After seven years’ working for Shell in the United Kingdom, our Bitumen Technical Manager Dr Nigel Preston set his sights on conquering the road less travelled.
The road from England to Australia
Growing up in an industrial part of North East England, Nigel became fascinated by the design, construction and maintenance of structures like roads and bridges that we use and take for granted every day.
Armed with a Civil and Structural Engineering degree and a PHD in Asphalt Mix Design, Nigel joined the Bitumen division of Shell UK and became an important member of Shell’s European team of bitumen experts. After gaining experience in Britain and Europe, Nigel expressed an interest in building his experience internationally and was offered an exciting opportunity with Shell in a land he knew little about, but now calls home, Australia.
From the highway to the runway
“The road network in Australia is critical to a country that relies heavily on this infrastructure to transport freight across our vast land. Having smooth, safe, and well maintained roads is also an expectation in a prosperous and developed country like Australia“.
“There are over 353,000kms of paved roads (worth about $500 billion) and almost 19 million vehicles in Australia – meaning that most of us would drive on bitumen every day. Supplying a product that goes into the building of infrastructure that is so important for our daily lives is really satisfying. Our roads have to be designed to last for decades which means that our bitumen has to provide engineering properties that will make it last the distance.”
“Our bitumen has also been used on airport runways so when I do get to travel, taking off and landing on an airport runway that has been paved with our bitumen also brings a sense of pride. The aviation business in Australia has seen extraordinary growth in terms of tourism and freight so it is important that we are able to support infrastructure which delivers enormous economic benefit to the country.”
“This increase in air travel and growth in aircraft movements has led to many airports needing to resurface their runways more frequently. This means that the asphalt has to be designed to maximise performance and longevity of the runway. I am proud to say that our bitumen has been used on runways at Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Darwin, Cairns and Townsville airports over the past 15 years.”
Having a locally produced product is also important for many projects with Viva Energy’s refinery in Geelong being the last refinery in Australia that manufactures bitumen. Many road projects in Victoria have used our locally produced product and increasingly government contracts are requiring an element of local content. From the products we manufacture locally to the products we import across Australia, our bitumen is rigorously tested to comply with Australian specifications and to ensure it meets our customer’s expectations.
A strong focus on our customers
“Essentially my role is to provide technical support within our sales service which means working with our Supply team and our customers to make recommendations on the type of treatment that should be used with certain applications to ensure we deliver on our supply promise of providing bitumen that is on grade, on time, and on temperature.”
There’s a lot that goes into laying a road, and our customers also know that we can support them with expert advice and help trouble shoot any issues during this process.
A binding relationship with the industry
It’s vital that we partner with the Australian Asphalt Pavement Association (AAPA) to support best practice, stay updated on global technology, and represent our interests in an industry worth billions of dollars.
“We provide expertise on matters relating to product specifications and safety. For example, last year we took a leadership position on developing guidelines for taking hot bitumen samples from road tankers. This means that adequate controls have now been developed to manage the risks associated with taking samples.” This is an initiative that recently won Nigel AAPA’s 2018 NSW Safety Initiative Award.
“Given the value of the road assets it develops and maintains, AAPA will also proactively involve us in any discussions about State and National road infrastructure proposals. Our opinion on binder technology is valued and we work closely with the industry on new infrastructure projects to help steer it in the right direction.”
Working for an employer of choice
“I like working for Viva Energy because I believe we are an honest and fair company. We seek to do the right thing by our people and our customers. For example, Viva Energy recently received great external recognition from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) as an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality. This level of social awareness exemplifies Viva Energy’s approach to our employees, customers and external agencies.”
An engineering mind
“Engineering is about making things work.” People who display this type of mindset or who show clarity of thought are those who impress Nigel. “These are people that can see the wood for the trees and I’ve been lucky to have been mentored by people that have both a sharp intellect and common sense.”
For Nigel, there also appears to be a clear pull towards interests that challenge the mind. “I’ve rock climbed since the age of 18 and enjoy the fact that it requires a high degree of mental focus, athleticism, and problem solving as you plan your sequence of moves.” It’s any wonder that rock climbing is known to attract those with an understanding of physics and engineering.
Interested in Viva Energy Bitumen?
Find out more
Learn about the improved bitumen sampling process Nigel Preston helped develop here.