Business & Challenges in Australia
Working in Australia whilst being part of a global cable manufacturer does come with challenges. Due to the distance from European based factories and elevated freight costs combined with competitive markets stemming from Asia, results in difficulties in the cable supply side of the business. Therefore, we focus on areas where can not only compete, but add significant value where others cannot. These areas include Accessory Sales, Service & Installation and Product Training. Being the only cable manufacturer to have its own service division is what distinguishes us from Australian competitiors. Our service division has been at the forefront of the renewable generation movement in Australia and we forecast a large potential for growth. This provides excellent opportunities, since the country has recently legislated emissions reductions targets in 2022, opening the door to further investment. For example, it provides boundless opportunities for large scale solar, wind and battery projects on the pathway to net zero by 2050. So far, NKT Australia has either supplied and/or installed up to 40% of large scale renewable projects and there has been a shift in focus from onshore wind to upcoming offshore opportunities.One of our recent achievements is the supply of cable accessories for the
Port Augusta Wind Farm, one of the Southern Hemisphere's largest hybrid renewable power stations.
Our cable jointers live up to 250 days a year away from home, which is due to the large distances. There are also some unique site conditions, such as poor mobile coverage outside of major cities and temparatures exceeding 50 degrees celsius in the summer months.
Apart from new project installations, our service department also sets itself apart due to the local knowledge and expertise surrounding Low-Pressure Oil-Filled cable systems. Paul McLean, our local industry expert, has developed the business over the years to now be the main point of call for various electrical utilities based across Australia. We pride ourselves on our customer service culture foundations and foster a learnign and development-based environment both internally and externally. Both Paul McLean and Paul McNab double as our local product trainers and assessors. They frequently travel across Australia and New Zealand to provide product certification training and have certified over 50 professionals over 2021 and 2022 alone.