Howard Porter wins Chevron semi deal

THE Chevron-led $50 billion Gorgon LNG development continues to deliver huge side benefits for the Western Australian economy, with Spearwood-based trucking manufacturer Howard Porter winning the state's biggest ever order for semi-trailers.

The 70-year-old road transport services group has been contracted by Chevron to manufacture 300 custom-built semi-trailers to transport the huge volumes of equipment and construction materials to the Gorgon plant site on Barrow Island.

Although based on standard design, the custom-built trailers will incorporate a number of features to comply with the island's strict quarantine requirements, mostly aimed at limiting the transport of dirt or other foreign material from the mainland which could threaten the unique ecology of the Class-A nature reserve.

The trailers will carry no spare tyres, tyre racks, or toolboxes, while each trailer will be fitted with airbag suspension and a single axle in place of the usual 'spider' axle.

The contract win represents a significant achievement for the local company, and is a major vote of confidence in its capacity to deliver into large-scale contracts.

The contract is expected to take eight months to complete, with first trailers slated for delivery in September.

The Howard Porter deal is just the latest in a string of contracts, jointly worth $1.8 billion, awarded for the Gorgon project ahead of the final investment decision expected in mid September.

It also comes amid calls for more initiatives to boost local participation in major projects and stem the increasing flow of work to lower-cost suppliers offshore.

Those calls have gathered momentum during the past week, with the Australian Steel Institute accusing Premier Colin Barnett of favouring Chinese steel producers over local suppliers in tendering for the Oakajee deepwater port project.

Unions have also been angered by the premier's push to ease restrictions on the employment of guest workers to meet an expected labour shortage caused by the overlapping development of major projects such as Gorgon and Oakajee.

To that end, the federal government this week announced a $19.1 million funding boost to help Australian businesses win a greater share of government and private sector contracts.

The program includes an extra $8.5 million over four years for the Industry Capability Network initiative, which enables contractors and service providers to gain pre-accreditation to tender for contracts on major projects across Australia, and provides access to appropriate tendering opportunities.