Sarens boosts heavy lift capacity in Perth

SARENS has reinforced its Australian operations with a major expansion of self‑propelled modular transporter (SPMT) capacity in Perth, as the nation’s $10 billion wave of water‑security projects fuels demand for heavy transport to support desalination mega‑plants.

The global heavy‑lift and engineered‑transport specialist now operates 60 Kamag/Cometto SPMT axle lines locally, alongside a national fleet of 30 cranes and heavy‑haulage assets including Volvo prime movers and extendable trailers.

The Perth base joins Brisbane as a strategic hub for mobilising equipment to coastal and remote sites.

The move comes amid a surge of investment under the National Water Grid Authority and the Australian Infrastructure Investment Program, which together have mobilised more than $10 billion in public and private funding for dams, desalination plants and water‑distribution networks.

Transporting high‑tonnage pumps, filtration modules and large‑diameter pipelines to isolated coastal zones has become one of the sector’s biggest operational bottlenecks.

Sarens regional director Willem Jobse said the company’s integrated “Crane+” methodology was designed to streamline complex logistics and reduce fragmentation among subcontractors.

“Building and expanding desalination plants across a territory as vast as Australia requires exceptional planning, engineering and operational muscle,” Mr Jobse said. “Clients are not simply looking to rent a truck or a crane, they need a partner capable of managing the entire logistics chain, from evaluating access routes to millimetric positioning of large pumps on foundations.”

The company’s Perth engineering team provides front‑end feasibility studies, ground‑bearing analysis and trailer simulations, while its operations unit manages route permits, escorts and infrastructure modifications for heavy‑haul movements from port to site.

Sarens has previously delivered several high‑profile Australian infrastructure lifts, including the 3000‑tonne bridge section for Adelaide’s Darlington Freeway using 132 SPMT axle lines. Internationally, its portfolio spans petrochemical, industrial and civil projects across Asia and Central Asia.

With Western Australia’s next generation of desalination plants advancing under state and federal programs, Sarens’ said its expanded Perth footprint positions it as a key logistics partner for contractors tackling the heavy‑transport challenges of water‑security construction.