Building better: Caterpillar Australia

Oct 17, 2023

Caterpillar has set up its Australian head office in Tullamarine to embody the company's commitment to sustainability and a lower carbon future.

With 100,000 square metres of buildings across 57 acres, the sprawling Caterpillar Australia head office in the north-western Melbourne suburb of Tullamarine is a vital hub for the company's Asia Pacific operations.

For many years, the site has been a proving ground for a range of sustainability initiatives – an area of focus for Caterpillar, as laid out by its 2030 sustainability goals.

Chaminda Senanayake, Facility Project Engineer and Environmental Co-ordinator, says the Tullamarine site reflects the company's global dedication to the environment – something evidenced by Caterpillar being named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for the 22nd time in 2021.

"Sustainability is one of five Values in Action, and a strategic area of focus at Caterpillar," Chaminda says. "We are committed to further reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while helping our customers meet their climate-related objectives.

"The Tullamarine facility is focused on increasing efficiency and reducing grid-based energy as we strive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent by 2030, and reach water and waste goals."

On a broad scale, Caterpillar aims to support its customers through a global transition to a lower carbon future through investments in new products, technologies, and services.

The company has provided remanufacturing and rebuild options across Cat® brands around the world for 50 years – a service that offers a range of environmental benefits, including 85 per cent less energy and water use, 61 per cent less greenhouse gas emissions, and 85 per cent less material use ¬ according to Caterpillar.

These goals are underpinned by a dedication to positive behaviour change throughout the organisation, from the factory floor to personal waste management in the office.

Small changes, big impact

Chaminda says his team is always looking for ways to improve and optimise waste reduction, aided by regular audits and ongoing discussions with staff.

"This includes working with the warehouse and office teams to segregate waste into the appropriate receptacles, breaking down boxes and pallets to increase density in the bins, and recycling other common items to reduce general waste," he says.

"There are no plastic straws anywhere on the site, and takeaway coffee cups from our café operations are biodegradable."

In 2020, desk-side waste bins were removed from offices, a change Chaminda says was well received by staff.

"This has prevented the dumping of about 600 kilograms of plastic bag waste annually," he says. "It required some education, but also gave employees some ownership over the progress towards our waste goals."

Chaminda says that for every project undertaken on the site, the team explores ways to reduce its environmental impact, whether by providing appropriate recycling solutions through waste management partners or finding ways to reuse materials onsite.

This can involve repurposing clean soil for levelling elsewhere on site, or mulching green waste from tree pruning for use in gardens.

"Wood, steel, electrical and non-ferrous metal waste all play a significant part in our recycling operations," Chaminda says. "Wooden pallets and crates that are broken or beyond repair are recycled. We use roller packers to compact our timber bins, which helps increase material density and decrease bin pick-up frequency."

Electronic waste is collected in two streams: one for all computer parts, and another for non-ferrous metals such as copper cables and other electronic components.

"We are also extending our efforts to recycle as many things as we can by recycling mobile phones, ink toner, and batteries across the entire site," Chaminda says.

"These small initiatives reduce the cost of disposal for managing and transporting waste on projects, plus any recycling rebates – from steel or copper, for example – are returned to Caterpillar.

"Additionally, when material is segregated properly at the source, more gets recycled and less goes to landfill – which also results in indirect emissions reductions."

A brighter future

Another key initiative for reducing emissions at the Tullamarine facility in recent years has been the installation of LED bulbs across the site.

More than 4000 high-bay 600-watt light fittings have been replaced with 125-watt LED fittings, many with individual sensors; and more than 500, 72-watt office light fittings have been replaced with 24-watt LED fittings.

Chaminda says that in 2019, this reduced energy use at the site by about 65 per cent, and costs by 50 per cent.

"Now, the site has been converted to 100 per cent LED lighting, with most fittings covered by a seven-year warranty, thus reducing the ongoing maintenance costs and increasing both profitability and productivity," he says.

The team has also started using some of the facility's roof space for a pilot solar project.

"Working with Cat Microgrid Solutions and Cat dealer EPSA (Energy Power Systems Australia), we installed a pilot 5-kilowatt solar generation plant on our main café roof, using Cat solar panels," Chaminda says.

"This has been achieving an annual output of around 6.5 megawatts. Even though this is a small output compared to our annual electricity use, it is a step toward reducing on-site emissions."

Outside the box

While waste reduction initiatives have been ramping up across multiple sectors recently, Caterpillar has had a horse in the race for many years. Since 2006, the Tullamarine facility has been collecting rainwater runoff and currently has capacity to collect more than 600,000 litres.

"More than 18 million litres of rainwater has been used across the entire site for flushing toilets, gardening, and numerous production activities since installation," Chaminda says.

"Without this rainwater collection, that water would otherwise have come from potable water supply sources. In addition to rainwater, mandatory fire system testing that previously discharged water into the stormwater system has been diverted back to the water tanks, reducing potable water use by around 50 per cent."

Monthly monitoring of the site's 19 water, gas and electricity meters ensures any possible leaks underground or on roofs are detected and fixed early.

Additionally, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment across the site is being upgraded to remove R-22 ozone-depleting refrigerant gas by 2024.

During another on-site infrastructure project in 2019, electrical distribution boards and underground services were upgraded to accommodate future electric car charging stations.

For Chaminda and his team at Caterpillar, the ongoing sustainability initiatives at the Tullamarine facility are evidence of a company tackling environmental issues from the inside-out and setting a positive example for the broader industry.

For more information, visit: www.caterpillar.com

2021 TRICON ENVIRONMENTAL T516 TRACKED TROMMEL

$299,000

Wyong, NSW

2021 DYNAMIC CONE CRUSHER STAND - NEW

$59,500

Port Adelaide, SA

2017 LANKOTA RRT01

$71,500

Wollongong, NSW

MAXIMUS SMA TFC80

$330,000

Wetherill Park, NSW

SYMONS 3FT S/H CONE CRUSHER

$65,000

Wingfield, SA

2018 IMS IMS-1050PM-16TB TRACK PUGMILL

$265,000

Burleigh Heads, QLD

MWS SANDSTORM 620 NOW IN STOCK IN NSW AUSTRALIA!

$1,485,000

Oldbury, WA

2021 DYNAMIC 3FT CONE CRUSHER COMPLETE WITH SUPPORT STAND - NEW

$143,500

Port Adelaide, SA

SYMONS 4 1/4FT STD OR S/H CONE CRUSHER

$147,500

Wingfield, SA

2022 TESAB 800I JAW CRUSHER

$988,900

Wyong, NSW

SCREENMASTERS SMA1210 IMPACTOR

$576,000

Wetherill Park, NSW

2006 KOMPTECH MAXX TROMMEL

$217,800

Peak Crossing, QLD