About the Project

The Manukau Harbour Crossing was a project to deliver safer, quicker and easier travel on SH20 across the Manukau Harbour between Mangere and Onehunga.

The project has increased traffic capacity on the main route linking downtown Auckland with Manukau and Auckland International Airport. It is a key part of the planned Western Ring Route between Manukau and Albany, and will have local, regional and national benefits for business, industry and tourism.

The project has been delivered by the Manukau Harbour Crossing Alliance comprising the NZ Transport Agency, Fletcher Construction, Beca Infrastructure and Higgins Contractors.

The project was started in November 2007 and was opened to traffic in August 2010, seven months ahead of its original schedule.

Hirepools Involvement
Hirepool was involved from the very start of the Manukau Harbour Crossing project as one of the key suppliers of rental equipment to Manukau Harbour Crossing Alliance (Fletcher Construction & Higgins Contractors).

A range of equipment was supplied across Hirepool’s specialist product groups involving general hire, access, barricading, port-a-loos, energy and party hire.

Equipment supplied included specialist boom lifts, generators, pumps, compressors, road barriers, pedestrian rollers, compactors, drills, chainsaws, portable toilets and buildings.

Marquees and party hire equipment were also able to be supplied and constructed for various celebrations and health and safety awards. The most recent was the successful opening of the bridge in August 2010.

As well as providing rental equipment for the project, Hirepool also provided a dedicated account manager to make sure that equipment was supplied, serviced, picked up when and where it was needed.

Operational and safety training was also provided by Hirepool Access to Fletcher Construction staff on the use of the JLG 28m boom lifts – equipment that was fundamental to the construction of the bridge.

 “The silvercard training from Access was a great help and gave our staff great confidence around the JLGs”
Alex Parfitt - Construction Manager - Fletcher Construction  MHX Alliance

The Challenge
The project presented a number of challenges for Hirepool to meet. A rapid response time had to be achieved because of the nature of construction work. Equipment needed to be onsite when and where it was needed to not disrupt the progress of the construction. Onsite servicing also had to be performed on long-term rental equipment to make sure the hire equipment was delivering the desired outcomes.

Trust had to also be established with the MHX alliance team to make sure the project ran according to schedule and budget.

The Solution

Hirepool assigned a dedicated account manager to the task to make sure that all equipment was at the site when and where required. The account manager worked with the Alliance team to plan workflow for the rental equipment and liaise with the different Hirepool business units to make sure the equipment was available and delivered to schedule. This ensured the Alliance did not have to chase up gear, and could get on with the project at hand.

“It’s not just about providing equipment for the guys when they ring up and ask for it. We try to plan in advance when and where they will need the equipment and if they need something urgently there is always someone on the other end of the phone to get it to them as quickly as possible”
Warren Twort - Hirepool Business Relationship Manager

Because a central contact was established at the start of the project, the customer also had someone to ring if equipment was needed urgently.

“Any requests for gear that hadn’t been accounted for was responded to quickly” 
Tom Newbold - Civil Superintendent - Higgins Contractors  MHX Alliance

On site servicing was performed on long term rental equipment in order to not disrupt the construction work. Hirepool would service the equipment when it suited the construction timetable, often doing it when the guys were on breaks, before they started work or over the weekend. With regular servicing it meant that the equipment was not out of action when needed.

"Production never suffered as a result of equipment available when and where we need it”
Tom Newbold - Civil Superintendent - Higgins Contractors MHX Alliance

Hirepool also offered a support service for equipment, if something went wrong or the customer needed support on the safety or operational use.

“Very very good service – with breakdowns they are quick to respond”
Jamie Butler - Superintendent - Fletcher Construction MHX Alliance.

Results
The Manukau Harbour crossing was delivered seven months ahead of the original schedule.

“Hirepool have contributed to this by their dedication to rapid response times and the onsite servicing of equipment. Making sure all equipment was useable and available when it was needed”
Andrew Rose - Alliance Project Manager - Manukau Harbour Crossing

Hirepool established a trusted and valued relationship with the Alliance by working closely to provide a valuable service and great equipment.

“Always available and they had all the gear you needed”
Tom Newbold - Civil Superintendent - Higgins Contractors MHX Alliance