CLOUGH Engineering has given the head of its property division a new role in order to better integrate the market activities of its operational business sectors.
CLOUGH Engineering has given the head of its property division a new role in order to better integrate the market activities of its operational business sectors.
Kevin Luttrell has been appointed Business Line director-property and will also join the board of directors of Clough Engineering.
The restructure seeks to put a greater emphasis on growing the order book and profitability by building the business rel-ationships with clients.
The changes come only a year after the business was initially restructured into three business arms – oil and gas, minerals, and infrastructure and manu-facturing.
Clough Engineering man-aging director Rob Jewkes said adding the property division as a fourth core business line was important and was in recog-nition of the growing import-ance of the property sector with the group.
“This more seamless structure will allow us to better leverage opportunities for all our divisions from the point of view of our building and property activities,” Mr Jewkes said.
Mr Luttrell joined Clough Engineering in 1970 as a civil engineer and worked with the company for a decade before leaving to form Entact Pty Ltd as a commercial and industrial building company based in Perth. In 1991, Clough took a controlling interest in the company and re-badged it as Entact Clough and moved to full ownership in 1999.
Last year Clough property division was created to consolidate the management of the portfolio of building and land assets previously managed separately by Clough Limited, Entact Clough and the group’s interest in Landrow Limited.
Landrow’s assets include residential land subdivisions at Jane Brook and Clarkson, part ownership of the successful Mindarie Keys and Ellenbrook residential estates and the St Loius Estate retirement village.
Clough initially hopes to focus just on WA property over the next 12 months, before spreading its ambitions to other states.
The focus will also move into the commercial and industrial sectors with the company looking at three sites in the CBD and West Perth as well as the construction of a $6 million storage facility for eastern States company ColdLine at Bentley Avenue in Kewdale. Construction is due to start in two months time.
“I think generally its going to be a very difficult market over the next year, but still with enough opportunities,” Mr Luttrell said.
Entact Clough’s recent projects include the Chamber of Commerce $11.5 million head-quarters, the Moorings in Fremantle for $7.9 million, 181 St Georges Terrace for $7.4 million, the Fremantle Football Club headquarters for $3.2 million, the Fremantle cinema complex and the Australian consulate apartments in China for $13 million.
“Working in so many diferent industries and countries around the world, it’s easy to sometimes miss the opportunities which can flow from the various divisions working more closely together,” Mr Jewkes said.
“Our building contracts can provide the entry for our other engineering skills and services to also win work on some projects. Conversely, some of the mainstream engineering construction activities can open the door for getting involved in associated building works too.”
The Clough Group holds a portfolio of properties with a current book value of more than $50 million. The properties are located in diverse locations including Airlie Beach in Queensland, Karratha and Perth. As part of his new role, Mr Luttrell will also have a mission to unlock greater value from those land assets.
