Winning top jobs
pp. 25-27 · Read in the full issue
CONSULTANT Sinclair Knight Merz are expanding their Pacific practice in order to meet the growing demand for quality engi neering services in a wide range of disci plines. With offices in Fiji and Papua New Guinea they are winning a growing share of the consulting market in surveying, geot echnical and environmental services through to engineering design, project management and construction supervision.
Their involvement in individual projects varies from providing advice in one disci pline only to acting as total project or con struction managers.
They attribute their success to utilising a mixture of local expertise to carrying out the majority of their project work and calling in specialists to assist and train local staff when required.
Sinclair Knight Merz are the largest Australian-based consulting practice and as such are able to supply technical back up to their Pacific offices in almost any field
and at short notice. Another factor con tributing to their increasing work load is their ability to keep pace with technology, the Fiji offices are fully equipped with hard ware and software to produce high quality output for survey plans and design draw ings providing both quality and cost-effec tive solutions for their clients within project time frames.
The Fiji practice is experiencing steady growth with recent major expansions in engineering and survey staff and the open ing of a second office in Suva to cater for an expected increase in business in the capital, especially structural engineering and environmental services. Some of the recent major projects undertaken by the firm in the Pacific include: • The Pacific Patrol Boat Project work shop and Naval headquarters buildings in Walu Bay, Suva, for the Australian Army on behalf of the Fiji Military Forces Naval Squadron. Sinclair Knight Merz carried out
investigations, design and construction work on this project, with the Patrol Boat workshop opening in July 1995. • The Kings Road Upgrading Project, a 34km stretch of road works in Fiji’s Northern Viti Levu which ran into problems resulting in the Papua New Guinea Banking Corporation taking over the con tract. Sinclair Knight Merz have been appointed by the Bank as the contractors’ agent to ensure the satisfactory completion of the works. • Sarakata Bridge on the island of Santo, in Vanuatu. Sinclair Knight Merz and Vanuatu consultant, VEMC, are undertak ing the documentation and construction supervision of an 86-metre long bridge to replace a 40-year-old deteriorated steel structure at Luganville. • Third Urban Water Supply Project, involving a K 25 million upgrading and expansion of the water supply systems at Madang, Rabaul and Kokopo, in Papua New Guinea. Sinclair Knight Merz and Frame Flarvey West & Maso provide the engineering services for this project which is funded by the Asian Development Bank, Bank of Taiwan and PNG Government. • Nena Mine, PNG, a major gold/copper
Sinclair Knight Merz is involved in the installation of this sea floor effluent disposal pipeline for Pacific Fishing Company Limited at Levuka in Ovalau, Fiji.
Sawmillers Association trials! In compari son, the Peterson mill proved to be the low est-priced circular-bladed mill as well as the lightest, showing their obvious portabil ity and price advantages. Peterson also produced the highest throughout for invest ment dollar, and had the highest recovery rate (by far) among the circular bladed mills trialed. Peterson sawmills are not only effi cient, but small enough to mill selectively felled trees, preserving natural forests.
Even in a country were forestry is very technologically advanced, the Peterson mill is on top of the field.
Mill designer and previous Fiji resident, Carl Peterson, attributes several factors to the mills’ success: Production capability, portability, quality, efficiency and price.
Peterson mills achieve recovery rates of up to 80 per cent and throughputs of up to 2 cubic metres of sawn timber per hour in good conditions.
They have also earned an enviable rep utation over the years, for accurate, well sawn timber (to one millimetre!). Having lived in Fiji for 12 years (where he made the first design), Carl has obviously learned what the Pacific Islands, as well as the rest of the world, needed in the area of portable sawmilling.
Another key factor of Peterson’s suc cess lies in the quality of materials used in construction. The mills are constructed largely of aluminium and stainless steel making them lightweight (around 300 kg) non-corrosive and extremely durable. This
critical factor, sometimes initially over looked, is what makes a Peterson mill the only portable sawmill suitable for use in remote locations where working conditions are at their roughest.
Peterson’s claim that their designs many be copied, but their long-lasting tech nology can never be duplicated. No other portable sawmill can boast long-term per formance and reliability under such harsh working conditions.
Versatility is also a necessary attribute for any portable sawmill conditions always vary in timber species, operator experience and terrain. The ability to adjust to these differing situations and require ments is of utmost importance. With a Peterson mill, the log is rolled or placed into the mill, or the mill is erected over the log (in around 10 minutes). All models can be hand-carried onto the milling site and set up on moderately uneven terrain.
Perhaps most surprising of all, for such high quality, prices start from around $13,940 plus shipping and relevant taxes.
And as with any product sold by Peter son’s, every sale comes with a full service back-up guarantee, wherever you are.
If Peterson’s do not have an agent in your area, they are interested in hearing from individuals or companies who may wish to act as agents for Peterson sawmills. For more information, write: Peterson Portable Sawmills, PO Box 98, Rotorua, New Zealand or Phone/Fax NZ (07) 347 0847.