How We Keep Victoria's Major Infrastructure Project Moving

The M80 Ring Road Upgrade in Greensborough is one of Victoria’s biggest infrastructure projects. With 14 kilometres of new lanes, 10 kilometres of walking and cycling paths and 8 bridges, underpasses and crossings, the “state-shaping” infrastructure project’s construction will span 5 years.

It’s a massive job with multiple contractors, integrated timelines and a complex site footprint. That’s why ACCIONA, the lead contractor, needed more than just an equipment hire company. They needed a partner who could make their job easy. They selected Kennards Hire for our ability to deliver and manage a broad range of equipment, solve problems fast and work to the demands of a dynamic, high-traffic environment.

Managing the project scope

We put experienced Project Manager, Fred Femia, in place to act as ACCIONA’s point person for all equipment needs. Fred immediately had to plan for:

• 24/7 operations and a high-volume demand for reliable equipment.
• Strict safety and compliance requirements.
• Multiple site zones, supervisors and contractors.

Fred says, “I have approximately 60 ACCIONA stakeholders I service and receive 40 to 50 emails, calls and texts each day for equipment tasks.” These include sourcing equipment and any hire related services ACCIONA need including operational support such as coordinating delivery, commissioning, monitoring productivity and maintaining scheduled servicing.

Keeps Things Moving

With 3 major Kennards Hire depots in nearby suburbs, and quick access to 13 other depots in Melbourne, we’ve supplied an extensive range of equipment, including:

• Light towers powering around-the-clock works.
• Portable buildings to create site offices and worker amenities.
• Barriers and traffic management solutions.
• Forklifts and telehandlers to keep heavy materials moving.
• Specialised equipment for unexpected tasks.

“The light towers have been an important part of the project,” Fred adds. “With the site operating 24/7 over more than 50 hectares we have had up to 137 light towers on site, each capable of illuminating 50 metres by 50 metres, or almost the entire 5-kilometre stretch.”

Our Solution

With Fred as the single point of contact that ACCIONA relies on to Project Manage all their hire equipment, Fred works with our local team and branches to coordinate delivery and conduct servicing. The M80 Ring Road project involves multiple equipment fulfilments each week making Fred’s achievements seem superhuman. Freds contract manager at ACCIONA says, “whatever you do, make sure Fred stays on the job!”

Streamlined Pricing and Reporting

Transparency and cost certainty was crucial for ACCIONA. “We created a list of products for ACCIONA from day one that we have built on during the project so ACCIONA can request what they need when they need it easily,” Fred says.

Fred also prepares a weekly hire report shared with 60+ ACCIONA team members and subcontractors. It’s a simple way to keep everyone on the same page and track equipment hire activity.

Impact for ACCIONA

For ACCIONA, our integrated support has delivered real value by avoiding downtime delays, providing predictable costs and ensuring equipment is modern and efficient.

Our Project Management service has proved incredibly efficient for ACCIONA due to their broad equipment needs from dozens of site supervisors and contractors ordering equipment for delivery through numerous access gates to even more work locations. Fred says, “we need to organise delivery, compliance checks, servicing and relocations from the existing Ring Road in the north to the start of the tunnelling operations in the south.” We think Fred probably knows the whole site like the back of his hand.

Looking Ahead

With years still to go, Fred and his team are enjoying the challenges of a long-term project. Our approach will always be to make ACCIONA’s job easy by combining quality equipment, 24/7 project support and tailored task solutions.