JOSHUA NOLAN, GENERAL MANAGER, GALSERV

Q What are the biggest challenges facing your industry right now?

A Australia’s construction, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors have emerged from a turbulent few years of ups and downs. The industry faces similar challenges as many other Australian businesses, particularly labour shortages, sustainability concerns, and the broader implications of Australia’s economic outlook, such as investment in infrastructure and public spaces.

Considering these challenges, locally fabricating with steel provides the industry with a vast spectrum of employment opportunities and many career pathways extending to service providers in the space. Attracting and retaining talented people will be a crucial focus for many. Tackling this, Galserv has actively built a culture that empowers people and nurtures talent to develop our industry’s next generation of leaders.

Regarding sustainability, the steel industry has worked extensively in this space with industry bodies such as the Galvanizers Association of Australia and the Australian Steel Institute, investing in the development of this area. Locally fabricated steel building products provide a circular construction solution with a long design life when protected by hot-dip galvanising. This is especially key with the reduction of spending in this space, as hotdip galvanised steel can provide the lowest overall cost of asset protection for the lifespan of projects, providing better value for asset owners.

Q What opportunities do you predict for the growth of your industry in 2024?

A Sustainability and Australia’s 2030 emissions targets are critical drivers in decisions around major construction and infrastructure investments. Those targets are only six years away and something everyone in our industry is focused on. This has encouraged more attention and investment in renewable energy projects and related infrastructure, and has extended the conversation into public space investment and the need for greenspaces in new development. Our industry is already seeing a considerable increase in construction projects, including larger, more considered outdoor spaces for diverse uses, solar energy projects and largescale infrastructure to support the nation’s growing needs in this space.

Q What are the future-proofing factors at play in your industry that will ensure resilience and longevity?

A Galserv has been operating for 60 years and is a founding member of the Galvanizers Association of Australia. While the science and general process has remained stable for some time, as with our client’s needs, our industry is investing in technology and processes to further sustainability, reliability and longevity. This includes significant development from industry advocates such as the Galvanizers Association of Australia. Currently, no other coating product can give the design life guarantees of galvanizing, so while the futureproofing is built in, we’re working to continuously improve our technical expertise and investing in enhancements to promote safer, more efficient processes that help us optimise local lead times for the industry to support Australian made.

Q In what direction would you like to see your company move over the next five years?

A Our company is on an innovation journey, driving technical leadership and growth into new sectors. Having seen the business through years of change, the continuous improvement focus has given us momentum in areas where others get stalled. Our business just celebrated a milestone of 60 years; the next five years will see us accelerate our service offering, expand our expertise in sustainability-focused projects, and provide enhanced technical support.

Moving forward, it’s a team focus. Our people are our point of difference and are already highly skilled and accomplished in their fields. So, as the business moves through a digital transformation with our tech stack and processes, it’s with the view to enhance what our people can achieve. Doing this enables our team to succeed and provide added value for our customers in specialised areas. Our shared purpose and NDNA at NEPEAN drives this: make the customer successful. 

Q What do you feel is your industry’s biggest contribution to the public space arena over the last decade and what lasting changes has it supported?

A Our biggest contribution will always be protecting high-value assets by providing a long-term design life. What we do extends the lifespan of steel materials and protects them for longer than paint, before first maintenance. In major or complex projects, this minimises risky and costly ongoing maintenance.

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JOSHUA NOLAN

Joshua Nolan is the General Manager of Galserv, part of NEPEAN Building & Infrastructure. With over 25 years of experience in galvanising services, Joshua leads a team of over 60 highly dedicated people across the company’s operations, sales and technical services. Joshua is passionate about making the customer successful by innovating and empowering talented people.

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