Big and intricate lifts across major Australian infrastructure projects is the strength of Alliance Engineering Consultants (AEC). The AEC team joins Cranes and Lifting to look at some of the greatest moments and challenges that have shaped this Western Australian company.
With about 150 years of combined experience, the talented team at Perth-based Alliance Engineering Consultants (AEC) specialises in the design and installation of innovative structures and lifting equipment in the offshore oil and gas and onshore civil construction industries.
This covers everything from the engineering of lifting and rigging systems for offshore and onshore brownfield projects, as well as front-end engineering design, detailed design and verification of diverse systems and management of civil/structural projects.
Since AEC Director and Chief Engineer Jeff Kazazi founded AEC 30 years ago, the consultancy has worked with major civil construction companies such as Laing O’Rourke and resources companies including Woodside, BHP, Inpex, Santos, Shell and Rio Tinto on some of Australia’s most important projects.
In recent years, alongside work on the Inpex-run Ichthys LNG plant in Darwin and many of Woodside’s offshore facilities, there has also been a wide list of unconventional jobs and lifting solutions that have come AEC’s way.
Surprisingly, adventure parks and ziplines are now in the AEC portfolio.
The team has used air skates to navigate equipment successfully into position with only minimal clearance, designed remedial rigging to lift large odd-shaped structures into place at gas plants and concept designed 860m-long zip lines proposed for Mount Buller in Victoria’s snow fields.
Humble beginnings
AEC started off with Jeff alone in a small office, but today boasts nation-wide recognition with a strong staff list of 15, 11 of whom are university qualified engineers.
As with most start-ups, cash flow was a challenge in the very early days, he recalls, with the cost of securing a commercial property and fitting it out with the latest equipment another hurdle “that required steady nerves.”
“Technology changes – including regular IT upgrades – rising office and insurance costs and the odd client who goes into liquidation before paying their overdue accounts have added to the challenges,” he said.
Jeff recalls two clients that went broke, costing the firm some $350,000. “We learned a lot about that aspect of business,” he said.
But one of the hardest lessons came when Jeff decided to help an old friend with the installation of some equipment into his fourth-floor apartment.
“I detailed a bespoke lifting system, bought the steel and rigging units and used my team to install it all. And just as we finished installing the lifting structures, the client called me and said, ‘take it all away!’. We suspected that he had not advised the strata manager regarding approval from the system.”
Jeff said the friend ‘had found another option’ after AEC had installed all the necessary gear. “We were left ‘holding the baby’.”
“You end up moving on, despite it being a bit painful… I moved on fairly quickly and realised that it’s all a lesson for later; I pass on these lessons to my team,” Jeff explained.
“I’ve learnt that if you really want to make sure you’re not going to get caught out, you’ve got to have a purchase order in place before progressing. Most reputable companies insist on this process anyway.”
The structural engineering design consultancy has been ISO 9001 accredited since the early-2000s – meeting the Quality Management System (QMS) standard which acts as an important business improvement tool.
New Challenges
Today’s range and scale of jobs is an indication of how far AEC has come since those early days.
AEC was engaged to perform verification works for the installation of four large valve platforms on the roofs of the liquefied natural gas (LNG), butane and propane tanks at the Ichthys LNG plant in Darwin.
The US$67 billion project required AEC’s expertise to help lift the valve access platforms onto big concrete tanks listed at approximately 30 metres high and 60m in diameter. The initial design by others had failed and the client was in need of urgent help.
These valve access platforms can exceed 400 tonnes and their shapes are not symmetrical.
“The whole project involved highly critical lifting and engineering procedures, so we had to make sure the physics was perfect and the tolerances carefully chosen,” said Jeff.
The project was a highlight for AEC, as the engineering team leant on its high-performing problem solving skills to resolve the issues in front of them and provide solutions to safely execute the lifts.
Jeff said he is very proud of the team’s efforts pertaining to those lifts.
“Our team in the office and onsite executed everything to the highest standard, they did a really good job,” Jeff said.
“At AEC, we’ve got a bit of a reputation for ‘pulling a rabbit out of a hat’. We believe there is no job too technically difficult that cannot be solved.”
For AEC’s Principal Structural Engineer Len Sgherza, who has been with the company since 2005, the consultancy’s willingness to take on new opportunities is an ongoing gift.
“The company is at an optimum size to be able to provide a rapid response to clients in need and we are often their first call in preference over much larger consultants who can be slower to engage and activate, and they don’t work on weekends!” Len said.
“AEC’s ‘can do’ approach, led by Jeff’s drive and enthusiasm for a challenge, has brought countless diverse and rewarding jobs to our playbook.”
While this has included work as far afield as China, Canada, Singapore and Norway, Len says local jobs can be equally as rewarding, especially those where the team is involved every step of the way.
“One example of this was the Cliff Head A Platform offshore from Dongara, Western Australia, where I was involved in the initial offshore survey then development, design, fabrication inspection, onshore trials and offshore installation of a large skidding and pulling system,” he said.
AEC designed and supported the fabrication and installation of a bi-directional skidding system for a temporary hydraulic workover unit (HWU) and laydown area onto the Cliff Head A platform off the coast of Dongara.
The entire system was installed using the platform’s existing 20t WLL crane, with AEC providing full implementation support including detailed installation workpacks, lift plans and attendance during fabrication, trial assembly and offshore installation.
The HWU system was installed on the facility over a period of three weeks, operating for another 10 until it successfully completed its work scope and was demobilised to Dongara for storage until it is next required. The client was able to increase production due to this system.
New Opportunities
Reflecting on the strength of the wider AEC team, Len can’t help but look back to the early days of his career.
“I first worked with Jeff Kazazi way back in 1990 when he hired me as a graduate structural engineer, when he was Supervising Engineer at Dawson Engineering,” he said.
“Way back then he was already known to be very generous in sharing his patience, work ethic and wisdom with his team.”
Len says little has changed with the way the wider AEC team has evolved since he joined the team in 2005.
“Jeff has built a dedicated and diverse team at AEC, taking each new member under his wing and bringing them into the fold,” he says.
Some AEC staff are out on site most days, assisting with directing major lifts performed by cranes and gantries.
If they’re not there, they are in the office, designing lift plans for incredibly large objects.
These include energy production topsides, steel trusses and most major components of infrastructure involved with mining and oil and gas shutdowns in Western Australia.
AEC Lead Designer Lee Ferguson says that finding safe and effective solutions to tasks “deemed practically impossible” is one of his favourite aspects of the job.
“Each team member has strengths they bring to the challenge which have been honed through decades of experience and each has a true passion for the technical and practical aspects of our engineering, 3D modelling and laser scanning skills,” he said.
Lee also praised the extra opportunities that come with being part of a smaller team – allowing greater exposure to the entire engineering process which, he said, has helped him develop as a designer.
AEC Senior Structural Engineer Melvyn Lim agreed, saying working at AEC has given him access to myriad work scopes and experiences.
“At AEC, we are given the autonomy to fully manage our projects from cradle to grave. We take ownership of the work scope in all aspects of the job from quoting to close-out,” he said.
“Rather than just focussing on the engineering aspects, this provides opportunities for a holistic development of the individual not only on technical engineering expertise but also critical thinking and management.
“Assistance and advice are also readily provided by seniors at AEC when help is sought, often obliging and setting aside precious time during the day amidst their workload to assist – whether it be meetings to bounce off ideas for a complex engineering design, carrying out independent design checks or queries on engineering analysis software, just to name a few,” he said.
For AEC Civil and Structural Engineer Yasmin Santana, her two and a half years at the company so far has seen her participate in the initial scope of work, advise clients on the most effective approaches and engage in the design and calculation phases of a series of projects.
“I’ve also had the opportunity to be hands-on during the installation and fabrication stages, where we manage the delivery of proposed materials, conduct proof load tests and assist clients through the installation and construction phases,” she said.
“For an engineer, there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing your designs come to life. This experience has not only helped refine my design approach but has also given me valuable insights into overcoming construction challenges. It also allows us to apply lessons learned and drive improvements in future projects.
“AEC is a truly multicultural company, and as a young female migrant engineer, I’ve always felt welcomed and supported. The word ‘team’ perfectly captures the spirit of AEC—collaboration and mutual support are at the core of our work,” she added.
Among the AEC team, Jeff’s generous attitude as a mentor, advisor and supporter are mentioned repeatedly – with staff praising his passion and dedication to the job.
“He fosters a culture of openness, where new ideas are welcomed, and experimentation and innovation are encouraged,” Yasmin said.
“We don’t work for him; we work with him.”
For Jeff, building a successful company has been a joy in and of itself, with many of the team having worked there for over ten years.
“Growing a team of valued and competent people has been very satisfying – and seeing their families grow over time is also rewarding,” he said.
“My trepidation over starting an engineering consultancy 30 years ago was soon overcome by the rewards that came from successes – and also the learnings from inevitable challenges.”
“I was warned early in the process that if a company cannot survive the first three years, then it was likely to fail. It is not by ‘luck’ that AEC has continued to operate for 30 years!
Instead, it’s the ability to learn from the past, to embrace the future and to always look for new challenges – and set out to meet them.
“Having a broad range of clients who appreciate what we do and are willing to work with us enables positive outcomes,” he said.
“The flexibility to take on very varied work scopes by choice is liberating. I’m also very proud of every member of the team who contribute at AEC and also lucky to have their support.”