Hitachi Construction Machinery Australia – External Works

Main Scope:

• Power supply overhaul
• Drainage installation
• Carpark construction
• Landscape and fencing upgrades
• Heavy duty hardstand construction
• Lighting upgrades
Client: HCMA
Contract value: ~$1.2 million
Completion: August 2020

Hitachi Construction Machinery has a well-earned reputation worldwide for producing innovative and efficient earthmoving equipment. The company identified that their flagship Melbourne dealership was in dire need of a major overhaul, and required a civil contractor that they knew could deliver high quality outcomes, in both construction and aesthetics. Thus, Contek were engaged.
Not only was the Dandenong South facility Hitachi's  Eastern Melbourne dealership, but is also a regional service centre. As such, there could only be minimal disruption to the facility's activities. Contek managed to carry out the very extensive works, without interruption to the facility's huge volume of truck and plant movements.
The premises still received its electricity from an overhead connection, leading to a transformer within the yard. Contek's first charge was to reroute this power underground, and replace the outdated main switchboard. Contek bored the new supply conduit, to minimise disruption the site, whilst equipment changeover and connection works were carried out over a weekend, allowing the site to continue uninterrupted.
Following an extensive overhaul of the machinery display areas, complete with new drainage, heavy duty crushed rock pavements and lighting. Garden areas were constructed, within which intensive planting was carried out to produce a beautiful aesthetic but with low maintenance requirements.
Contek the proceeded to the construction of a new employee carpark, comprising concrete pavements, drainage installation and linemarking.
The completion of these works lead to the project's largest single component – the conversion of a 2,300m² crushed rock plant storage yard to a heavy duty concrete slab. Designed to withstand the harsh touch of steel tracked 90 tonne excavators, this 250mm deep slab was reinforced with two layers of SL92 mesh, Danley HyperEdge edge protection expansion joints and a heavy duty steel edge protector at the interface of new and old concrete. Over 575m³ of 40mPa concrete was placed and finished, with imposing Class G grated pits catching surface runoff.
The overhaul of the facility saw Contek replace the aging cyclone front fence with a powder coated palisade type fence, which combined aesthetics and site security beautifully. New sliding and swinging gates were installed, and both major modifications carried out to the facility's heavy duty crossovers.