A multimillion-dollar feat of engineering, custom-built in Dunedin, will soon be sitting atop a Sydney high-rise.
The 60-tonne retractable access machine is being manufactured by Farra Engineering for a world-class hotel in Sydney.
Managing director Gareth Evans said the “complex and bespoke piece of machinery”, fully designed and manufactured in Dunedin, was expected to be disassembled and shipped by mid-January.
This type of access machine, a building maintenance unit (BMU), was used to clean windows and perform facade maintenance.
It featured a suspended cage for operators and an integrated material hoist, Mr Evans said.
“This BMU will be one of the largest in Sydney.
“As with all Sydney access machines, it has to be hidden when not in use.
“This one retracts into a pit on the upper level of the building and weighs approximately 60 tonnes and is 50m long when fully extended.”
Design work began early last year, with the jibs and parts manufactured in the company’s workshops from January this year.
Farra Engineering was known for manufacturing access machines and they were a core part of the business, Mr Evans said.
It was the only company designing and manufacturing them in the southern hemisphere, and typically produced a couple each year for commercial companies in locations including Australia and Southeast Asia.
“Farra have established a global reputation for designing and building access machines over the last 40 years so we are known for delivering innovative solutions when others couldn’t quite solve the problem.
“Most would say we deliver pretty good value for what they’re worth.”
Farra Engineering also recently received a 2025 Systems Award of Excellence, by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, for its disappearing access machines and transformer crane on Sydney’s “1 Elizabeth” Martin Place Metro North Tower.
“This international award provides validation that the innovation coming out of our Dunedin team is not just cutting-edge on a local scale but is recognised as being truly globally competitive,” Mr Evans said.
