While Australia is respected internationally for its safety standards and quality, its strong dollar and high labour costs make the country an expensive option for engineering contracting services. Circumventing these challenges, Uhde Shedden (Australia)'s position within Uhde Asia-Pacific, and under parent company ThyssenKrupp, enables it to offer clients the assurance of Australian-standard engineering safety and expertise. This advantage combines cost efficiencies and talent accessible through the larger group. The company provides turnkey solutions for delivering plants and completing projects. Its fine-tuned methodology is designed to improve capital efficiency and sustainability, while minimising the assets' lifecycle costs. Working across three core competencies - technology, contracting and implementation - Uhde Shedden (Australia) specialises in the process and resource industries, including oil and gas, refining, petrochemical and chemical, resources and minerals, alternative energy and clean coal. It also acts as a technology centre for oil and gas, supporting the group's operations. Uhde Shedden (Australia) has led 70 per cent of all of Australia's clean fuels projects. Through its sister company, Uhde Engineering Consulting (Shanghai), it can procure safe and standard-compliant static equipment - reducing total project costs for clients by as much as 5 per cent. As clients move beyond Australian shores, Uhde Shedden has followed noteworthy projects. These include an engineering, procurement and construction management project at the TRUenergy Iona gas processing facility in Victoria, front-end engineering design projects in Iraq and on the mainland for Shenhua Ningxia Coal Group's coal-to-chemical production complex. In the future, the company is targeting more gas- and chemical-related projects, while seeking to further enhance and leverage its position. "We will continue growing our company, responding to challenges and developing the synergies among our technologies," says business development general manager Alan Easton. "By levering our global expertise and uncompromising stance on safety, we are confidently approaching projects in Asia and aim to be the partner of choice for the region's mega plant ambitions."
