DBM develops sustainable niche

DBM Vircon’s steady ascent over the past five decades has helped lift the business to the finishing line at this year’s RISE Business Awards, with the digital engineering firm named the Medium-sized Business of the Year.

Founded in 1972, Applecross-based DBM Vircon has carved out a significant niche in the field of construction modelling and industrial design, having played a significant role in the design of Rio Tinto’s Gudai-Darri and BHP’s South Flank mines.

Outside of Australia, the firm has secured major parts in the design of major pieces of infrastructure in the US, including Salesforce Tower in San Francisco, the David Geffen Theater in Los Angeles, and the Abraham Lincoln Bridge in Louisville.

That work, among others, has contributed to the firm’s near doubling of revenue in the past two years, with profitability and staffing numbers surging alongside several new contracts.

Innovation has played a significant part in that success, with the firm boasting nearly 50 years’ of institutional knowledge of the drafting process, backed by its team of long-standing programmers and engineers.

DBM Vircon has worked diligently to keep retention high in that time through its cadet program and ongoing professional development, with more than a quarter of DBM’s team having been with the business for more than 10 years.

Learning from mistakes has also been paramount, as the business has moved away from reducing its training of cadets during downturns to sticking with its staff in leaner times.

In addition, learning to apply for brownfield projects has helped diversify the company’s portfolio, with DBM having already identified a significant pipeline of work in Australia over the next three years.

That should aid the company on its well-trodden, sustainable growth path, and ensure its place as one of WA’s most intriguing medium-sized businesses in the years ahead.