Problem / Challenge
The client has been providing end-to-end traffic control solutions for construction projects in Australia since 2010. The team supports a range of skills from consultation and design to implementation planning. In 2017, they experienced a significant increase in customer requirements as a result of industry growth in terms of private and public investment and the subsequent increase in traffic management projects. The client’s existing team of Traffic Planners was having difficulty coping with the workload and they were starting to get behind schedule on some projects. The company needed to find an immediate and cost-effective solution to be able to meet their project commitments within agreed timelines and budgets.
Solution
A capacity planning session was held with the client and the Eastvantage Operations Team. After the session, the parties agreed that sourcing and onboarding one Traffic Planner from the Philippines was the best option for the client at the time. It was further agreed that aside from core competencies, the ideal candidate should have a good understanding of the region.
Within three weeks, Eastvantage was able to onboard a Traffic Planner with experience in:
- engineering/design work doing graphic designs/traffic plans;
- designing Australian road plans using Google Maps, an Australian road atlas, and software for creating traffic control plans; and
- working with design software programs and drawing road layouts.
The Traffic Planner works from the Eastvantage Philippine headquarters and regularly collaborates with the client’s onshore team.
With the forecasted 3.5% growth in Australia’s real construction spending in 2022, the client’s requirements for traffic planning assistance has increased. Thus, another Traffic Planner was onboarded. A Traffic Planning Coordinator was also added to the team to help with:
- creating schedules for the timely delivery of resources and materials;
- tracking and disseminating information; and
- preparing accurate progress reports for management.
The team uses the following tools: RapidPlan, Google Earth / Maps.
Outcome
By leveraging Eastvantage’s Philippine presence and local expertise, the client was able to:
- easily overcome the onshore traffic planning skills gap;
- quickly onboard talent with the desired competencies; and
- greatly reduce labor cost by about 544% (Australia vs. Philippine talent market rates).
As the offshore Traffic Planning team consistently surpassed timelines, the client was able to secure more engagements, helping the company increase revenue by 54%.
As the Australian construction industry is expected to grow by an average of 3% per year from 2023 to 2026, the client’s business is expected to grow as well. The Traffic Planning team in the Philippines will grow in parallel.
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