Tunnel vision

Steve Preece of Egis in Ireland explains why delivering the best infrastructure solutions must be matched with an ongoing commitment to maximising their full potential.

As chief executive of Egis in Ireland, Steve Preece knows that designing and delivering quality infrastructure is crucial to facilitating economic and social growth that meets sustainability targets and stands the test of time.

He also knows, however, that intelligent asset management and maintenance is paramount in building bigger and better in a way that can meet the future needs of communities, industry, and the planet.

“When it comes to key sectors such as transport, we need to secure the value and maximise the potential of the assets we manage. At the same time, we need to deliver new and better infrastructure, but it is not just a case of delivery. To get the full benefit it is vital to ensure that every existing asset is operated to the highest level of efficiency and that future assets go beyond current expectations. By doing this we can ensure they have the greatest impact for the longest time, achieving the best return on investment,” he says.

When it comes to engineering and mobility service companies, Preece believes Egis is uniquely positioned.

“At Egis, we share the same level of ambition for Ireland as our policymakers and we have unrivalled experience in matching ambition with delivery. Egis operates in over 100 countries with over 18,000 dedicated professionals. We are involved in major infrastructure projects throughout the world and the expertise and insight this gives our teams means we can provide the best solutions at national and local level in the countries where we operate including Ireland.”

Egis, he explains, designs, but also crucially operates tunnels, airports, water and energy infrastructure, buildings, bridges, roads, and other structures in addition to rail, bus, and active travel systems.

“Our insight comes from our focus on providing end-to-end services from feasibility studies, through design and project management to handover. Meanwhile – and in a point of difference from our peers – we can offer and have developed considerable expertise in ongoing operation, maintenance, and asset management,” he adds.

The latter, Preece explains, involves optimising the use of a piece of infrastructure, and extending its life. On a day-to-day level, it is about maintaining standards and keeping infrastructure working safely while minimising disruptions.

“It is also about continually driving down carbon emissions,” he says. “Improving climate change resilience, increasing efficiency and, where possible, lowering costs, and allowing for increased investment while reducing risk.

“We achieve all of this in partnership with our clients – like TII and the NTA, with whom we have been working for decades, relationships which are based on mutual trust as supportive flexible partners.”

Egis has been active in Ireland since 1994 and the business, which recently acquired JB Barry & Partners consulting engineers, now has over 600 staff across 16 offices nationwide.

Egis participated in the design of the Luas system in Dublin and is involved in planned extensions of the transformative light rail service. They are active as designers in Bus Connects, and major road projects like the N/M20. The company has also operated Dublin Tunnel for TII since it opened in 2006 overseeing everything from toll collecting, to incident response, inspections, cybersecurity, asset management, and maintenance.

Egis has undertaken a series of capital projects at the Tunnel including upgrades to the electrical systems, communications systems as well as current upgrades to Tolling system.

The company also monitors traffic on 1,200km of Ireland’s primary road network from the Motorway Traffic Control Centre on behalf of TII. In addition, it operates 470km of motorway, which includes the Jack Lynch Tunnel in Cork, the Limerick Tunnel, and sections of the M7/M8, M1, and N25 Waterford Road.

“We are actively involved in tunnel projects throughout the world and the experience we gain in one country can be applied elsewhere,” Preece says.

“In Australia, we operate and maintain Queensland’s tunnel network in Brisbane. In Turkey, we operate and maintain the Eurasia Tunnel, which is 5.4km long and connects two parts of Istanbul under the Bosphorus Strait. Globally, we are involved in 4,500km of road operations,” he adds.

The expertise Egis offers is matched by a determination to constantly explore and deploy new technology and innovative approaches.

“With strong national policies on transport, planning, sustainability and climate change mitigation, we stand at a time of unique opportunity to shape a better future for Ireland.”

“Innovation is central to achieving a more sustainable future including in our energy use and ongoing operations. A good example in this case is the upgrade of the Dublin Tunnel’s SCADA system, overseen by Egis which will deliver further improvements in the use of data to inform decision-making and enabling greater use of a predictive maintenance approach,” Preece says.

ESG principles are a central pillar of Egis’ approach. “The need to meet our own ESG responsibilities and to enable our clients to meet theirs informs every decision we make,” Preece says.

“We are constantly exploring how we respond to the climate emergency. Over 50 per cent of our global road network, is now powered by green energy. And in Ireland, to give another example, we have reduced energy consumption in the Dublin Tunnel by 60 per cent through measures that include the replacement of 1,800 lights with LED alternatives. No change is too small – that is why our maintenance team at the tunnel now carry out their work using electric bikes,” he says.

Egis, Preece adds, is also focused on the S in ESG.

“We prioritise working with the communities we operate in, engaging with local groups and supporting their work where possible,” he says.

This is essential when your work involves delivering and overseeing major projects that can and should last for a long time.

“Everything we do is focused on ensuring value and the greatest impact over the long term, so that is a big part of who we are and our approach,” Preece concludes.

W: www.egis-group.com