BridgeFab PUSHING STEEL FORWARD
BridgeFab PUSHING STEEL FORWARD BridgeFab is a family-owned business that has grown to become a significant player in the structural steel industry. The company offer a range of services that cater to a variety of projects, including new buildings, unit developments, and extensions and refurbishments. No matter what they take on, they represent value for money, and are committed to delivering excellence in engineering and service.
BridgeFab
BridgeFab Founded in 2001 as ametalwork business, BridgeFab changed ownership around 2007, and has tripled in size since. Today, they mainly work in the greater Brisbane CBD on structural steel projects ranging from 10 tonnes to 100 tonnes. According to Director Anthony Ridout, BridgeFab has achieved that growth, primarily, due to the skill and dedication of their staff. “As you probably know, it’s the team that builds the business, and I believe we’ve got a great team,” he says. BridgeFab employs a highly skilled staff of project managers, draftsman, and foremen – many of whom have been with the business for years now. “We are a family run business whose mission is to enhance the lives of those that work for us,” Anthony says. “We support our staff through understanding their needs and concerns with a particular emphasis on finding the right work-life balance for the individual. For example, our boilermakers start early at 5am and finish early, thereby allowing them to pick up their children at school
BridgeFab FOREFRONT OF TECHNOLOGY on the way home.” BridgeFab enjoys equally strong relationships with their suppliers, Anthony adds. He says their dedication has been just as vital to the company’s quick success. “Suppliers are very important in being able to act as an extension of our business,” he explains.“They do this by anticipating our needs and reacting quickly to demands that are placed on our workflow. Without the hard work of our suppliers, we would be unable to meet our client’s expectations.” BridgeFab is heavily customer-service focused, and has implemented an integrated management system to ensure that all of their clients’ diverse needs are met throughout a project’s life. They also consistently review their performance and strategy to ensure their quality is always the best it can be. According to Anthony, this focus is what sets BridgeFab apart. “We know if we don’t do a good job, we
BridgeFab won’t be invited back,” he says. “As a small business, we have a vested interest in providing the service and skillset required to do the job in a timely manner, and also to the quality that’s required.” “Having a smaller business enables us to have our finger more on the pulse,” he adds. “It also allows customers to contact the management directly, as opposed to having to go through three or four layers to get to the top. This means that customers are always talking to someone who knows about their project and has a vested interest in getting it done right. That personal touch gives the client confidence we have their best interests at heart.” BridgeFab is also set apart by their dedication to staying at the forefront of technology. For example, BridgeFabis installing a stateof-the-art fabrication robot which will cut steel in 3D, eliminating the need for drills or saws. As an added bonus, that robot will also mark out the structural steel beams,reducing the need for boilermakers. The company is also at the cutting edge of understanding and applying new 3D Scan-
BridgeFab
BridgeFab -ning technology techniques, Anthony adds. “3D Scanning technology is quickly becoming our standard for any new refurbishment we undertake,” he says.“We are on the forefront of not only understanding the technology, but applying it in reality and at no cost to our builder. This eliminates builder error and enables BridgeFab to add steel to existing structures to the millimetre and without onsite fabrication.” BridgeFab also embraces technology when it comes to their marketing, Anthony says. “We invest heavily with online marketing and have branded ourselves as a professional modern steel fabrication business,” he explains. “We are currently aiming for a number one spot on google for steel fabrication in Brisbane, and we maintain a blog and provide video content for what we do as an organisation. We see the online presence a very important strategic asset to our business.” Over the years, BridgeFab has completed a long list of diverse and interesting projects. PROVEN CAPABILITIES
BridgeFab Highlights include refurbishing a shed for Manus Island Detention Centre, an upgrade of Government House Brisbane, a new retirement village at Corinda, and a new University of Queensland Chemistry Laboratory. BridgeFab was also part of the awardwinning team that they were a winner at the 2014 Australian Steel Institute’s National Steel Excellence Awards. Along with HASSELL, Bligh Tanner, McNab, CMC Steel Distribution, JBD Group, and A&I Coatings, BridgeFab was presented the award for their work on the Global Chance Institute (GCI). The awards jury highly praised the GCI entry, particularly for displaying architectural merit and attention to sustainability. Steel was integral to the building’s strength, and makes up the GCI’s soaring atrium structure, central floating stairs, and sun shading façade. “That recognition is very important to us, because we invested so much of our time and energy into that project,” he says. “It’s good to have some formal recognition for the hard
BridgeFab work we put in.” “That was one of those projects that required us to be at the top of our game,” he adds. “To be able to receive an award like that is a real bonus for us. It recognises that we did do a good job – and it’s not just us saying that, it’s our industry peers.” Anthony is also particularly proud of that award because of what the project represents. According to him, it is proof that structural steel can be used to produce “highly visual architectural masterpieces,” while also being cheaper, faster, and more reliable than timber or concrete. On top of that, the award also proves that BridgeFab is one of the few companies that can make that happen. “It solidifies that we know what we’re doing, andwe can tackle the very complex, large projects,” he says. “And hopefully from that, clients can see that if we are able to do that, we’re able to do the smaller projects as well. It really proves our capabilities as a business.” Moving forward, Anthony says he wants to continue proving those capabilities on whatever projects come BridgeFab’s way. He predicts a strong future for the company, and
BridgeFab says they will get there by continuing to invest in both people and technology. “We are currently in the process of rebranding our business from Bridge Fabrications to BridgeFab,” he explains. “We expect that with the introduction of new technology,BridgeFab will become a major player in the steel fabrication industry. We are excited about shifting the old school mentality that is typified in our boiler-making heritage, and modernising the way steel is fabricated and erected.” “We want to drive the future forward, and be market drivers in the steel game,” he concludes. “We want to be the people that you turn to for accurate structural steel.”
BridgeFab
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTYzNTg=