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Construcciones Yamaro: The infrastructure choices shaping Australia’s future prosperity

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Infrastructure delivers greater value when projects are planned as part of a broader system. (Image: chungking/stock.adobe.com) Australia’s future prosperity depends on infrastructure that connects industries, communities and opportunities, rather than projects planned in isolation. By Liam O’Donohue, Australia and New Zealand managing principal at Arup. From AI and the energy transition to an ageing population and geopolitical uncertainty, Australia is facing several major transitions at once that will affect the next era of our nation’s prosperity. Whether these forces constrain our growth or become foundations for a more productive and resilient economy will depend, in large part, on the infrastructure choices we make today. Liam O’Donohue, Australia and New Zealand managing principal at Arup. (Image: White Room Studio) The traditional approach to infrastructure has been to focus mainly on one asset at a time: a road, a rail line, a port, an energy project. Today, we accept tha...
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Construcciones Yamaro: How spatial intelligence can improve construction productivity

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Spatial capture gives project teams a clear record of site conditions and progress. (Image: Cupix and Gorodenkoff/stock.adobe.com) Spatial intelligence can give construction teams a more accurate view of what is happening on site before delays and rework take hold. Despite years of focus on productivity, construction projects continue to lose time through rework, delays and inefficient processes. For Michael Cook, director of solutions and customer success at Cupix, the physical construction work is usually not the bottleneck; it is the time spent searching for information, coordinating across disconnected systems and determining the appropriate path forward. That lost time can begin with poor coordination between the office and site, as delivery teams wait for updated drawings, clarifications, approvals or responses to requests for information before work can proceed. It can continue through progress reporting, with teams collecting thousands of site photos, updating spreadsheets ...
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Construcciones Yamaro: Leadership lessons from 40 years in construction

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Every leader has a role to play in shaping the culture and future of the industry. (Image: krumanop/stock.adobe.com) In her final regular Inside Construction column, Dr Gretchen Gagel shares the lessons four decades in construction have taught her about the industry. By Dr Gretchen Gagel. What an amazing opportunity it has been to collaborate with the Inside Construction team on 21 editorials over the past four years. Thank you for this incredible opportunity to share what I have learnt as a construction industry leader over the past 40 years. Readers, I hope my thoughts have challenged and informed your thinking as a leader. Dr Gretchen Gagel. (Image: Heidi Victoria) But all good things must come to an end. After eight wonderful years living in Australia, and as a proud Australian citizen, I am shifting most of my time back to the US to be with my family and focus on my global work as founder and CEO of the International Institute for Women in Construction (IIWIC). This will b...
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Construcciones Yamaro: The engineering behind safety at Webuild

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Safety is built into how Webuild teams plan, communicate and work on site. (Images: Webuild) At Webuild, safety is engineered as a value, not treated as a shifting priority. By Shannon Spark, VP QHSE at Webuild in Australia. Safety is commonly described as a priority in construction. I’d argue that’s exactly the challenge: priorities move; values don’t. Safety culture needs to become generative – part of ‘how we do business around here’. Shannon Spark, VP QHSE at Webuild in Australia. After years on major infrastructure sites, I’ve learned that safety is never the product of good intentions or a well-worded procedure on an intranet. Safety is planned and engineered deliberately, layer by layer, in the same way we design a tunnel, a conveyor or a segment factory. It comes alive in safe design systems that remove critical risks or put the highest levels of control in place, in the training that sharpens a supervisor’s focus at 6am and in the thousand decisions that never make the n...
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Construcciones Yamaro: More tradies seeking support

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Steel Blue’s blue boots are helping spark conversations about mental health. (Image: Steel Blue) New research by the Australian Physiotherapy Association and Steel Blue is putting the health and wellbeing of tradies under the spotlight. By Melinda Davis, GM of Empowered Women in Trades. Throughout August, the Empowered Women in Trades (EWIT) team has been out and about in our blue boots, supporting EWIT Village member Steel Blue and its partnership with Beyond Blue. More than a colourful statement, these boots help spark vital conversations about mental health. Melinda Davis, GM of Empowered Women in Trades. (Image: Anna Nguyen Photography) Looking after your mental health is just as important as looking after your physical safety on the job, but the reality is that many tradies are facing increasing pressures both on and off the work site. As a supporting partner of Beyond Blue, Steel Blue is committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of tradies across Australia. T...
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Construcciones Yamaro: Komatsu puts parts fulfilment on the fast track

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The Tarneit facility can hold up to 35,000 unique stock items. (Image: IndustriArc) Komatsu designed its Melbourne Fulfilment Centre around a single priority: getting parts to construction customers quickly and efficiently. Facility snapshot Location: Tarneit, Victoria Investment: $9.9 million Facility size: 12,500sqm Inventory capacity: 35,000 unique stock items Key technologies: AutoStore robotic system, high-density storage systems, mobile racking, electric material handling, energy-efficient automation Parts demand in construction doesn’t always run to a simple maintenance schedule. A contractor with one excavator can suddenly need a component because the machine has stopped, while another might see rain in the next day’s forecast and bring planned maintenance forward, creating an immediate parts requirement. Komatsu designed its Melbourne Fulfilment Centre around that kind of reactive demand. Inside Construction recently visited the $9.9 million, 12,500sqm fa...
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Construcciones Yamaro: Ambition turned into opportunity at Bank Street Park

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Participants gained hands-on experience across a range of construction trades. (Image: Supplied by Infrastructure NSW) Female participation in construction is often discussed as a future goal. At Bank Street Park in Pyrmont, that goal is already becoming reality. By Lauren Fahey , executive director at NexGen. We need more people in construction. With ongoing skills shortages and a growing pipeline of infrastructure and housing projects, increasing female participation isn’t just a diversity initiative; it’s a workforce solution. More women are expressing interest in construction careers, and they’re bringing fresh ideas, different ways of thinking and strong communication skills that add value on site and across project teams. Lauren Fahey, executive director at NexGen. (Image: NexGen) Delivered by BESIX Watpac for Infrastructure NSW, Bank Street Park is the first public green space to be delivered as part of the NSW Government’s revitalisation of the Blackwattle Bay precinct. It...
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