A local access management firm has entered a partnership with Swedish scaffolding manufacturer HAKI to provide a platform for expansion into the oil and gas industry.
A local access management firm has entered a partnership with Swedish scaffolding manufacturer HAKI to provide a platform for expansion into the oil and gas industry.
SMS Group Services was established in 2001, and since that time has largely been focused on providing scaffolding and other access management solutions in Western Australia’s mining industry.
Major clients include BHP, Karara Mining, Tianqi Lithium and MSP Engineering, all of which have contracted SMS for access management, confined space management and shutdown services across a wide range of construction and maintenance projects.
SMS recently entered a partnership with HAKI, which has developed a scaffolding system that eliminates the need for tools and hammering in assembly, uses fewer components than traditional scaffolding, and reduces fall risks.
The HAKI system also provides a better option to get around pipes and corners on worksites, while it also has a larger bay than traditional scaffolding to give tradespeople a bigger work area.
SMS Group Services managing director Mark Welsh said the partnership would provide an opportunity for the company to expand its reach into the oil and gas sector.
Mr Welsh said SMS would demonstrate the HAKI system at the Australian Oil & Gas Conference in March.
“There is an old-fashioned view of things in the north-west of what they do; there is a system called tube and fit, which has been used forever and was the first scaffolding.
“People have been using it for so long so they don’t think a modularised system would work.
“With HAKI, it’s a little bit cleverer, but we have to sell its capabilities to the oil and gas industry.”
HAKI Australia technical sales representative Mick Allen said selling the benefits of the system to Australian oil and gas players should be a simple proposition, given the Swedish company’s extensive experience in supplying scaffolding to European energy groups.
“HAKI has been trading for just over 60 years now and a lot of our business is based around oil and gas, particularly in Norway and with UK operators in the North Sea,” he said.
“That’s why we feel there is a definite benefit here for the offshore oil and gas industry.”
