How Fulton Hogan prioritise transparency on Airport project

Innovation is a core value at Fulton Hogan, one of Australasia’s leading infrastructure and civil contractors. It is a key part of their recent work at the Melbourne Airport Taxiway Zulu Project.

Regional Quality Manager Ajith Kulappurath says the team’s commitment to innovation means the project benefited from the latest quality assurance processes, site management, client communication and progress tracking.

The Fulton Hogan team welcomed the move to a cloud-based Quality Assurance (QA) software called CONQA, which uses intelligent mobile technology, to increase efficiencies and record keeping across the project.

“We are always looking for new and inventive ways to strengthen further and streamline our processes. With the help of CONQA, we can reduce manual paperwork, increase productivity and gain real-time insights throughout the build process,” he says.

At the Taxiway Zulu Project, the QA journey for the team began before they even stepped on site. Specific quality planning requirements were initially managed using the CONQA software by Ajith and fellow site engineers.

This planning captured details and milestones for each piece of work and translated t hem into multiple Inspection and Test Plans (ITPs). From these, Ajith could then develop a straightforward workflow that reflected the build process and helped bring a superior level of thoroughness and professionalism to their work, with all details kept within CONQA’s cloud based software.

Ajith says when the team and their clients are using CONQA, Fulton Hogan can use the information the app holds and tracks for more than just quality assurance.

“With CONQA, we can demonstrate progress on a project, ensuring all stakeholders are kept well informed throughout each stage of the construction process. By ensuring real time access to this information, we’ve established a level of transparency that enhances trust and information flow with our client,” he says.

He believes sharing real-time quality insights with clients in this way will be the norm in the future.

“We are proud to be part of this transformation and at the forefront in the quality space,” he says. The project forms part of a broader airfield development program and is the largest single airfield investment for the airport since its opening in 1970.