IPWEA Blogs

Funding grants for women's leadership development

By intouch posted 5 hours ago
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Women & Leadership Australia (WLA) is administering a national initiative to support the development of female leaders across Australia’s construction and engineering sector. The initiative is providing women working in the sector with grants to enable participation in a range of leadership development programs. The leadership development programs are part-time and delivered nationally via WLA’s blended learning model. Scholarship funding is strictly limited and will be awarded based on a set of selection criteria being met. Find out more and register your interest by completing the Expression of Interest form prior to September 7: www.wla.edu.au/consteng
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IPWEA NZ Board Election Results 2018 Announced

By Freda Wells posted 3 days ago
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Board Election Results were announced on Wednesday 20th of June, at the IPWEA NZ 2018 AGM held at the annual conference in Rotorua. Congratulations to newly elected Board member Gary Porteous of WSP-Opus.  Gary is the Sector Leader – Transport Asset Management at WSP-Opus, where he has worked for 24 years.  Gary brings a wealth of knowledge to IPWEA NZ, and has been a key member of the Roading Information Management Support (RIMS) committee for several years. Congratulations to Myles Lind and Al Monro for re-election.  Myles continues as Vice-President for the next 12 months. Congratulations to Hugh Blake-Manson, Contract Manager of Citycare Water in Christchurch, ...
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Infrastructure investment inbound for Melbourne Airport

By intouch posted 3 days ago
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A booming international flight market, a rapidly growing local population and seventeen years of uninterrupted traffic growth have placed greater urgency on infrastructure investment in and around Melbourne Airport. intouch  toured the airport and surrounding estate courtesy of investment manager AMP Capital, which owns and manages 27.3% of Australia Pacific Airports Corporation (APAC), the owner of Melbourne and Launceston Airports. AMP Capital have two directors on the nine member APAC Board. In 2009, Melbourne Airport held a 20.6% share of international traffic; by 28 February this year that share had jumped to 26.2%, chipping away at Sydney’s dominant ...
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Domino’s Pizza is plugging potholes, because why not?

By intouch posted 4 days ago
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A slice (or five) of pizza is just the thing to fill an empty stomach. For communities in the US, this beloved disk of sauce and cheese is also helping fill potholes.   Well, sort of. Pizza chain Domino’s is partnering with cities across America to help repair neglected roads, in a project called Paving for Pizza. They’ve asked people to nominate their town; successful (and willing) towns and cities are given grant money to perform the works themselves.   So far, the company has helped fix five potholes in Burbank, CA; eight holes in Bartonville, TX; 40 holes in Milford, DE; and 150 square yard of potholes in Athens, GA. They come complete with a unique topping: ...
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Internal Combustion column: Our 'smart country' obsession is costing us skilled tradespeople

By intouch posted 5 days ago
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It's hard to get good help – especially heavy vehicle and plant mechanics. The short-sightedness of our 'leaders' over the past 10-15 years to become the 'smart country' has focused on discouraging our young to take up a career as a tradesperson, which was once held as a well-respected profession and Australian tradition. Instead, they encourage everyone to complete Year 12, then off to university to rack up a hex debt. Some of these young people will never complete their degree or realise a career in their chosen field. What happened to offering diversity in the education system? This classic case of putting all your eggs in the one basket is now obviously ...
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How healthy is your fleet? Part one

By intouch posted 5 days ago
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Over the next few issues of FLEET  intouch we will look at the management system you need to have in place to ensure 'healthy' fleet management. We’ll start by looking at the high level, but critical areas of fleet management: inventory and utilisation. Inventory How well defined is the scope of your fleet? Do you know what you have and where it is? It seems obvious, but the truth is sometimes assets come into a fleet through various departments or have been “inherited” over time. The assets are there and being used, but are not being managed by the Fleet Manager. This situation creates significant risks: Safety:  If you don’t know about the asset ...
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How healthy is your fleet? Part two

By intouch posted 5 days ago
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In the last issue of FLEET intouch we discussed the management system you need to have in place to ensure 'healthy' fleet management. We started by looking at the high level, but critical areas of fleet management inventory and utilisation. In this issue we will continue our journey by considering the important management tools of policy, procedure and planning. A fleet policy is essential for robust fleet management. The fleet policy is a high-level document that describes the 'what' of the organisation’s fleet. What is expected, what is intended to be achieved and so on. The fleet policy should be authorised by the organisations most senior manager. ...
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New Fleet Maintenance Planning Tool

By intouch posted 5 days ago
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Many smaller organisation still rely on paper-based documents and records, spreadsheets and maybe a white board to manage their fleet maintenance program. Unfortunately, this increases day-to-day pressures on fleet staff and carries risk in terms of data availability, good decision making and demonstrating due diligence. To meet this challenge IPWEA has partnered with Connected Asset Management to provide a Maintenance Planning Tool (MPT) for IPWEA FLEET subscribers with small fleets (fleets with less than 250 assets). The IPWEA MPT is not a full fleet management information system but an electronic system that allows organisations to move to an electronic ...
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Fuel for thought: The right strategy for your fleet

By intouch posted 5 days ago
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By Naomi Oostlander As alternative types of fuel flood the market, more thought needs to go into understanding your fleets’ needs – but how do you identify the right fuel for the job? The drive to develop and utilise more sustainable and cost-effective vehicles has led to greater choices, especially when it comes to engine and drivetrain options – and there’s a lot of factors to consider. But what’s the most effective strategy for your fleet? Put simply, there is no simple or single answer to this question, but a comprehensive selection strategy can help you make a much more informed choice. Among the vast amount of data that’s often generated by modern ...
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FLEET Manager’s column: Don't get caught without a succession plan

By intouch posted 5 days ago
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It’s no secret – the baby boomers aren’t getting any younger and they’re leaving the workforce in droves. So, as this experienced and skilled group of individuals disappear over the horizon, caravan in tow, how will your organisation fill the gap? Losing organisational knowledge is well-recognised in human resource and senior management circles, but despite this recognition, is often not given the attention it deserves. When an experienced employee leaves the fold, they take with them knowledge about; processes, pitfalls, contacts and an insight into the industry sometimes acquired over 40 or 50 years. We often hear “our people are our greatest asset” – ...
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What city planners can learn from Hobart's floods

By intouch posted 7 days ago
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Jason Byrne , University of Tasmania ; Dave Kendal , University of Tasmania ; Emma Pharo , University of Tasmania , and Kate Isabel Booth , University of Tasmania Hobart is a city known for its risk of catastrophic fire, such as the devastating wildfires of 1897-98 and 1967. A storm caused flooding in the CBD as it swept through Hobart. Patrick Gee/The Mercury. Used with permission As the second-driest city in Australia, until last month it was easy to forget that Hobart is also vulnerable to serious flooding . Like many cities, Hobart’s closeness to nature can be a double-edged sword – the hilly terrain ...
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Eyes in the sky: Using drones in engineering

By intouch posted 11 days ago
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Once considered a toy, drones are fast shaping up to become one of local government’s most essential and valuable tools. But first there are several challenges to overcome. When policy adviser Carrie Hillier was tasked with researching and writing a report on the benefits of drone use to local government, she wasn’t convinced it would lead anywhere. It would likely be a one-off project ending with a paper circulated to councils, and then she’d hear nothing more of it, she thought. But the deeper Hillier looked into the topic, the more she recognised the immense power of the technology. “This technology is going to save a lot of time, significantly reduce ...
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Rail access improves liveability, but not all regional centres are equal

By intouch posted 11 days ago
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Melanie Davern , RMIT University ; Carl Higgs , RMIT University ; Claire Boulange , RMIT University ; Jonathan Arundel , RMIT University ; Lucy Gunn , RMIT University , and Rebecca Roberts , RMIT University Research on the liveability of regional cities in Victoria has identified an important element: liveability in these areas requires fast, reliable and frequent rail connections to capital cities. Previous research has established that we need better models of early transport delivery in growth areas of Melbourne . Public transport, in particular, is an essential ingredient for a liveable community . Less attention has been paid ...
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The third asset management revolution

By intouch posted 11 days ago
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Words by: Penny Burns and Jeff Roorda, www.TalkingInfrastructure.com We are on the brink of a new phase in asset management. To understand what the Third Asset Management Revolution is, why it is important, and where we are going, it is necessary to understand the First Asset Management Revolution (where we were) and the Second Asset Management Revolution (where we are now). The First Asset Management Revolution: Data collection Asset management was first introduced in the late 1980s to 1990s. Up until this time, the word was ‘maintenance’ and it focused on asset functionality. It was purely technical and centered on the individual asset. ‘Asset management’ ...
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Creating safe, sustainable communities with asset management

By intouch posted 12 days ago
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By Anna Wang,  Research and Communications, NATSPEC Community growth is outpacing the resources available to manage and maintain infrastructure. To meet community demand and expectation, local governments need to manage assets to ensure associated services are delivered economically and sustainably. It is estimated that 20% of a project’s total cost consists of the initial design and construction stages, while the remaining 80% is attributed to maintenance and operations. Lost production time, poor quality and need for subsequent replacement or maintenance, and legal issues resulting from defective assets significantly contribute to excess costs. For local ...
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Watch: What happens when we get rid of road signs?

By intouch posted 12 days ago
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Shared spaces – where street signs take a back seat in favour of a desegregated sections that sees commuters share the street with pedestrians – are on the rise. Also known by its Dutch moniker woonerf, or living street, the concept is that the absence of separation will make everyone more cautious, so that commuters slow down, make eye contact and negotiate. There's plenty to like about the idea; existing shared space schemes have demonstrated benefits such as lower vehicle speeds, reduced congestion, fewer accidents and injuries, and more vibrant and attractive streets. However, concerns have been raised about the impacts that shared spaces have on more ...
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Infrastructure, financial sustainability top risks to local gov

By intouch posted 12 days ago
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Infrastructure challenges present the leading risk to local government in 2018, according to a survey of the sector.   In their 2018 Risk Report: Australian Local Government , global professional services firm Aon found that the combination of funding squeezes and rate capping alongside rising ratepayer expectations ensured infrastructure topped the list of 10 leading risks as perceived by local government, followed by financial sustainability and stability. “Not surprisingly, the unrelenting challenge to do more with less ensured that the financial challenges of infrastructure, financial sustainability and stability lead the list of risks for local government. ...
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A new tool to standardise BIM objects has been released

By intouch posted 12 days ago
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BIM Object standardisation is now achievable with the release of the NATSPEC BIM Object Properties Generator. NATSPEC CEO, Richard Choy says the key issue restricting the exchange and interoperability of BIM objects between disciplines and projects is the inconsistencies in properties, property naming and object designation. The Properties Generator resolves this issue. It is an upgraded and extended online version of the NATSPEC BIM Object/Element Matrix that is more powerful and simpler to use, making the exchange of information and interoperability of BIM objects possible from project to project and software to software, reducing the huge duplication ...
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Case study: Microtunnelling makes drainage project a clear winner

By intouch posted 13 days ago
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Project: Bickford Terrace, Major Drainage Project Budget: $2 million Who: City of Holdfast Bay and Lucas Total Contract Solutions Using innovative trenchless technology for a major drainage project in South Australia radically reduced the project’s footprint, greenhouse gas emissions and impact on the community. In October 2016, residents in the City of Holdfast Bay found stormwater lapping at their doors. The area’s drainage network was under pressure from increasing residential density; as a result, a significant amount of stormwater had pooled within Tarlton Street and Bickford Terrace during a 1 in 50 year rain event. Modelling showed a major ...
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NAMS Canada appoints inaugural Executive Director

By Chris Champion posted 13 days ago
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NAMS Canada is pleased to announce the appointment of Nicole Allen  PEng MSc as its inaugural Executive Director. Nicole has specialist experience in strategic planning, asset management and transportation. Nicole’s expertise in infrastructure asset management has focused on training and support of small and large rural and urban communities across Western and Northern Canada. In Nicole’s words, “this is such an honor and opportunity to further build the deliverables for NAMS Canada.   We are committed to delivering quality training in asset management, particularly through our online Professional Certificate, to build the capacity of the municipal and ...
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