"It worked really well, 27-28 of the 33 workers at that site are from down here (the Latrobe Valley)."
Kevin and Rachel Maughan made a new life for their family in Melbourne after moving from the north-west of England. Starting a new business in Victoria, they introduced innovative ways to enhance construction services through digital engineering and created over 20 regional local jobs.
Before moving to Victoria, Kevin and Rachel owned a managed services business in the UK. They specialised in recruitment, labour hire, training and distribution, taking new starters who did not necessarily possess the skills, and training them in partnership with clients, creating a win-win for all involved. After successfully exiting this business, Kevin and Rachel were on the lookout for a new challenge.
With their kids at the right age for a big move abroad, Kevin and Rachel decided to move to Melbourne after hearing of possible business opportunities. Based on their business history, Rachel was nominated by Victoria for a subclass 188A Business Innovation visa. Their business in Victoria, Transcend, started out by providing managed services to a number of industries. It was not long before Kevin and Rachel spotted an opportunity that would lead to significant savings in time and money for some of the biggest construction projects in the state.
Digital engineering using 3D models helps de-risk the construction and fabrication process by identifying potential problems before construction has commenced. With traditional plans, the problem is often discovered too late. Kevin explains that in the past “People got burnt bidding on plans and drawings where they couldn’t see the risk.” Transcend have been providing digital engineering services for construction and fabrication teams and are currently working on Victoria’s Level Crossing Removal Project and Queensland’s Cross River Rail amongst others.
One of Transcend’s strengths has been its ability to train and develop their staff. Drawing on their past experience, Rachel and Kevin have successfully recruited and trained a number of local staff by using existing skilled staff as mentors. Rachel observed “It worked really well, 27-28 of the 33 workers at that site are from down here (the Latrobe Valley).” Kevin added, “We’re enthused by working with and developing the local workforce.”
As for life in Melbourne, Kevin admits to finding it tough getting up in the early hours to watch his team Liverpool play in the Premier League. He is however starting to develop a taste for the finer points of the local game. Rachel makes the most of city and country life and regularly visits the many fabulous restaurants Melbourne has to offer and loves to take trips to the Mornington Peninsula’s fabulous wineries and walking trails. Given the success of their business and the lifestyle they have in Victoria, the couple are now looking to obtain permanent residency. Kevin remarked “People say you’ll miss a lot of things when you move abroad, but if we moved back we’d miss what we’ve got here more.”