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A willing approach to projects has taken one man from a concreting job, undertaken as a favour, to heading up his own contracting company. BY PAUL HALTON
Contracting companies don’t usually spring up by accident, but story behind Auckland bridge maintenance and project management firm, Fibretek is anything but ordinary. When Botany Town shopping centre was being built in 2000, Donald Fisher was asked to do some concreting work. It was from this job that Fibretek was born. “Basically, I was asked to do as a favour for someone. It was a job they didn’t want to do, so I took it. After that I got offered another job and another job, and it grew from there,” says Fisher. However, it’s one thing to do a few jobs as favours and another thing to turn those jobs into a successful business. To complicate matters, Fisher already had a good job at the time. With a background in mechanical engineering, he was moving into the sales and marketing side of the access industry. “There was a time when I had to sit down and make the decision to turn it into a business. It wasn’t too difficult but it took some thought, as there was no guarantee of work. It was on a contract to contract basis, and the job I had at the time seemed to offer more security.” From making the decision to start Fibretek, the company quickly grew from acting solely as subcontractor to Works Infrastructure and Vector, to bidding for its own contracts. And the company grow from a one-man band, to a team of six. From its inception, Fibretek has worked on high profile jobs all around the Auckland region. One project that gained national attention was replacing the bridge joints on the Mangere Bridge. The contract fell into two parts – replacing the abutment joints at either end of the bridge and replacing the three central hinge joints with seismically capable expansion joints. The final phase was the installation the new hinge joints, which involved stringent traffic control measures and partial closures of the motorway over a series of weekends. Originally, the installation was to happen over six weekends, but traffic problems meant Fibretek was asked to complete the job in just four weekends. This meant work had to be radically accelerated, says Fisher. “It was all about getting the necessary resources on site, both human and otherwise. But it can’t be just anyone, they have to be qualified and then we put them through a thorough induction programme so everyone knew exactly what they had to do.” During the project Fibretek’s staff grew from six to more than 50, as temporary staff and subcontractors were taken on to meet the new timescale. Despite the challenges, Fibretek managed to complete the work with time to spare. “It was defiantly one of the most challenging projects I’ve worked on,” says Fisher. “It was also one of the most rewarding, I guess those things go hand in hand. “Success was only achieved through the excellent teamwork of all parties involved, including the client, the consultant, the subcontractors and suppliers.” Another project that has been a highlight was the maintenance and strengthening work on Pohuehue Viaduct, located between Puhoi and Warkworth, north of Auckland. Although known as Pohuehue Viaduct, it actually consists of four separate bridges all of which needed attention. The contract was to install new steel linkages, undertake structural strengthening and corrosion protection. The rugged country made working on the underside of the bridge problematic, so a new way had to found. Rails were hung off the side of the bridge to support a mobile stage that could be moved from bay to bay. This allowed workers to move along the bridge to complete the work. Next, Fibretek had to solve the unique environmental concerns posed by the Pohuehue Viaduct. Corrosion protection meant the underside of the bridge had to be water blasted and then painted. However, the Auckland Regional Council stated that no water would be allowed to drain into the river below, instead it was to be collected and taken away. To do this, Fibreteck used a big bag – about 10 metres wide by four metres deep. The bag hung across the bridge and collected the water, which drained into a drum and was then pumped into a holding tank to be taken away and disposed of. The bag could be moved to whichever section of the bridge was being worked on. Each project has posed unique challenges, which the company has found inventive ways to overcome. Fisher says the key to the company’s success has been a ‘can do’ attitude and commitment to innovation. “When we look at job we’re always looking for new and better ways to do things. We’re committed to giving our clients the best quality job and on time. I think it’s those values which have made the company a success.” From its humble beginnings in 2000, Fibretek has grown and Fisher hopes that expansion will continue in the future. “We’re always looking to expand and for new opportunities for the business. I don’t want to give any plans away, but we want to be at the forefront of the industry and stay there,” he says. Contractor Vol.31 No.3 April 2007 All articles on this website are copyright to Contrafed Publishing Co. Ltd.
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