SETT ING THE BAR SKROBAR ENGINEERING
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Skrobar Engineering | 3 SETT ING THE BAR SKROBAR ENGINEERING Based in Dandenong, Victoria, Skrobar Engineering is one the leading structural steel companies on the market. For more than 40 years, they have been offering specialised commercial steel fabrication services to businesses across Australia. “We have a long history of providing high quality steelwork solutions for projects large and small,” says Managing Director Andrew Matthews. “We’re extremely proud of that.” The company was founded in 1969 by the Skrobar family. Matthews joined in 1984, after being approached by founder Frank Skrobar, whom he had known and admired for several years. Matthews had a long history in the field – his family have been key players in the Victorian building industry since the 1860s – so he had the skills and drive necessary to take the company to the next level. “I was quite interested in coming on board a small company and helping to build it from the ground up,” he recalls. “It seemed like a great opportunity, and it was.” Skrobar Engineering has evolved considerably since Matthews came aboard. In 1984, the company was stationed in a small, 400-square
4 | Skrobar Engineering metre factory in Mordiallac. By 1997, they had upgraded their facilities two times, and were operating out of a factory three times the size of their original one. At that point, the company had already established a strong reputation – which they built even stronger in the years to come. The company’s evolution is still ongoing. Recently, they acquired the Trojan Specialised Structure business and facility in Dandenong, Victoria – a move which increased their manufacturing capability by 40 per cent, and also bolstered their workforce. “We now provide up to 300 tonnes of structural steel per month, and have a team of 30 dedicated staff,” Matthews says. Today, Skrobar Engineering takes on projects anywhere in Victoria, and has also worked interstate in South Australia and Queensland. The price range for a typical Skrobar project varies from $500,000 to $1.5 million, but can go as high as $6 million or $7 million. “We’re even competitive on jobs that cost $10,000,”Matthews says. “And no matter the size, our projects are all built on-time and are cost-effective.” FAMILY APPROACH Skrobar Engineering essentially has the ability to “tackle anything,” Matthews says – that’s why their clients come to them. In their many years in the industry, they have offered steelwork for a wide-range of office, commercial, warehousing and production facilities. They have specialised in many institutional
Skrobar Engineering | 5 building works, universities, schools, hospitals, nursing homes and sporting facilities, and have been handpicked by many leading Victorian businesses to provide structural steel for their projects – so their capabilities are vast. “I will go and renovate an old city building if that’s what the client wants,” Mattew says. “Or I will build a brand new state-of-the-art warehouse, or I will go and build a university or a school, or a service station or a bridge – I will do anything, that’s my attitude.” “In fact, some of the other steel fabricators who specialise in different sections of the industry will tell the client to go and see me if the job is too messy for them.” According to Matthews, Skrobar Engineering’s skillset is so varied as a result of how the company grew. They started off small, and allowed themselves to gradually gain experience. They never took on too much at one time, and they always made sure they had the proper capabilities before committing to a project. “We’ve evolved over the years and have done all sorts of messy jobs,” Matthews says. “We’ve done the kind of jobs where we’ve had to rope steel 18 metres above the stage of the Princess Theatre where they performed Les Mis.” “We’ve done heritage work, we’ve lifted buildings up, and we’ve lifted service station canopies all over Victoria,” he adds.” So we have the experience.” That experience – and the decades of quality work and competitive pricing that goes with it – has allowed Skrobar to establish longstand-
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Skrobar Engineering | 7 ing and positive relationships with their customers. It has taught them the right way to deal with people, and it has earned them a reputation for solving problems immediately. “The first client I’ve ever won a job from is still my client today,” Matthews explains. “The key to success is repeat business, and repeat clients. If the client keeps coming back to you, you must be doing something right.” Skrobar Engineering also enjoys positive relationships with their roughly 30 employees – or “the family,” as Matthews refers to them. “The family extends from those who are directly employed by us to our suppliers and our subcontractors as well. I support the people I’ve formed relationships with over the years, and I believe they support me in return.” Many members of Skrobar’s “family” have been with the company for over a decade. One staff member, for example, has been there nearly as long as Matthews has. “I sponsored him to come to Australia and we’ve been working together non-stop since,” he says. MODERN FUTURE Moving forward, Skrobar Engineering aims to
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Skrobar Engineering | 9 pursue more potentially memorable projects to add to their already impressive portfolio – which includes jobs like the Burrinjura Cultural Centre with Procon, and the Maribyrnong Aquatinc Centre with ADCO Constructions. “Those were pretty amazing jobs,” Matthew says. “We hope to do more like those in the future.” To get that kind of work, however, Skrobar Engeinnering will need to continue to stay at the cutting edge of technology. Currently, that means looking at upgrading their automatic cutting and profiling equipment for the near-future. “More modernising is needed, rather than outward growth, to streamline our facilities so we can have more control over our production of steel,” Matthews says. Looking ahead to the longer term, Matthews is planning to hand over control of Skrobar Engineering to his two sons in the next five years. He will still be involved with the company, but in a diminished role with less responsibilities. He’s confident his “family” approach will live on. “The company’s future is in excellent hands,” he says.
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