We know the industry wants more from our Electrical Project Management (PM2) service, driven by a need to achieve SoC within planned timeframes. So, we are now offering a more holistic approach to management of the electrical connection, with a focus on the potential need for periods of increased involvement throughout the life of the project, not only during the construction phase.

This Major Development Management (MDM) service focuses on proactive management of the electrical connection from initial design concept through to Statement of Compliance and energisation, including early identification and management of risks, stakeholder management, increased site presence and coaching during construction. It also provides greater contributions by POWERPLANT at a development level in planning, designing and overseeing electrical works.

The process will also mean greater transparency and reporting for our clients.

Meet our new team of experienced Victorian Electrical Distribution Networks (VEDN) accredited auditors, Cam Jones and Rob Stent, are available to perform civil, electrical, cable hauling and network auditing.

The VEDN is a committee of the Victorian Electricity Supply Industry (VESI) responsible for accrediting contractors who are involved in the civil aspects of underground electrical infrastructure. Strict minimum requirements must be reached before Auditing Accreditation is granted, and Cam and Rob are well qualified to assist with a number of audit projects including:

• Undergrounding of assets
• Asset Relocations
• Residential estates
• Industrial developments
• Overhead Electrical works
• Public Lighting works

Please contact us to discuss how we can help you meet your auditing requirements.

The Victorian Government is funding a $175 million upgrade at Thompsons Road, Cranbourne, including an additional $65.9 million to remove the level crossing of the Cranbourne railway line in Lyndhurst. We are working alongside VicRoads and BMD on the power line design and project management services for these works, specifically scoping, designing and project managing the relocation of electrical services to ensure the roads works can be completed.

We are well equipped to contribute to this major project – an important upgrade for road and rail users that will improve safety and capacity for Melbourne’s south-east growth region.

At completion we will have assisted to relocate complex 66kV, 22kV, LV & Electrolysis assets over 9 kilometres of arterial road upgrade. This is the largest single asset relocation project to have taken place in recent times and is an outstanding achievement for our design team.

Rapid Earth Fault Current Limiter (REFCL) is a preventative measure for High Voltage (HV) customers that reduces the risk of powerlines starting bushfires. It works by rapidly limiting the current that is released in a phase to ground earth fault via a protective device installed in the neutral point of the 22kV zone substation transformer.

We are currently supporting AusNet Services with surveying to identify HV customers who are connected to a REFCL protected network and who will need to implement a strategy to mitigate the consequences of elevated voltages on their assets.

AusNet has recommended the following solutions for customers on these protected networks:

• Installation of an isolation transformer.
• Hardening of the customer’s HV electrical primary assets.
• Conversion to a low voltage supply.

You can find out more about REFCL, technical details of how it works and possible solutions for HV customers here.

Our Director, Greg, is thrilled to have been appointed to a much sought-after position on Casey’s Smart City Advisory Board – recognition of his passionate belief in intelligent infrastructure as a key to healthy liveable communities.

As a member of the Committee he will help to shape Council policies, strategies and action plans, making a tangible contribution as an advocate for a smart city approach to infrastructure solutions provided the community. As Greg says, “If we can help bring infrastructure into being that can improve liveability then we are doing good. This is a great opportunity to for me to use the collective knowledge of POWERPLANT to connect people and projects with intelligent infrastructure solutions. Not only will we develop the solutions that can benefit people, we will be working with experts to develop strategies to make this a reality across all industry.”

Greg is particularly keen to contribute to strategies that will encourage developers to aim high, creating healthier, happier and more engaging environments for residents, strengthening communities and avoiding issues like social isolation.

The Committee brings together local residents, students and business representatives who are passionate about technology, innovation and data leverage technology, innovation and data to achieve the vision of creating Australia’s most liveable city. You can find the final City of Casey Smart City Strategy 2017 – 2021 here.

We think we do a good job here at POWERPLANT and are extremely pleased to see a recent customer satisfaction survey confirms our customers feel the same way. We achieved a Net Promoter score of 30 from our respondents – a true indicator of our current success – and gained some valuable insight into where we need to go next.

Some highlights

• 86% of respondents were satisfied or somewhat satisfied with our overall service
• 79% of customers say that the quality of work we provide is higher than our competitors, as is the value for money we offer.

Some learnings for us and how we are addressing them

• Customers told us they would like more frequent communication about their projects, and more information on what we are doing to improve on this.
  • We now have a dedicated Project Support team, led by Lucy Nduru, to focus on consistency and quality in customer communications.
• The timeliness of our delivery could be better.
  • We have resourced up to 75 staff, allocating people to key areas that will mean faster results for customers.

A key strategic objective for us is to focus on achieving best practice processes and delivery functions. This includes streamlining processes that result in improved project delivery, increased customer satisfaction and efficiencies. This should mean satisfied customers who are selecting POWERPLANT ahead of our competitors because of our superior solutions and delivery capability. We are pleased to see we’re on the right track.

Recently we surveyed our team of over 70 staff to find out how they feel about working at POWERPLANT, areas where they would like to see improvement and their ideas for achieving a happier, healthier workplace for everyone. A positive internal culture is an important driver of success, and the findings of the survey are a measure of how we are tracking against our key strategic objective of maintaining a highly capable, engaged and dynamic team.

Results compared very favorably with industry benchmarks, with 85% of employees engaged (up from 77%) including 40% who were highly engaged. It should be noted that these figures were achieved as our POWERPLANT workforce increased by 42%, demonstrating a strong positive culture even during periods of significant change.

 

“Flexibility, knowing everyone, having fun, and achieving results”

“Progressive environment, open and friendly”

 

 

We want to be seen by staff as a great place to work, with a balance of care for each other and a passion to deliver excellent results together. That there is a positive vibe in the office with people taking pride in being part of the POWERPLANT story and a good sense of fun, and a leadership team that sets a great example for the business with an open and authentic style of leadership.

We are proud to be leading the way in our industry with this result!