Southern Steel Supplies was awarded the steel contract from the Tier 1 builder Lendlease to supply, process and enable distribution of all the construction steel required on this landmark stadium building project. Five thousand tonnes of steel were processed and delivered to the site over the two year construction phase.
Most people would not be aware of the distribution challenges faced by Southern Steel Supplies that went far beyond the sheer volume of heavy and complex steel materials.
Greg Peat, Processing Manager with Southern Steel Supplies, fondly remembers, “We are not talking about a small number of trucks needing to take the occasional side access route. The scale of the project was immense: 17,500 pieces of construction steel needed to be moved, and much of it was bolted together on the playing surface before being craned into position.”
The shifting parameters of the engineering specifications required the architects and engineers to understand the accompanying distribution challenges. Together, the stakeholders were able to manufacture working solutions and Southern Steel Supplies worked tirelessly to ensure the project stayed on schedule and on budget.
“This was a NSW Government funded project, so fair to say we had eyeballs on us from every level and faction of politics to ensure we got it right,” says Greg.
Supply, process and distribution
Large construction projects such as the Western Sydney Stadium require an enormous amount of material. The material needs to be of the finest grade, without imperfection and processed to the highest tolerances, to ensure stability and longevity. Each beam supplied played a critical role in how the construction was fitted together.
A large number of beams required additional fabrication, and many needed to be painted before delivery to the stadium site. Each beam left the mill with the word ‘Parra’ inscribed on the side, identifying each beam on the ‘Parramatta’ project.
Each beam was processed at the Southern Steel Supplies factory to a very strict set of engineering drawings and plans, loaded onto a truck and then sent to the fabricator, painter or directly to the site for assembly.
A giant Meccano set
Aside from supplying and processing the steel, the biggest challenge was the distribution. This is where Southern Steel Supplies’ expertise and capability came to the fore. 17,500 steel beams were delivered, which needed to be bolted together, requiring 45,000 connection plates.
Each piece of this giant Meccano set was delivered by Southern Steel Supplies. Putting into perspective the narrow timelines and budgetary considerations, the team did an incredible job to ensure each beam and connection plate was perfectly processed and delivered for the engineers and builders to assemble and crane into position.
With so many moving parts on a project of this scale, there is zero tolerance for delays or substandard products. Each piece needed to be delivered within the timeline schedule and be ready to be put together as soon as it was unloaded. Each piece was checked and double checked with no room for error. Despite the added challenges of the M4 construction, Southern Steel Supplies delivered on their promise with 100% client satisfaction.
The icing on the cake
With the stadium complete, the next step was to see it in its glory. Peter Smaller, Executive Chairman of Southern Steel Group, did what any proud parent would do – he booked out a VIP box for the first ever game to be played at the new stadium. He didn’t invite a whole group of government officials, media or bigwigs. Instead, he invited his team members who had worked on the project and a few people from the Tier 1 builder to enjoy the first NRL game to be showcased between Parramatta and Wests Tigers.
“Probably one of the proudest days of my life. I don’t think I saw much of the game as I spent most of the time just gazing at the roof and the stadium structure, picking out all the beams that we had delivered. I could almost name each one and remember when it came through the factory. An incredible project to be a part of,” Greg concluded in a recent interview.
Contact the team at Southern Steel Supplies to discuss your steel needs.
