Construcciones Yamaro, by Armando Iachini

JumpLift is a self-climbing elevator solution for high-rise developments. (Images: KONE) KONE is helping projects move, build and rise faster by bringing permanent lift systems into the construction phase earlier. While pressure on construction businesses isn’t new, it has, of late, felt relentless. Contractors are expected to deliver projects faster as labour shortages and rising costs continue, with geopolitical uncertainty and fuel prices adding further strain. Site efficiency and unnecessary costs are receiving closer attention, with developers and main contractors looking harder at how projects are delivered and where costs can be reduced. The response isn’t simply to absorb it, but to adapt. Solutions that accelerate delivery are easing the load, or in KONE Australia’s case, lifting it. That capability is underpinned by global experience. KONE has delivered vertical transportation systems across high-rise construction for more than a century, including many of the world’s tal...

Multiplex is set to join the Obayashi Group. (Image: tippapatt/stock.adobe.com) Brookfield, through its private equity strategy, has agreed to sell Multiplex to Obayashi Corporation, one of Japan’s largest construction companies, for US$650 million. The transaction includes about US$530 million in cash proceeds on closing and an earn-out based on future business performance. Multiplex was founded in Australia in 1962 and acquired by Brookfield in 2007. After spinning out its real estate assets and facilities management business in 2016, it became a standalone construction business as part of Brookfield Business Corporation, the flagship listed vehicle of Brookfield’s private equity group. With operations in Australia, the UK and Canada, Multiplex’s global portfolio includes complex developments across the commercial, residential, healthcare, infrastructure, hospitality and mixed-use sectors. Anuj Ranjan, CEO of Brookfield’s private equity group, said the transaction delivers a stro...

Komatsu Rental gives contractors access to modern, well-maintained machines. (Images: Komatsu) Komatsu Rental is building out a national model for equipment hire, focused on availability, support and consistent performance. Utilisation is the primary measure in fleet strategy, and hire offers a pragmatic way to maintain control. Rather than tying up capital in owned plant, contractors can align fleet size with workload and respond to program changes without carrying idle equipment. Access to modern, well-maintained machines without long-term commitment supports productivity and compliance across staged programs, providing flexibility, cash flow protection and delivery certainty. For Komatsu Rental, that places emphasis on fleet readiness, with low-hour machines and integrated support enabling equipment to be deployed to match project demands. It’s structured to support customers across the full project lifecycle, from early-stage civil works through to large-scale commercial const...

The project’s critical objective across all phases was achieving ‘first ore on ship’. (Images: McConnell Dowell) Tropical Cyclone Megan didn’t leave a wharf to repair at Groote Eylandt. It left a twisted, partially submerged structure that had to be dismantled before anything could be rebuilt. On 18 March 2024, Tropical Cyclone Megan shut down the Groote Eylandt wharf, cutting off the island’s only manganese export line and bringing a globally critical operation to a standstill. The wharf, operated by Groote Eylandt Mining Company (GEMCO), a South32 and Anglo American joint venture, is central to the island’s manganese exports. Without it, stockpiles build quickly and production becomes unsustainable. According to South32, it is the world’s largest producer of manganese, with Groote Eylandt a key source of supply. The disruption placed immediate pressure on global supply and the Northern Territory economy, with flow-on impacts for jobs and government revenue. What followed wasn’t a...

Artist’s impression: Webuild is delivering the New Women and Babies Hospital Project in Perth. (Images: Webuild) As Webuild pursues its next stage of growth in Australia, it is focused on creating lasting impact beyond project wins. Across Webuild’s operations in Australia, the focus doesn’t stop at the physical assets delivered, but moves to the social and economic outcomes those projects generate after completion. Joel Stringer embodies this mindset. Recently appointed executive vice president of business development, he brings more than 25 years of Tier 1 design and construction experience to support Webuild’s continued growth in Australia and the Asia Pacific region. Stringer speaks proudly of the ripple effect the infrastructure industry has on the nation. “Infrastructure is a catalyst for economic activity and social outcomes,” he says. “We have an obligation to ensure that the benefits of our projects flow through to the communities we operate in. That is underpinned by clo...

Coatings span basic protective finishes to systems for sustained aggressive exposure. (Image: p a w e l/stock.adobe.com) Corrosion of steel fasteners is inevitable, but with the right coating system, its progression can be effectively controlled. Steel corrodes through electrochemical reactions in which iron forms oxides in the presence of moisture and oxygen, degrading structural integrity. The rate is dictated by humidity, airborne chlorides, pollutants and exposure conditions. In Australia, coastal environments amplify these factors, with salt-laden air accelerating corrosion. For fasteners, the coating system is the primary line of defence against these conditions. Most fasteners are steel-based and vulnerable to corrosion, especially in chloride-rich environments. Coatings mitigate this, either forming a barrier that isolates the steel or corroding sacrificially to protect it. At Hobson Engineering, expertise in Australia’s varied exposure conditions drives an expanding range o...