most innovative

By intouch posted 11 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
PostDoc researcher Arman Siahvashi from University of Western Australia’s School of Mechanical and Chemical Engineering has been announced one of Australia’s Most Innovative Engineers by Engineers Australia in the Mining, Oil and Gas Category. Mr Siahvashi developed an apparatus that can measure the freezing temperatures of hydrocarbons at cryogenic temperatures. The data is crucial in preventing 'freeze out' in LNG production which costs the sector billions of dollars a year in shutdowns and can cause damage to the environment. Australia’s Most Innovative Engineers is an annual program run by create magazine, the publication of Engineers Australia. Now ...
0 comments

Spotlight on young engineers at the international conference

By intouch posted 11 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
Ten Young IPWEA (YIPWEA) members will present papers at the International Public Works Conference next month in a stream of talks dedicated to the work of this key group, scheduled on Tuesday, 27 August. Their presentation topics will give a unique perspective from young professionals under 35 who are working on community and administration projects in local government and public utilities. Their topics are: Stormwater Pipe Condition Assessment – If Only Animals Could Talk, by Clarissa Campbell from Moreton Bay Regional Council Getting out and Getting Dirty (Spend a Day in Their Shoes), by Adela Parnell from TasWater Desperate and Data-less: Our ...
0 comments

ALGA study shows worrying picture for journalism in regional Australia

By intouch posted 11 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
A new study of the media in regional Australia has found fewer local journalists available to report on local government means communities are less informed, leading to public opinion being more easily manipulated by partisan interests, undermining social cohesion. It was conducted this year by the Public Interest Journalism Initiative, and forms part of the 2019 State of the Regions report released last month by the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA). “The picture that emerges is of a sharp and worrying decline in the amount of local news available to Australians,” guest authors, Margaret Simons and Gary Dickson wrote. “Given that numerous pieces ...
0 comments

Local roads paving the way to a greener future

By intouch posted 11 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
Australia’s local roads can be key players in the creative use of recycled waste. One of the best ways to prevent valuable waste going to landfill is to recycle materials for use in road construction. Regular asphalt roads use tonnes of raw materials, but recycled roads incorporate crumb rubber, crushed concrete, recycled asphalt, plastic bags, waste toner from used printer cartridges, glass and more. These recycled materials are changing the way local governments approach road building. Words by: Emma Green, NATSPEC Communications Every year, Australia uses 200 million tonnes of quarried sand, rock and gravel. That’s eight tonnes per person. The nation ...
0 comments

AI technology improves critical crack detection

By intouch posted 11 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
A tiny crack in a nuclear reactor, skyscraper, bridge or dam can cause catastrophic consequences. Videos captured by an automatic crack detection system can misidentify small scratches or welds as cracks, so technicians must review videos frame by frame. It is a time-consuming process with opportunities for human errors. A system under development at Purdue University in Florida uses artificial intelligence to detect cracks captured in videos of nuclear reactors. The system analyses video, frame by frame, to detect any cracks. A video about the technology gives an overview of the technology. The new system detects cracks in each video frame while the algorithm ...
0 comments

Keynote Q&A Ashleigh Morris, Chief Executive Officer and Jaine Morris, Chief Operating Officer Coreo

By intouch posted 11 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
Coreo is relied on by governments, corporations and communities to unlock the economic, social, and environmental opportunities of a circular economy through a values-driven approach to action. The company is based in Brisbane, Australia. InTouch : What usually motivates your clients to switch to a circular economy? Coreo: Motivation can start from the advocacy of an enthusiastic individual, not always in a leadership position, who has a desire to do things differently. Or, it can be the pain of losing market-share or lacking a brand position associated with doing good. Sometimes an opportunity arises to step into the circular economy space as a ...
0 comments

IPWC Keynote Q&A - Prof Euan Lindsay, Charles Sturt University

By intouch posted 11 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
Prof Euan Lindsay is Director of Charles Sturt University’s Engineering Foundation. He talked to InTouch about CSU’s student engineers’ successes since courses began at CSU, their career prospects, constraints on the engineering profession, and the potential for regional Australia to thrive with better infrastructure investment when cities become overcrowded. Five keynote speakers from four organisations will present topics at the International Public Works Conference at Hobart in August. Two parts of a four-part Q&A interview series with these speakers appears below, with parts three and four to follow next issue. InTouch: When did you know you ...
0 comments

LGNZ Sea Level Rise Report a winner in IPWEA NZ Excellence Awards 2019

By Freda Wells posted 12 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
The sea level rise report prepared by Tonkin + Taylor for Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) was the winner of the Excellence in Strategic Planning category at the 2019 IPWEA NZ Excellence Awards last evening. A first for New Zealand and possibly the world, this report for LGNZ estimated the quantity and replacement value of local government-owned infrastructure exposed to sea level rise, and provided guidance and recommendations for the local government sector in order to manage and address these issues. It was designed to provide quantitative evidence, clear focus and an imperative for action on an issue that affects all coastal councils and communities ...
0 comments

IPWEA NZ 2019 Excellence Awards Winners Announced

By Freda Wells posted 18 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
New Zealand Public Works Projects receive accolades at National Engineering Excellence Awards New Zealand’s best Public Works and Infrastructure projects were celebrated at a packed TSB Arena in Wellington, at the Institute of Public Works Conference in Wellington last Thursday night. Into their 14th year, the IPWEA NZ Engineering Excellence Awards recognise and celebrate the often invisible efforts and achievements of the exceptional people working in local government, central government, consultants, contractors and suppliers around New Zealand. Their work helps our communities to thrive – managing our infrastructure assets. A new fifth award category ...
0 comments

Conferences keep you linked in an online world

By intouch posted 27 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
Why do you need to listen to talks at a conference far away from your ever-growing pile of work demands, when there is a world of information contained in the smartphone you’re holding in your hand? The answer is – because face-to-face networking at immersive industry events like those hosted by IPWEA will reinvigorate your professional spirit and, for some, put faces to names. Even though the IPWEA Ask Your Mates online forum has more than 20,000 users, trouble-shooting on the screen is no substitute for being in the room with people who experience the same daily workplace challenges as you do. The multiple advantages of attending professional conferences ...
0 comments

Adelaide Airport terminal expansion and services upgrade project win

By intouch posted 27 days ago
Be the first person to recommend this.
Johnson Controls has been selected as the pivotal technology partner to deliver a world-class HVAC control and building management system (BMS), access control and security management platform for the Adelaide Airport services upgrade and terminal expansion project. In an Australian first, Johnson Controls will install the highly sophisticated aviation-specific CEM AC2000 Airport access control system, a fully integrated security management platform together with the latest Metasys 10.0 building management system to Adelaide Airport and nearby Parafield Airport.  Named Australia's best capital city airport in 2006, 2009 and 2011, Adelaide Airport services ...
0 comments