For the most part, the tunnel waterproofing industry is one of innovation, skill and passion. As such, for professionals in this sector to continue to produce outstanding infrastructure across Australia, these three elements are a must.
However, as Bluey Technologies and other industry players have found in recent years, Barbarian salesmen are always around to spoil the party. Just when everything in the tunnel waterproofing seems to be going so smoothly, the temptation of cheap labour and materials rocks the proverbial industry boat.
The situation usually ends in tears, with the last Barbarian invasion leaving a trail of leaking destruction across Australia.
Spotting a Barbarian
One of the common Barbarian tactics is to develop a tunnel waterproofing solution that is a true game changer. Through a trick of the light, every other business has missed this development and is now chasing their tail, but are they really?
International standards usually catch up with them, a number of projects are left in a mess and clients and consumers are left out of pocket. Sound like a familiar story? It's probably happened four times in the last two decades.
While many Barbarians are easy to spot, some sneak through the gate and are allowed to wreak havoc. However, by working with an accredited and trusted civil engineering firm, businesses can avoid the Barbarians and use products that have been tried and tested over years of development.
Here are three reasons to trust a supplier such as Bluey:
1) Key industry partnerships
While a Barbarian wants to work on their own to make a quick buck before moving on, respected civil engineering businesses are team players that are keen to develop flexible and customised solutions for their customers.
At Bluey, we have a number of partnerships with leading Australian chemical companies including Jennmar, EpiMax and FiReP. These connections allow us to have access to a wide amount of innovation and information in order to offer products that can add value to any civil engineering project.
2) Local knowledge
Many Barbarians are corporate-driven material merchants who have little or no knowledge of how the Australian tunnel waterproofing industry works. As such, their insight just doesn't cut the mustard.
For a project to meet the expectations of clients and stakeholders, your business needs a supplier that has in-house local experience and engineering know how. This is exactly what Bluey can offer in spades.
We can provide top quality products coupled with engineering assistance to help your project through the design process, material selection, on-site installation and into post-construction monitoring.
According to the KPMG Project Management Survey Report 2013, just 35 per cent of projects met the stated deliverables in 2012 – highlighting the need for project managers to have the right products and expertise on your side.
3) Comprehensive range of products
At Bluey, we pride ourselves on our ability to provide applications for nearly every civil engineering project. Across four ranges – BluCem, BluGeo, BluRez and BluSeal – our scope for innovation is unrivalled.
From cement grouts and mortars in BluCem to PVC VLDPE and HDPE membrane linings for tunnel waterproofing in BluSeal, we have more options than any Barbarian could dream of.
However, we don't rest on our laurels like many Barbarians do. We are constantly looking to improve these products and ensure they are capable of high quality results every time.
A great example of this is our two new additions to the BluCem range – GeoSpray and GeoRoc. These two products have been years in the making and are the first water-activated geopolymer mortar products of their type to become commercially available.
The Barbarian is a constant presence in the civil engineering industry which means it is up to the rest of the community to turn to trusted and respected sources for their tunnel waterproofing needs.