Standing at one of the platforms of Southern Cross Station in Melbourne, it’s hard not to admire the massive dune-like roof structure that makes the train station feel like a modern airport.
When the landmark station – formerly known as the Spencer Street station – was revamped ahead of the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006, installing the ceiling 23 metres above the ground was no easy task.
It required specific drill bits that were strong enough and long enough to cut through the high-grade structural steel and hold the roof in place.
Cutting and power tools provider, Bordo International, designed customised drills that met the project’s specific requirements and solved the problem.
The Southern Cross station is just one of the many iconic projects where Bordo’s cutting tools were applied. The company was also a supplier to the Victorian Desalination Plant – a major water infrastructure project built at the height of the crippling Victoria drought of 2007.
Construction of the de-salination plant in Dalyston in southern Victoria required specific drills and taps that were not readily available in the market. Bordo’s custom-made drill bits and taps facilitated the project, which is a very valuable resource for Victoria in times of drought.
BSC Australia and Bordo have enjoyed a strong partnership for many years, with BSC supplying the entire range of Bordo’s cutting tools and power tool accessories through its branches available nationally across Australia.
Matthew Connors, BSC Product Manager – Tools, Safety & Industrial Consumables, says the need for cutting tools and power tool accessories is ever-changing, with particular applications requiring customised solutions.
“The partnership between BSC and Bordo ensures that our customers have access to high quality industrial cutting tools, as well as to continuous product innovations,” says Connors.
According to Connors, the choice of the right drilling tool and accessories is crucial to the cost-effectiveness of every project.
“Poorer quality drill and tapping products often result in tool breakage and damage to equipment. The downtime associated with having to source replacement tools and repair damage will nearly always outweigh the original apparent cost saving,” he says.
Another challenge faced by some customers, according to Connors, is poor work practices that lead to breakage of poor-quality tools.
“BSC, in conjunction with Bordo, provide comprehensive technical training and guidance to outline the best practice to customers when using their products. These include product training sessions and site visits to view the customers’ applications before proposing the best solution,” says Connors.
In one recent example, a roofing product manufacturer was facing issues with their taps. Their taps broke time and again when workers were treading support holes on steel frames. This led to lost time in retrieving the broken tap and then having to redrill/rethread the hole again.
The BSC-Bordo technical teams got on the site and identified the problem. They suggested using a Bordo HSS tap, which is manufactured from premium HSS steel.
“The customer has not faced any issues ever since, resulting in significant operational time savings. The customer also purchased a Bordo drill set to complement their taps,” says Connors.
Jerry Miskiewicz, Inventory Manager at Bordo International says providing bespoke solutions to drilling problems is what the company prides itself on.
“We, as a company, are known for helping people find solutions to their problems. Whether it be that their existing tools and drills cannot go through the material properly or if they need custom-thread sizes, we can help them,” said Miskiewicz.
Bordo recently supplied a wide range of drill bits and taps to retrofit a wind farm in South Australia. The company’s products are also used on major infrastructure and mining projects across Australia.
Miskiewicz says it is quite common for Bordo to be asked quite technical questions regarding finding solutions to aid in maintenance and construction of new machinery; this is where they draw on their technical expertise. “Often we are rushing specially made taps to Queensland and Western Australian mining sites to help repair critical machinery to ensure that there is no disruption to mining operations, or to help in scheduled maintenance shutdowns.”
“Our role is to ensure that the customer has access to the right drilling tools and accessories. It’s not only because a broken drill can cause major downtimes. But also, if the drill is right, the person doing the drilling can work more efficiently. So, by providing the right tool for the job, we make sure that efficiency is at its peak.”
