ONE man’s vision to provide a value-added pressure-testing service to the construction, resources and oil and gas industries, has led to the emergence of a leading Australian company poised to expand offshore.
ONE man’s vision to provide a value-added pressure-testing service to the construction, resources and oil and gas industries, has led to the emergence of a leading Australian company poised to expand offshore.
Paul Newbound founded Australian Pressure Testing Services (APTS) in 2003 as a one-man consultancy to exploit a lack of services and competition in the marketplace.
Today the Henderson-based company boasts a workforce of 115, which is tipped to jump to 153 as it eyes expansion within Australia and overseas. It also has an operation in Brisbane.
APTS, which is accredited by the National Association of Testing Services, provides hydrostatic and pneumatic testing of pipelines, vessels, valves and hoses.
It also offers chemical cleaning and flushing services and operates a state of the art calibration laboratory to check and repair temperature and pressure instrumentation.
Revenue has jumped sharply since 2008 and is projected to more than double this financial year.
As managing director, Mr Newbound focused heavily on building relationships with his clients in the early years of the business, a strategy that helped him expand the company and diversify its services.
He drew on his own values to shape his company’s ethos, a positive culture that drives it forward today. He aimed to make the company a benchmark in the industry, highly regarded by customers and competitors for its integrity, ethics and values.
This has formed the basis of the company’s strong growth over the past few years and is central to its future expansion plans. APTS places a high value on staff training and retention and constantly improving its services. Clients are surveyed regularly to make sure APTS is hitting the mark and the company’s potential to improve is exploited.
APTS used this approach to secure all the testing and pre-commissioning work on onshore projects at Woodside Petroleum’s Pluto LNG development on the Burrup Peninsula.
The company has also invested heavily in its processes, systems and infrastructure to ensure sustained growth. “APTS is a service provider and, as such, our growth is directly linked to the number of high quality people we can attract to the company,” APTS says.
APTS’ highly regarded training programs are being looked at to improve standards throughout the industry and the company is hoping they will become part of a nationally recognised accreditation scheme.
APTS has both short-term and long-term plans to develop its Australian operations and venture into overseas markets. It ultimately wants to be a world leader in its field of operation.
Despite its solid growth, the company says it remains a family business and reflects the family’s approach and ethics.
“The focus of APTS is not on the dollars but rather on providing great service to our clients and a good future for our employees,” it says. “By getting this right and ensuring we have the right systems and motivated managers, we ensure the successful continuity of the company.”
