"Time flies when there is a lot going on"

So far, the merger has been a natural addition. When Bart Kelly took on his new role twelve months ago, he moved to the Emu Plains workshop to manage the day-to-day business. Looking back over the year, his highlights have been the completion of some fantastic projects, requiring a range of skills and equipment that no one else has: Cockle Creek, Sydney Harbour Bridge deck upgrade, Broadwater stringer replacement, Breeza bearings and many more.

In Scott Robinson’s view, continuing improvement in business processes, creating solid pillars for the further company growth and also exploring opportunities in niche markets are at the very top of the agenda for the coming year. What has impressed Richardson the most in the last twelve months has been the commitment and passion of the RKR team for the transition to the RSRG business model and the continuing efforts for clients.

A particular highlight for the team this year was the “Cockle Creek Bridge” project. In this contract, the new team’s ability to cooperate was put to the test for the first time. The project involved designing, making and installing a temporary encapsulation for the removal and replacement of the lead paint on the Cockle Creek Rail Bridge near Newcastle. The bridge structure dating from 1957 had to be encapsulated so that the bridge could be blasted without the lead paint polluting the river below it. The structure also had to bear the weight of the people who would then repaint it while trains could continue to operate.