Infrastructure

France’s RATP Dev delivers innovative and sustainable transport solutions in Australia

Urban public transport operator RATP Dev is bringing world-leading experience in fully automated metro services to the Western Sydney Airport line.

RATP Dev’s parent company, RATP Group, has operated the Paris metro network for over 120 years. The state-owned French company delivered the first high-capacity driverless line on the Paris metro in 1998.

Today the Group operates public transport services through more than 100 subsidiaries in 15 countries, transporting 1.5 billion passengers a year.

Now RATP Dev is growing its footprint in Australia. It is part of the Parklife Metro Consortium contracted to deliver the new Sydney Metro transport line to service the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport. Once the line is operational, RATP Dev will operate the metro line for 15 years.

Operator-led designs for accessibility

RATP Dev is an equity investor in the Sydney Metro project and is involved in the design phase.

‘Since we will be responsible for running the line, it is important that we are not just waiting for the project to be delivered,’ says Denis Masure, RATP Dev’s General Manager Australia & New Zealand. ‘We want to positively influence the whole delivery of the metro line. We have considerable skin in the game.’

Since metro lines are fully automated, reliability issues such as on-time running are largely taken care of. This allows the operator to focus on other issues affecting customer experience. That includes improving customer information, passenger flow management and accessibility.

‘For us, accessibility is not just about compliance with accessibility standards,’ Masure says. ‘You need to bring design engineering expertise and all the lessons learned through experience. This will ensure customers can genuinely access the service, even when it is degraded or under pressure.’

Every project and location is different, agrees Masure. ‘But we have an amazing opportunity with the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport because it’s the highest international level of service that is expected. Customers will be tired, they will have luggage, some will have language and mobility challenges. It will be a very interesting project to bring all our experience and technical innovations to welcome customers.’

Emissions reduction and sustainability

Efficient public transport service will be important for reducing carbon emissions. The project has committed to achieving carbon-neutral certification from construction to operation.

Measures will include offsetting carbon emissions during construction. The electric metro trains will use regenerative braking to minimise energy usage. Stations and depots will be covered in photovoltaic cells.

RATP Dev looks forward to introducing the technical innovations it and project partner Siemens Mobility have developed in working together. Their recent projects around the world include Paris lines 1, 4 and 14 and the Riyadh Metro.

Australia’s A$155 billion commitment to rail investment

Australia has been on RATP Dev’s radar for some time, explains Masure. The group is relatively selective when it comes to opportunities. But it has a strong appetite for investment in countries committing to new fully automated metro lines.

Three new metro lines are planned by both New South Wales and Victoria (Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport, Sydney Metro West and Melbourne Suburban Loop).

‘The pipeline was extraordinary,’ says Masure. ‘It is not very often there are 3 outstanding projects in a wonderful country such as Australia. It was the perfect timing for us to open our business in Australia.

‘The procurement process itself has been one of the best we’ve been involved in,’ he adds. ‘Sydney Metro has been very professional and has done an amazing job of sticking to their deadlines. A procurement of this size is almost never completed in the timeline expected.’

The Australian Government is investing in reducing road freight and utilising public transport to accelerate progress to net zero, says Austrade Investment Director Driss Sekkat.

‘Rail generates less carbon emissions compared to road – 16 times less for freight. Australia has committed A$155 billion in rail infrastructure investment over the next 10 years. Australia is seeking global partners to transition its rail network and decarbonise its transport sector.’

Austrade’s support in facilitating discussions

Masure acknowledges the support from Austrade’s global network, since starting to work with Austrade in 2019.

Austrade’s expertise was important in facilitating discussions at many levels, explains Masure. ‘At one point we were having discussions with another government agency. Austrade helped us understand the global perspective of the commercial matter and reaching a resolution.’

Further opportunities to transform urban transit

Masure stresses that RATP Dev’s priority is delivering on its promises for the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport metro.

After that, the company is looking forward to future opportunities to bring innovation to Australia’s urban transport networks, with a primary focus on complex rail projects.

Go further, faster with Austrade

• Contact Austrade for more information about investment opportunities in Australia.

• Subscribe to our Austrade Europe, UK and Israel Newsletter to discover new trade and investment opportunities, insights and success stories in key sectors.

Published: 31 August 2023

Wisk’s self-flying, electric air taxis to land in Australia

The future of flight is coming to Australia, with Wisk bringing its self-flying, electric air taxis to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane.

The company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Council of Mayors South East Queensland (“Council of Mayors”). The two organisations will work together to introduce a safe, sustainable and scalable autonomous air taxi service to South East Queensland.

The world’s most advanced air taxi

US-based Wisk is an advanced air mobility (AAM) company backed by The Boeing Company and Kitty Hawk Corporation.

The company will bring its sixth-generation air taxi to Australia. Launched in September 2022, it is the world’s first self-flying, all-electric, vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air taxi.

The Generation 6, 4-seater air taxi combines industry-leading autonomous technology and software with human oversight of every flight. Its simplified design will deliver one of the safest passenger transport systems in commercial aviation. It is the first-ever autonomous, passenger-carrying eVTOL air taxi to be considered for FAA certification.

South East Queensland’s mix of rural, beach and city landscapes makes it the perfect location to trial and launch innovations such as AAM and eVTOL aircraft.

‘We are proud to engage with forward-thinking local leaders, like the Council of Mayors, to advance the introduction of AAM,’ says Gary Gysin, Chief Executive Officer of Wisk. ‘[It will] benefit not only Wisk, but local communities and the industry as a whole.

‘This is an exciting time for us, as we continue our momentum and expand our global presence. We look forward to building on the strong relationships we have in Australia to make safe, all-electric, autonomous flight a reality.’

How Austrade helped

Austrade helped Wisk to set up a presence in Australia. The agency provided:

• introductions to government organisations including the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and Airservices Australia
• invitations to events, roundtables and industry briefings
• market entry consultative guidance
• referrals to professional services firms.

Published: 9 February 2023

Spectainer’s world-first integrated collapsible containers to pioneer the future of global trade

Australian company Spectainer has invented a next-generation collapsible container that is set to change the shipping and logistics industry. The Collapsible Economic Container – known as COLLAPSECON – is a holistic, integrated solution. It collapses and combines up to 4 containers into one without cranes or manual labour. A tracking device on each container provides rich data on fleet movements and carbon emissions.

Spectainer modelling shows COLLAPSECON can potentially reduce:

• container operating costs by between 20% to 40%
• empty container handling costs by up to 75%
• fuel burn by 20–30%
• emissions from shipping by around 17%.

‘At Spectainer, our mission is to pioneer the future of global trade by creating innovative, practical and scalable solutions to evolve the shipping and logistics sector,’ says Nicholas Press, Spectainer’s Founder and Managing Director.

World’s first mass-produced collapsible containers

The idea for COLLAPSECON came to Press when he was a logistics officer with the Australian Army. While stationed overseas, he noticed huge numbers of empty shipping containers that seemed to increase every month.

‘The empty containers had a growing impact on our operational environment,’ says Press. ‘It made me realise there was a fundamental issue with how logistics and supply chains functioned.

‘The shipping container is the backbone of the global shipping industry, but it is not ultimately efficient. While COLLAPSECON is not the first-ever collapsible container, I wanted to develop a solution that improves operational efficiency, saves costs and reduces environmental impact.’

A key point of difference between COLLAPSECON and other collapsible containers is ‘separating the collapsing from the collapsible’.

Spectainer achieves this through the COLLAPSECON Operating Station (COS). The COS is a first-of-its-kind automated platform that enables users to collapse up to 4 shipping containers into one. It takes around 2 minutes to collapse or expand each container, with no manual intervention. In contrast, it can take between 20 and 30 minutes and the use of cranes and manual labour to collapse other containers.

In addition to the COS, each COLLAPSECON has a container tracking device called SEACON. The device captures real-time data to optimise fleet management. Users can monitor their containers and validate environmental data to check emission levels.

‘We did not invent the concept of collapsible containers,’ says Press. ‘What we are pioneering is a holistic integrated solution to make them work at an industrial scale. Our solution is not just well engineered, it’s also operationally efficient.’

Video: Watch the COLLAPSECON in action.

Addressing global logistics challenges

The mass accumulation of empty containers is due to the trade imbalance between production regions like China and consumption regions like Australia.

Consumption regions typically import more general cargo than they export. Instead of taking back empty containers to production regions, it is common for shipping lines to leave them behind. This is because ships will stop at multiple ports along a route to pick up cargo.

This makes vessel load-planning essential. Empty containers must go on the top tiers of the container stack to balance the ship. The containers must be moved at every port to load or unload cargo. The more time at port, the higher the costs.

It costs around US$1 a day to leave a container at a port or container park. This compares to many hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to transport it on a ship. Given these costs, many shipping firms find it more effective to simply buy new containers. The increasing number of containers has led to overloaded ports and packed container parks worldwide.

‘There are around 42 million containers in the world,’ says Press. ‘The empty container issue is costing the shipping industry over US$34 billion each year. And this cost is rising. It has reached a point where we can’t sweep the problem under a rug. It must be addressed.

‘There will always be a trade imbalance, and COLLAPSECON is not meant to replace every conventional container. What COLLAPSECON can do is help lower costs, improve operational efficiency and reduce environmental impact on heavily imbalanced trade lanes.’

Improving efficiency and reducing costs

The ability to collapse and combine containers frees up more space for cargo while still allowing ships to carry empty containers.

‘COLLAPSECON acts like a normal container. It fits into the space taken up by one container,’ says Press. ‘If you have slots for 1,000 containers on your ship, you could carry 500 containers full of cargo and 2,000 empty containers.’

COLLAPSECON also allows ships to operate far more efficiently at port and at sea. When COLLAPSECON is bundled together, it essentially becomes a fully laden container. It can be stored at the bottom of a ship. For the first time, ships don’t need to move empty containers stored on the deck to unload cargo. This new efficiency reduces the time at port, saving port fees.

‘Using COLLAPSECON means a ship can load 4 containers at, say, $100 per container,’ says Press. ‘This compares to one conventional container at $100 per container. Ships can load more containers in less time and at lower costs.’

Cutting the time spent at port means shipping lines can progress their routes on schedule, allowing for slow steaming. By reducing their speed from 20 to 18 knots, ships can save fuel burn by around 20–30%. This can generate a significant reduction in overall fuel consumption on each voyage. This, in turn, leads to less CO₂ production.

Spectainer modelling indicates COLLAPSECON can potentially help the industry reduce container operating costs by 20–40%. The cost of handling empty containers is also projected to go down by up to 75%.

Over time, improved operational efficiency might even allow shipping lines to reduce the number of vessels they operate on a trade lane.

‘By evolving the container and operations, carriers can generate more efficiency across their fleet,’ says Press. ‘They can load more containers and move faster. In the future they may not need 6 vessels on a trade lane. They may only need 5 because they are generating better vessel rotation. Over the longer term, there are significant fleet and industry-wide efficiencies to be gained.’

Reducing carbon emissions

The shipping industry is responsible for 3% of global emissions. Press believes Spectainer’s solution can help the industry meet the EU’s goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

Efficient ship movement can reduce carbon emissions by 17%, according to Spectainer modelling. The industry will also need fewer trucks and trains to transport COLLAPSECON from container parks to port terminals. Spectainer projects this will reduce carbon emissions by up to 37%.

‘There are a lot of variables when calculating emissions,’ cautions Press. ‘Every shipping line is different, and every trade lane is different.’

For example, based on current monthly TEU movement, Sydney exports 150,000 containers a month on the Sydney to Shanghai route. Around 68% of them are empty. Using only 1,000 COLLAPSECON on this trade lane per month can reduce emissions by a potential 79,000 tonnes a year, based on a 6,300 TEU vessel.

Using SEACON, shipping lines can identify a fleet’s geographical location, the status of each COLLAPSECON, idle time and route geo-fencing. The insights can help shippers identify the ideal trade lanes to deploy COLLAPSECON. This will help them optimise operations and efficiencies.

Team Australia driving innovation

Press started developing the COLLAPSECON concept in 2008. In 2015, he worked with UNSW engineering students to flesh out the concept. Next, he engaged Australian industrial design firm Tiller Design to expand the baseline design. By 2017, Press had built his first prototype design. He began working with A*STAR (Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research) to further test and refine the design. In 2019, Spectainer embarked on a complete upgrade of the COLLAPSECON design to enable fully automated collapsing through the COS.

In July 2022, Spectainer announced a strategic partnership with global shipbuilder Austal Limited. Under the partnership, Austal will mass produce COLLAPSECON and COS. Spectainer had secured US$75 million in construction funding (and US$2 million in development funding) from CFM’s Climate Investor Two (CI2) Development Fund (DF2) in June 2021.

Spectainer has another Australian giant as a partner. BlueScope Steel, through its ventures arm BlueScopeX™, was a major investor in Spectainer’s Series B funding round. The company is also interested in contributing to Spectainer’s supply chain and exploring joint R&D opportunities such as green steel.

‘Australia is not generally known as a major player in the global shipping space,’ says Press. ‘But we have a history of world-class innovation. As an Australian company, we are proud to be pioneering a solution to address a significant operational, economic and environmental problem.’

Exporting Australian innovation to the world with Austrade’s assistance

Spectainer will start rolling out its first COLLAPSECON fleet in 2023. The company is currently working with a number of the world’s top carriers on leasing agreements.

Austrade is supporting Spectainer as it takes its innovation global. ‘Austrade connected us to key partners in our evolution such as A*STAR in Singapore,’ says Press. ‘As we expand globally, Austrade’s insights and advice will help us better understand the complexities of doing business in specific markets.’

Published: 18 November 2022

Jacobs looks to the stars to expand its portfolio of projects and capabilities in Australia

Jacobs is a leading global technology-forward solutions provider. It focuses on solving the world’s most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing.

The company is focused on further growth in markets like space, decarbonisation, digital and transport infrastructure.

Australia is its third-largest market. Rich Hayers, vice president and general manager of Australia and New Zealand for Jacobs’ People & Places Solutions business, shares why Australia offers unlimited potential for Jacobs to expand its footprint:

• Record government and corporate investment in infrastructure
• Brisbane’s winning bid to host the 2032 Olympic Games
• Australia’s growing role in the global space industry
• Australia’s strong relationships in the Indo-Pacific region.

Growing global expertise in Australia

Founded in 1947 as an engineering company, Jacobs has evolved into a global solutions provider. The company provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector. It has a talent force of approximately 55,000 worldwide and generates US$14 billion in revenue annually. Australia serves as its Asia-Pacific hub, employing almost 4,000 staff across 14 offices.

‘Australia is a big part of our global success story,’ says Hayers. ‘Australia is ahead of the curve in infrastructure investment, particularly in transport. We’re working on several key rail and highway projects across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

‘As a globally integrated business, we’re able to leverage global expertise in Australia to apply some of our most innovative solutions to projects locally,’ he adds. ‘We also share our learnings and experience with other countries just starting to make similar investments. For example, our Australia teams with mass rapid transit experience are supporting projects and bids in New Zealand.’

Renewable energy is generating interest and investment

Jacobs is one of the top-ranked global environmental firms. It achieved net-zero carbon emissions for its operations and business travel in 2020. It is on track to be carbon negative by 2030. In July Jacobs unveiled its enhanced global sustainable business approach, PlanBeyondSM 2.0. It is the company’s foundation for what sustainability means to its clients and operations.  

Jacobs’ Australian projects reflect this focus on sustainability. The company is working on the Marinus Link, an undersea connection that will bring renewable energy from Tasmania into the mainland grid.

‘The growth and the leadership in Tasmania has impressed us, particularly in renewable energy,’ Hayers says. ‘Our team recently provided a review of Tasmania’s Climate Change Act. The Tasmanian Government supported all recommendations of the review, either in full or in-principle.’

In Victoria, Jacobs and Yarra Valley Water, Melbourne’s largest retail water utility, partnered on a thought leadership paper. The paper explores the relationship between the outputs of water electrolysis – hydrogen and pure oxygen – to support Australia’s hydrogen industry growth.

‘Australia has embraced renewable energy and is now embarking on combining that with new energy solutions such as hydrogen,’ says Hayers. ‘Each state and territory is nominating clean energy targets aimed at supporting decarbonisation, energy security and resiliency. While Australia has the benefit of world-class renewable resources, Asia is the potential end beneficiary to new energy solutions to help secure future energy needs.

‘The Jacobs “Indo-Pacific” business is a leader in strategic, technical, commercial and social value solutions across the region. It is helping guide industry through the complex challenges of energy transition.’

Brisbane Olympics to boost city infrastructure

Hayers says it’s exciting that Brisbane is the Olympic and Paralympic Games host city for 2032.

‘It will boost Queensland’s economy and infrastructure rollout,’ he says. ‘Hopefully, a sustainable, high-speed rail between the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and the Gold Coast might come to fruition as a result.’

Jacobs acted as Program Manager on the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games. Hayers acknowledges every Olympic Games is unique. However, he believes Jacobs’ program and legacy work on previous projects are pertinent to Brisbane 2032. These projects include the:

• London Olympic and Paralympic Games
• Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games
• World Expo 2020 Dubai
• upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.

Sky-high ambitions for Australia’s space industry

Mike Walkington is vice president and general manager for Jacobs’ Critical Missions Solutions (CMS) business in Australia. He sees enormous opportunity in Australia’s space sector.

Jacobs is the largest services provider to NASA. It helped NASA prepare Cape Canaveral for commercial ventures, including SpaceX and Blue Origin. It also assists scientists to determine the composition of rocks from the moon.

The Australian Government has invested A$150 million in Australian businesses involved in the NASA-led Artemis program.

‘In Australia, Jacobs is working with the Australian Space Agency. We are also supporting the development of commercial space ports in Australia,’ says Walkington.

Learning from First Nation Australians

Hayers says companies must do things differently to solve the world’s most critical challenges.

‘One big trend is biomimicry,’ he says. ‘Discovering how to replicate and harness practices and processes from nature.

‘First Nation Australians have been doing that for a long time as stewards of Country. There is much that we can learn from First Nations peoples, and we can grow those ideas and progress together.’

The Jacobs CMS business has a strategic partnership with the Indigenous Defence and Infrastructure Consortium (iDiC). Adam Goodes, an Adnyamathanha man and former Australian of the Year, leads the iDiC.

In the last 12 months, Jacobs has provided over A$3.8 million of work to three iDiC businesses.

‘We’re aiming to emulate the Australian Government’s approach of providing work to Indigenous-owned businesses,’ Walkington says. ‘This approach has allowed iDiC to flow-on financial, educational, professional and social benefits to Indigenous subcontractors, their families and communities.

‘Jacobs has benefited immensely from our relationship with iDiC. It’s helped our understanding of the challenges and motivations for Indigenous-owned businesses.’

Cooperation is creating opportunities in the Indo-Pacific

Jacobs is looking to expand into the Indo-Pacific region.

‘We’ve witnessed a positive level of economic cooperation between Australia, Japan, India and the US,’ says Hayers.

‘Having Australia take a leadership position in the Indo-Pacific gives us certainty. It mitigates risk, particularly if we can link in with Australian Government or quadrilateral initiatives. There are collaborations on infrastructure development, renewables, cyber digitisation and healthcare.’

Austrade networks provide vital market intel

Austrade provided practical support to Jacobs as it scoped opportunities in the region and Australia.

‘We’ve been working with Austrade in the US and Australia,’ says Hayers. ‘They have a good understanding of US business practices and how to apply them to Australia. Austrade has a finger on the pulse on what’s happening in the market with good market intel. They’ve connected us with the right stakeholders and showed us what business support was available to us.

‘More recently, Austrade has connected us to several high-level networks. We see this as an exciting contributor to our growth aspirations in the Indo-Pacific and to bringing economic benefit to Australia.’

Published: 11 January 2022