BUNDALL, Australia, Feb. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — In what is an Australian first, infrastructure firm Global Road Technology (GRT) has been commissioned by the Indonesian military to build and develop roads across 1500 kilometres of the nations border regions for civilian use with it's specifically developed rapid deployment road stabilization technology.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140203/PH57460-a )
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140203/PH57460-b )
This will mark the first time an Australian company has partnered with the Indonesian military on a project like this, that will see GRT develop and deliver road infrastructure across some of the most remote parts of the country. GRT won the contract ahead of five other multi-national firms – including a Chinese consortium – to apply their road stabilization development technology in some of the most challenging conditions on earth.
GRT Director of Operations Ben Skinner said that the company is working directly alongside the Indonesian military, as part of a project that he believes is one of the most logistically challenging the infrastructure firm has undertaken.
"Firstly this project is unique as it marks the first time an Australian firm has worked directly with the Indonesian military on an infrastructure project such as this," Mr Skinner said.
"Secondly it represents one of the largest undertakings by GRT in terms of having to develop a supply chain to service the military in remote border regions situated across the Indonesian archipelago.
We are working in areas that take up to five days to reach, located in challenging mountain and jungle terrain and it is due to these conditions – coupled with the projects scale – that we anticipate that this contract may take up to several years before completion."
Global Road Technology exporting specifically designed road stabilization products using in-situ material that can be rapidly deployed across border regions by the Indonesian military. These road stabilization products have been specifically formulated for rapid deployment areas.
This will deliver significant savings for the Indonesian government, in addition to an environmental dividend with no importation of foreign material required for road construction, this results in major cost benefits.
Global Road Technology is initially using commercial airfreight to deliver product into Indonesia, before transferring the material to Military bases.
As the project continues GRT will be sending 27 shipping containers of product from Brisbane each month to islands such as the remote Biak – north of Papua New Guinea. These are then shipped and dispersed to individual islands and carried into the jungle by hand for final application.
According to Ben Skinner this deal with the Indonesian military highlights the adaptability of GRT road stabilization products, as well as the ability of the company to work on projects in some of the most remote areas and difficult conditions on earth.
"Indonesia's sheer size, the remoteness of some of the islands and the difficulty of the jungle terrain, are certainly some of the most logistically difficult and physically demanding conditions we have faced," Mr. Skinner said.
This deal highlights the ability of the firm to deliver effective infrastructure road stabilization solutions no matter what location and develop products that can withstand the toughest environmental conditions."
Further expansion of the company's workforce both in Australia and Indonesia and additional manufacturing capacity has been added in support of this announcement.
GRT's contract with the Indonesian military follow's the recent announcement of a US$110 million deal as part of a joint venture with Indian company Pearls in India.
This month Global Road Technology have entered into a joint venture with a major Brazil infrastructure company that has seen containers of GRT product arrive in Brazil with applications scheduled for February.
Contact:
Lloyd Ashcroft
+65 6632 3652
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