Foundry forges ahead against floods
Queensland's key supplier of cane milling equipment has spent millions of dollars on flood protection.
Walkers Engineering has been a landmark on the banks of the Burnett River in Bundaberg for 126 years and suffered significant damage in the 2013 floods.
Metres of floodwaters dumped mud and silt into welding and electrical equipment.
A massive industry-driven clean-up helped flush the equipment clean and review and repair each piece.
Now the foundry owner, Belgian-based Finasucre, has invested $2.5 million in shed repairs and a new concrete bund wall and flood gates to protect $4 million worth of new equipment.
Walkers general manager Leone Aslett says the special infrastructure will help the foundry withstand another flood.
"My understanding is this is the first time they've (the flood gates) been brought into Australia from the particular group we've bought them from... they've been in use over in Taiwan... and to be honest, we're quite hopeful we never have to see them be used here."
Deputy chair of Queensland Canegrowers, Allan Dingle, says Walkers plays a pivotal role in maintaining and supplying milling equipment.
He says the repairs give millers more confidence.
"It gives those millers up and down the state some security that their equipment now can be done in a timely manner even if we do have another natural disaster."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-21/flood-proof-cane-foundry/5275284
Walkers builds flood wall
FLOOD PROOFING: Steve Greaves, John Caterer, Warren Caterer, Jack Gill and Ryan Lambert assemble the flood mitigation wall at the new shed at Bundaberg Walkers Engineering. Photo: Mike Knott / NewsMail
BUNDABERG Walkers Engineering celebrated its 125th anniversary with a new machinery shed and flood mitigation wall.
The shed and the flood barrier cost a total of $2.5 million.
The company suffered badly in the floods of January last year, and Bundaberg Sugar Group CEO Ray Hatt was determined it would take precautions.
The new flood mitigation measures will be able to withstand a flood a metre higher than the 9.53m peak of last year.
Walkers production manager Steve Greaves said the flood mitigation walls had been tested overseas, and were used in countries such as Thailand..
http://www.news-mail.com.au/news/walkers-builds-flood-wall/2176568/
