We have worked in a range of sectors:

Superalloy powder production, additive manufacturing in metals, resins and plastics, machinery and robotics, micro-mobility, communications equipment, metals and foundries, mining, construction, water and environment.

Program management and governance

We have established programs and overseen governance, audit, scheduling, and cost control/engineering for major projects in government and the private sector, with the largest having a total project value over USD25billion. Our most complex projects have incorporated over a dozen partners and over 40 enabling head contracts. We have also undertaken reviews for programs up to $0.5billion in scope.

Project management

We pride ourselves on delivering high-end project management for simple to technically sophisticated projects.

Pre-build

Our feasibility and business case work has been used by government in the selection of projects and between competing alternatives for spend by business, and as foundational work for planning for growth. We undertake: sales and financial projections; competitor, market, pricing and trends analysis; economic evaluation; and discounted cashflow analysis.

We have worked in building and evaluating clusters and have been involved in building clustering opportunities in horticulture, dairy, water supply, groundwater, music, defence, and wine. Our work has included development of formal cluster arrangements, managing clusters, developing export opportunities, cluster workshops and evaluation of cluster performance.

Our grant work has recently included successful grant-writing and grant mentoring work in plastics, mechanical device, irrigation equipment, agricultural machinery and bioplastics.

We have extensive experience in the development of functional and technical specifications for complex and uncertain projects. We undertake site development, redevelopment, forward planning, and manufacturing process flow design and analysis. We offer a full service in the application of manufacturing/production permits and environmental approvals.

We achieve outcomes that are unique to our clients, match their market need and solve existing problems without creating new ones. We typically commence with needs analysis to ensure effective product-manufacture matching, a particular focus in recent work with advanced materials (super alloys).

We have worked with producers and suppliers on initiatives to reduce their environmental footprint and undertaken Lifecycle Assessment, sector surveys and benchmarking of environmental performance.

Build

We have a full range of site management capability from initial site establishment to onsite office and services provision through to site access control and management. We can provide all site logistics and traffic oversight, site assets and inventory management. Hydra Consulting can provide oversight in all aspects of environmental controls permits and compliance.

We can manage oversight of build phases and second fix (of the OEM equipment) ensuring services and utilities are catered for and provide onsite variation management services.

We work within the procurement frameworks of our clients from simple to full compliance with sophisticated and complex systems within government and multinational businesses. On behalf of our clients, we have managed in-project procurements for AUD $40m+.

We can facilitate a full suite of Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) services, from acceptance protocols to OEM in-factory sign-off on specifications prior to packing & shipping. Our most recent FAT work has been pre-delivery for Arnott’s new gluten free biscuit lines. We have worked in Europe on packaging lines prior to shipping and on titanium atomisation plant and equipment.

We have commissioned and overseen/approved vendor site commissioning of equipment for dozens of clients in brewing, dairy, wine production, mining, metals processing & manufacturing, packaging, and food production facilities.

Operations

Our asset management model is based on an integrated whole of life approach covering corporate planning, asset optimisation and planning, asset performance management, business unit level asset management, and asset operations.

Our capability in technology adoption is enhanced by running our own technology accelerator FOMENT and advising dozens of tech companies globally through incubators and accelerators in the medical, environmental, manufacturing, AgTech, music, wine, and marketing spaces.

Our work in continuous improvement has covered a wide range of activities, including: Oxygen pickup in packaging lines; Manufacturing OEE; Line efficiency analysis; Manufacturing efficiency and performance reviews; Process and value stream mapping; Value chain analysis; Operating model analysis; and Information flow analysis.

We have worked with companies on developing their overall approach to circular economy and ESG. We start with the drivers for their ESG programs, gap analysis, identification of opportunities to improve and deeply integrating their ESG activities into their business DNA, rather than paying lip-service.

Growth

Helping companies prepare for growth includes:

• Supporting the develop and improvement of business process and systems

• Support with evaluation of production model

• Support with business performance measurement

• Accessing grants and R&D support

• Establishing sales methodology in business

• Research, pricing, objectives, distributor relationships, channel planning and structuring, customer targeting, and other elements of market entry planning

• Technology roadmap and digital strategy implementation

• Preparation for sale

• Export training

Product development

Our product development work has included:

• Developing chip sets in battery operated shearing

• Development of new product ranges for an agricultural machinery manufacturer

• Development of packaging

• Development of software to help exporters

• Supporting innovation in grading volatile metal powders

• Development and sensory analysis of wine, gin, water, and food products

• Design of laboratories for water testing, fluid dynamics, chemical analysis, and food safety

• Supporting the deployment of AI recommendation engines