Housing in Southern Africa October-November 2016

Industry Buzz

New app lifts lid on stainless steel LCC

I n the short term, this may be the case but a new world-first App from the Southern Africa Stain- less Steel Development Association (sassda) is set to lift the lid on the big- ger picture - namely stainless steel’s ability to ensure far lower overall Life Cycle Costs (LCC) in the long term. The benefit of the newly launched App allows for real-time calculation of the LCC of stainless steel via an easy to use, pre-programmed calcu- lator. This requires the entry of key top-line data, followed by the simple click on ‘Calculate’, which in turn gen- erates a breakdown of the relevant costs and the ability to e-mail this to the relevant recipients. The App is now available on the Google Play (Android) Store and will be available in the Apple iStore by the end of the year. Sassda Executive Director John Tarboton explains; “The App was created to assist engineers to cal- culate total LCC using the standard accountancy principle of discounted cash flow, so that total costs incurred during a life cycle period are reduced to present day values. This allows a realistic comparison to be made of the options available. In terms of material selection, the APP also enables potential long-termbenefits to be assessed against short-term

One of the biggest obstacles in specifying stainless steel is the misconception that it’smore expensive in comparison toother initially cheaper options. John Tarboton

expediency.” He adds that months have been spent working out the correct formulas that now form the backend of the app, which has removed the burden of this type of time-consuming calculation for the end user. “This will prove invaluable for professionals in the field, wanting to bypass the complicated process normally associated with this type of calculation that most professionals are unfamiliar with; unless they also Aurecon. Duckinson will lead the firm’s IT team globally and continue to drive digital and technology trans- formation. According to Andrew Muller, Aurecon’s Global Chief Finan- cial Officer, “Information technol- ogy is a key enabler for Aurecon as it is fundamental to the successful execution of our business strategy, particularly in relation to Aurecon’s commitment to global collaboration and work-sharing.” Muller added that Duckinson’s proven track record as a senior IT executive in large and complex or- ganisations, most notably his skills in mapping technology strategy to business strategy and his strong track record of developing high performing teams, was important for Aurecon. Duckinson recently led the Toll Group’s technology transformation, which included a period as Toll’s In- terimCIO. Prior to that, he was CIO of

Australia’s largest independent gold miner, Newcrest Mining, for seven years. Duckinson said, “Aurecon is well advanced in understanding what digital means and how digital influences the future of engineering. The company is eager to harness the opportunities that digital disrup- tion presents.” The company’s strong focus on digital innovation is evidenced by the fact that Aurecon has invested in a Chief Innovation Officer, Chief Digital Officer and Chief Information Officer at executive level. “It is rare to see these three roles at these senior levels in an organisation. My role will be to continue to sup- port strong cross-border collabora- tion to ensure that the business is able to respond to rapid change within the energy and resources, built environment and infrastructure industries,” said Duckinson. ■ have an accountancy qualification! “In this way we are also hoping to educate the market on the inher- ent benefits of stainless steel, which include minimal maintenance, a minimum 60-year lifespan and sig- nificant ‘green’ benefits,” concludes Tarboton. The sassda Life Cycle Cost calcula- tor is also available via the following link: http://sassda.co.za/the-life- cycle-costing-of-stainless-steel for non-Android phone owners. ■

Aurecon’s new CIO

Carl Duckinson

C arl Duckinson has recently been appointed as Chief In- formation Officer at the global engineering and advisory company,

October/November 2016