Roger McElhone
Australasian Industrial Wrappings & Coatings Pty Ltd (AIWC)
Managing Director
What does your role entail and what does your company do?
My main role is ensuring the smooth running of the company whether that is the office, sales force or the manufacturing in the factory. Amongst looking for new opportunities in the marketplace, I am always looking at ways to develop new products by employing consultants and/or having strategic alliances with affiliated raw material suppliers.
The most enjoyable part of my job, yet still quite challenging, is to circumnavigate to all the exotic destinations throughout South East Asia, meeting and working with various engineers and consultants overseas.
AIWC are a manufacturing company which produces petrolatum products for the pipeline and marine environment and also the production of the HDPE bolted jacket system, bitumen and bituminous rubber tape coatings which are used in the water industry as well as the oil and gas industry.
What has been your favourite corrosion project that you have worked on and why?
In 2007 AIWC were awarded a marine wharf pile project in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. This project consisted of nearly 6000 square meters of steel pile protection using our RAM Series 200 Bolted System on 610NB and 914NB piles with an average wrap length of 7 metres. What made this project so special was that it was AIWC’s first major project in South East Asia and gave a good insight into the countries methodology and activities involved in large mining companies and hence was a great stepping stone into South East Asia.
We are now 10 years on and we export to over 15 countries worldwide. That initial project expanded AIWC’s capabilities and services which we hope will continue to grow to benefit not only AIWC but also the corrosion industry worldwide.
What are the important corrosion related issues facing industry/your business today?
As an Australian manufacturer, we need to provide a high-quality product that can compete with cheaper imports as well as compete against high-quality coatings. To improve on this and to give AIWC the edge against some of the better-known products from Europe we have employed a Research and Development Engineer with over 35 years experience in the manufacturing of wax and bitumen membranes and sealants. With this infrastructure in place, we will firstly be able to offer far superior tape coatings and sealants to Australia and also overseas and not be in fear of being left behind in the latest technology.
Why are you a member of the ACA?
Joining the ACA has assisted me and my staff by learning new concepts and developments from a vast array of academics, not to mention the common lay person with decades of experience that are always friendly and helpful from what I have found over the years. An obvious
An obvious no-brainer is the exceptional networking that is done at branch meetings and the annual conferences. I first joined the ACA in 1988 and to date, still, have very fond memories of all the exceptional people I have met and always look forward to meeting them at the conferences.