When a major pipeline project got underway in Queensland, Pollard’s Sawdust Supplies were tasked with securely bedding the pipe to ensure on-site safety.
When the first pipes for the $983 million Fitzroy to Gladstone Pipeline arrived in Rockhampton, Queensland in June 2023, they had travelled a distance of 1955km from Somerton in Victoria.
Getting the precious pipes on site and strung out required Pollard’s reliable and durable Pack Tuff pipeline bedding to complete the job safely.
Pollard’s Sawdust Supplies was established in 1968, as a provider of sawdust for butcher shop floors.
The company is now a leading manufacturer and distributor of sustainably sourced wood shavings and sawdust in Australia. Its primary material is Australian softwood and hardwood fibres, and its eco-friendly products are biodegradable and chemical free.
Pollard’s specialises in providing a simple and reliable solution for pipeline bedding with its Pack Tuff bags, a lightweight yet heavy-duty solution for protecting assets on-site, during transportation and while in storage.
When Steel Mains transported its pipes to Rockhampton for the Fitzroy to Gladstone Pipeline Project, they turned to Pollard’s for the pipe’s on-site protection.
The 117km pipeline project will deliver long-term water security to the Gladstone region, with the capacity to transport 30 gigalitres per annum from the Fitzroy River to Gladstone.
The project was awarded to the McConnell Dowell BMD Joint Venture team with Steel Mains secured to manufacture the pipes and Pollard’s trusted with the pipeline bedding.
The first pipes arrived in June 2023 and the project hit the halfway mark a year later, with 63km of pipeline laid by mid-June 2024.
Pollard’s Director Peter Brennan told The Australian Pipeliner that he and his company were proud to be part of the project and collaboration.
“We provided the sawdust for all the pipes that were going out and Steel Mains were producing a lot of pipes, so it was pretty constant work,” he said.
“We were sending out three deliveries a week to them – 30 pallets, 900 bags a week for almost 12 months.
“It was a big operation and there was a lot of planning and logistics needed.
“We had to make sure we had the volume of sawdust required, the customised bags and the staff necessary to complete the orders while also supporting and servicing our regular clients as well.”
Brennan said it was a source of pride to see his team take on such a mammoth project and deliver it with flying colours.
“It was great to see it all come together and work like that and to see the team being able to fulfil all the orders and meet the demands, even under a bit of pressure.
“It was our main job, the biggest we were involved in over the last year, and we’re really pleased with how it went and our involvement.”
Pollard’s Pack Tuff bags are shipped across Australia and pallets arrive on-site stretch- wrapped and weatherproof.
The bags have been used on a number of projects around the country involving companies such as McConnell Dowell, Steel Mains, MPC Kinetic, Spiecapag, John Holland, and Nacap.
These projects include the Victorian Desalination Plant, Northern Gas Pipeline, Lake Way Gas Pipeline, Agnew Gas Pipeline, Victorian North-South pipeline, W.O.R.M. project, as well as the Wentworth to Broken Hill Pipeline for which Pollard’s provided approximately 25,000 Pack Tuff bags.
Gavin Hainsworth, a Technical Sales Engineer at Steel Mains, has worked with Pollard’s Pack Tuff bags on a number of occasions.
“We’ve often seen clients reuse the bags because the quality of the Pollard’s bags is that good,” he said.
“During one project in Townsville, we had roughly 700 bags with seven-tonne pipes sitting on them for 12 months in far north Queensland weather conditions.
“When the pipes were taken off, the bags dried out and were still in great nick, so we offered them to a local contractor because they were perfect for reusing.
“I also saw competitor’s bags break down during this 12-month period, leaving sawdust everywhere, while Pollard’s still looked new.”
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This feature also appears in the November edition of The Australian Pipeliner.