As specialists in the design, installation, maintenance, and refurbishment of Australia’s critical infrastructure, Australian Maritime Systems Group is no stranger to seizing an opportunity. The company’s CEO, Glen Marshall, details its reputation for success.
MASTERS OF MARITIME
With a plethora of products and services, and multiple locations and facilities across the country, Australian Maritime Systems Group (AMS Group) provides critical solutions to government and industry to support trade, security, and life support infrastructure.
AMS Group’s 24 years of industry experience has led to a reputation of reliability and professionalism, making it a trusted supplier to the wider Australian maritime sector.
“We’ve been in this game for years. There’s no one else that manages the complex critical infrastructure that we do, and people seek us out for our strategic advice,” opens Glen Marshall, CEO of AMS Group.
Hailing from the Australian military, and with a strong background in facility management, Marshall has defined a new era of expansion for AMS Group, ideally positioning the company for growth in a difficult climate.
“I come from a very broad background, which allows me to consider a wider range of growth scenarios. For AMS Group, we needed to change the strategy to enable the company to grow rapidly. That’s what the executive team have been focusing on over the past two years,” he reveals.
Marshall’s primary focus is on service delivery, customer satisfaction, and exploring new opportunities to deliver technical services.
Under his leadership, AMS Group offers many products and services. Its technology-based security services for the government and big industry provide access control, CCTV, and video management to hospitals, data centres, and government facilities across the nation.
The company’s pilotage programme trains the next generation of marine pilots, whilst its technology-based life support systems ensure optimum safety onboard commercial aircraft, such as Qantas, Virgin, and Alliance, and manage the complete logistics for Australia’s search and rescue capability.
AMS Group’s bespoke design, installation, and maintenance of vessel traffic service (VTS) systems help to maintain safety and security in Australia’s maritime ports, and the company’s recent interest in the development of offshore wind energy promises to redefine AMS Group as a considerable sustainability giant.
“We’re very busy and complex. That’s why I always say we’re the only company that does what we do,” Marshall states confidently.
Ultimately, AMS Group’s mission is to design and deliver solutions to protect and enhance Australia’s critical infrastructure.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEVELOPMENT
The maritime industry in Australia, whilst being historically slow to develop, has presented unique opportunities of late, in which companies have been able to participate in new ways.
“Whilst maritime is not a particularly diverse industry, it has identified that it needs to change. We’ve started to see this with more women in maritime” observes Marshall.
A significant push for female representation in maritime has increased diversity within the workforce and seen a 45.8 percent increase in female seafarers since 2015.
AMS Group plays an integral role in the empowerment of women in the industry, which is most evident in its newly created National Operations Centre (NOC).
As an equal opportunity organisation committed to diversity and inclusion, AMS Group seeks to pioneer change and development through modern recruitment and retention practices. It offers interesting career paths, excellent remuneration, and has a growing portfolio of health and well-being initiatives to retain its best and brightest.
“As a business with lots of ideas, we’re dynamic. We’ve got great technology at our fingertips, and we can see there are so many efficiencies to be achieved in a short period of time.”
As an example, the company is currently working on integrating drones to deploy essential life support services, whilst an influx of new security technologies has seen the business double down on its research efforts.
In addition to its already comprehensive suite of products and services, AMS Group is looking to expand and develop its use of technology to support its technical services, particularly in security.
“The technology that we’re seeing evolve within the security sector is frankly phenomenal,” Marshall comments.
“We’re constantly thinking about better ways of doing things to support the government and wider industry with multiple service offerings. It’s a very exciting company to be involved in,” he divulges.
“We remain focused on what our customers, stakeholders, and owners require. This will continue to ensure our success as a brand, and guarantee that we’re heading in the right direction”
Glen Marshall, CEO, Australian Maritime Systems Group
PARTNERSHIPS, PROCUREMENT, AND LOGISTICS
In terms of its supply chain, AMS Group cultivates a close relationship with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), most of which are international partners of the group.
“We spend a lot of time overseas working with OEMs to understand their products, and work closely with them to design new solutions,” Marshall informs.
AMS Group also benefits from strong partnerships with international regulatory bodies of which it is a member. The future of maritime shipping is changing, and AMS Group is active on the international committees researching, designing, and formulating policy for the future.
Operationally, AMS Group has a large logistics commitment within Australia. Key contracts for the company are the maintenance of Aids to Navigation (AtoN) including lighthouses, peppered across the country, of which it is responsible for over 700 at both state and federal levels.
“They all need to be maintained; if a light goes out, or a cyclone hits, we need to react. Therefore, our ability to mobilise into a location with the appropriate equipment and skillsets
is critical,” he details.
To ensure a constant level of high-quality infrastructure and upkeep its stringent maintenance regime for AtoNs across 700 sites, AMS Group employs a cadre of technical specialists and a large B-double truck that circumnavigates the country, with the sole task of replenishing and replacing specialist components.
“The parts are really intricate, specialised, and they’re almost impossible to procure, so we build them ourselves and stock-up the truck, which essentially becomes a moving warehouse,” explains Marshall.
“Our supply chain could be considered a logistical nightmare given the remoteness of the sites and wide array of tasks being performed for multiple government departments, but it’s what we’re good at.”
Through its international suppliers, AMS Group has access to multiple supply chains, freighting, and logistics options.
The company’s years of unrivalled expertise, professionalism, and reliability within the industry contributes to its ability to sustain strong partnerships within the maritime community.
SUCCESSFUL SUSTAINABILITY
The Australian government, inspired by recent success in Europe, has identified offshore wind energy as a new focus for expansion in the country, and has designated six areas for future wind energy development.
As a large corporation with experience in both maritime logistics and critical infrastructure solutions, AMS Group is ideally placed to assist Australian industry in implementing offshore wind more widely and meeting the myriad complex coordination and deconfliction challenges.
However, the company recognises that installing offshore wind farms off Australia’s coast is not as straightforward as it may seem.
“Wind turbines are often positioned in or near shipping and traditional fishing routes which necessitates the need for deconfliction and real-time surveillance,” Marshall exemplifies.
“AMS Group’s experience in working with navigation aids, VTS, pilotage, and search and rescue will be pivotal.
“Our experience designing domain awareness tools and managing the operational delivery of services positions AMS Group as a strategic partner throughout the full lifecycle of the wind energy process.”
Although construction of its offshore wind infrastructure is yet to commence, AMS Group has commenced conversations with government authorities about offshore wind policy, placing it at the helm of the project.
“What we’re very good at is bringing parties together to design a solution,” Marshall confirms.
AMS Group’s involvement in government sustainability, and its promotion of environmentally aware solutions, is echoed in its own environmental, social, and governance (ESG) pledge.
“We have a specific target to reduce our carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2030.
“The ESG committee’s mandate is to identify what activities we need to put in place in the coming year to put us on the path to achieve ‘30 by 30’,” Marshall concludes.
AUSTRALIAN MARITIME SYSTEMS GROUP PARTNER
