Les Capelli of Vector Lifting, the Perth-based company that beat several of the world’s big crane manufacturers to supply the bogeys and the cranes, said the scale of the project had set a number of design challenges for all involved.
For instance, the size of the building meant that each set of bogeys would be supporting a weight of 200t. With the building sitting in the same spot for perhaps a year at a time, the wheels and bearings would almost certainly flatten out. So Vector designed a system of jacks and support pads, so that once the building is in place it is lifted off the bogeys.
The company also developed a series of overlapping safety systems to prevent future risk from the ability of the building itself and the three cranes to move independently of each other. An interlocking series of sensors throughout the structure would halt the building if, for instance, its movement brought the portal crane too close to the rear wall.
Capelli has been particularly impressed with the commitment and enthusiasm of the government officers, project managers Sinclair Knight Merz, construction contractor Multiplex and everyone involved in the Jervoise Bay project. “The way that it has been managed has been great,” he said.
“From the word go, the way it has been handled and managed means that the whole project has a very good feel to it. It’s such an awesome thing, everyone is dedicated to making it work.”
His enthusiasm is clearly shared by Ross Marshall. Government and industry people have been working for 10 years or more on the concept of a world-standard fabrication facility in Perth. Now, Marshall argues, the revised project is coming on stream just at the right time for Australian companies to capitalise on the much anticipated revival of world markets.
The selection last month of a joint venture between JB Facilities Management and Babcock Defence Systems Australia as the preferred proponent for the role as facility manager is an important step towards the international marketing of the complex.
JBFM-Babcock, chosen following a national request for proposals and thorough selection process, is now working with the Jervoise Bay Project Office to develop a business plan, marketing plan and budget. As facility manager, it will market the site to national and international groups involved in international engineering and fabrication work, particularly in the oil and gas and marine industries, and coordinate activities among the various users on-site.
The marketing plan is certain to be based heavily on the location just a few days by sea from the major resource development regions of Australia and South-East Asia.
