Equipment from leading earthmoving machinery manufacturer Komatsu has proven indispensable for Wormall Civil, enabling the company to deliver projects with precision, reliability, and efficiency.
There’s no disputing that fact that Wormall Civil has grown into one of WA’s premier civil engineering firms.
You’ll tend to find its fingerprints on a multitude of civil and residential development projects across most of the southern part of the state.
Under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer Shane Wormall, the family-run business currently employs more than 400 staff and boasts multiple offices around Perth right down to Cowaramup.
Indeed, its 40th anniversary in October 2024 marked not just a milestone, but a testament to several decades of collaborative success with various clients, consultants, subcontractors, and personnel.
The Wormall Group has significantly diversified and scaled from its early days as an underground services specialist, after being founded by Shane’s father Ray.
This generational leadership underscored the business’ unwavering commitment to excellence, fostering a legacy of quality and integrity in all its operations. Today, it encompasses distinct sectors such as civil contracting, manufacturing, sand supply, and block production, and plays a pivotal role in about 60 per cent of major residential developments across WA, spanning almost 4000 lots.
Shane said Wormall Civil wasn’t a one-trick pony, and was valued for its versatility.
“Since 1984, Wormall Civil has been building strong partnerships and relationships with private as well as government clients across WA,” he said.
“In the early 2000s, Wormall Civil evolved into being a main contractor, providing high quality civil construction services to the land development sector. Initially focused on the provision of vital underground civil infrastructure, we have earned a reputation for reliability, quality workmanship and problem-solving.
“Over the years, we’ve built a solid foundation to ensure the highest quality civil engineering construction work in the industry, and we are proud to acknowledge it has taken team work with all our stakeholders to achieve this.”
The comprehensive civil engineering services the WA Tier 1-accredited contractor provides includes:
- Land subdivision (residential/industrial), earthworks, cut-to-fill, imported fill
- Sewage and pump station works (Water Corporation-accredited)
- Stormwater systems, culverts, traffic management (Main Roads-accredited)
- Wall building, mining infrastructure, and more.
“Wormall Civil’s portfolio includes high-profile projects like the Peel Business Park, awarded in 2019, where we handled crucial earthworks and underground infrastructure, generating more than 300 construction jobs,” Shane said.
“Other notable developments include Kennedy Bay, Trinity Estate, and Spindrift, involving hundreds of residential lots and continued fast-paced construction activity.”
In recognition of its excellence, Wormall Group won the inaugural Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) Team of the Year Award in 2024, celebrating its teamwork and project delivery capabilities.
Strategic fleet modernisation
As part of the company’s ongoing Machine Renewal Program, Wormall Civil recently welcomed several pieces of Komatsu machinery into its fleet, aimed at enhancing its operational efficiency, precision, and safety.
The program focuses on replacing older equipment with newer models to keep the line-up at the forefront of technology.
Wormall Civil currently has 263 pieces of heavy machinery, which includes wheel loaders, excavators, graders, scrapers, dozers and rollers.
Of that line-up, Wormall Civil has a total of 30 Komatsu machines, including PC55 mini excavators, PC360LCi excavators, WA320 and WA470 wheel loaders and D71PXi dozers.
And two of the newest Komatsu excavators were hard at work when we caught up with Wormall Plant, Transport and Site Operations Manager Jaydon Walker at a land development project at the outer Perth suburb of Piara Waters.
At this site — named Aarya — Wormall Civil has been tasked with completing Stages 1, 1A, 2, 3 and school works associated with infrastructure of a new primary school which is currently under construction.
The scope of works includes preparing the school site with bulk earthworks, road construction, drainage, sewer, and utility services, ensuring that the grounds are fully integrated into the surrounding community network.
For Jaydon, working with Komatsus has become second-hand.
“I was already well aware of the excellence of Komatsu machinery, having bought a WA470 wheel loader for one of Wormall’s sister companies, Caves Road Sand Supplies, about three years ago,” he said.
“These PC300LC-8M0 excavators we have here (today) are very, very good digging-wise.
“In our view, they are unrivalled, especially in the 30-tonne range, when it comes to digging capabilities.
“There is also the option of running them with smart technology such as Komatsu’s renowned intelligent Machine Control (iMC), along with 3D machine guidance (3DMG).”
iMC is a factory-integrated, automated GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) machine control system for Komatsu dozers and excavators that improves productivity, precision, and efficiency by using 3D design data to automatically control the machine’s blade or bucket.
3DMG, when used in Komatsu conventional excavators, gives operators in the field and managers in the office access to 3D design and topography data that help drive accuracy, control load volumes and promote optimised operations.
“The 3DMG is very useful for earthworks and for certain applications in undergrounds, where it’s a shallow line or it’s just not a steep grade. You just pick your line and you can tell the operator,” Jaydon said.
“That means no reworks. And if there’s no reworks, that means we make money.
“Anything we can to minimise inefficiencies is welcome, whether it be re-digging the line, pulling it up, or even just getting the finished level to within 5-10mm and then just trimming it with a scraper or grader.”
But the Komatsus don’t need smart tech all the time.
“Such is their power and accuracy that we have some of them employed at just straight digging,” Jaydon said.
“They’re what we call underground diggers where we don’t need the tech. It all has to be off pegs.”
Apart from the efficiency and ability of the equipment, what stands out for Jaydon is the level of backup from Komatsu.
“As we got bigger and our asset list grew, we were getting dissatisfied with the backup service from other suppliers,” Jaydon said.
“They weren’t doing a lot of work with us, and the service agreements and warranty backups weren’t great.
“That was the major sticking point for us, along with availability and price.”
Komatsu, on the other hand, provided an unrivalled back-up for support.
“Whenever we need anything, Komatsu is on hand and is quick to assist any way they can.”
Shane echoed Jaydon’s endorsement of Komatsu.
“Komatsu is not just a supplier — we consider them a strategic partner in our delivery model,” he said.
“The reliability and performance of their excavators, loaders and dozers is class-leading.
“These machines are not only robust and well-suited to our terrain, but their intelligent machine control and consistent servicing schedules have proven essential in reducing downtime and improving productivity.”
Komatsu on call
The person on Komatsu’s end at Wormall Civil’s beck and call is Komatsu Business Development Manager Shane Ovens.
“We’ve been delighted that a company like Wormall Civil has jumped on board with us,” he said.
“They’ve been purchasing Komatsu equipment over probably the last 18 months and we’ve been really pleased with that decision, and we will assure them full support.”
The partnership developed both out of interest on Wormall Civil’s part and initiative on Ovens’.
“It was just a couple of things that aligned for both parties,” Ovens said.
“I’d been knocking on their door for a long period of time, so they knew me.
“They recognised Komatsu as a leading brand, and now value the relationship that has developed not only between myself and their plant and equipment guys, but also between our field service teams and our aftermarket and smart construction teams.
“So we’re sort of integrating the two businesses really well, and I’m happy that they can see and certainly understand that it’s not just me, but that I’m supported by a really good big business.”
Ovens said Wormall Civil’s first Komatsu was a PC290LCi-11 excavator, which came installed with iMC.
“Wormall Civil is keen on innovation and could readily see the benefits of using intelligent machines,” he said.
“And they then ventured into a loader and have since purchased and taken delivery of a number of PC300LC-8M0’s. They are not available with iMC, but are fitted with 3DMG.
“I think it’s the way all earthworksites are going. You know, we no longer have pegs put in the ground. It’s really old hat. Komatsu is at the forefront when it comes to such technology.”
And there’s more to come.
“We have a large order in place for more PC290LC-11s, as well as a D71PX-24 dozer,” Ovens said.
“This all means that’s a big step for Wormall Civil, moving into this space of using intelligent equipment for certainly the more detailed earthworks.
“By the end of the year, I expect their fleet will have about 32 Komatsus.”
Ovens said it wasn’t difficult to see why Wormall was using the two excavators for the project.
“Apart from the power, the operators really like the ease of use and comfort,” he said.
“It’s a combination of the smoothness, the power behind the machine, and also the stability has been a big plus for them. I think they do appreciate the build quality.
“Wormall Civil sees them being a long-term investment and machines that will still be in service for up to 8000 to 10,000 hours quite easily.
“Komatsu leads the way with modern features. Wait until you see the brand new dash twelves being released early next year.
“The advancements right through the models are absolutely top of the line and are really well renowned for their reliability.”
And the other big driver was, as Jaydon mentioned, the level of service that Komatsu provided.
“When things do go pear shaped, there’s someone on the other end of the phone from Komatsu willing to get it right,” Ovens said.
“Plus we have a longer warranty period. We’ve got 36-month, 6000-hour deals on these particular models, and some models will go up to 48-months.
“Field service is really important to both businesses. We know that in these really harsh environments, things will go wrong.
“It’s making sure that we’ve got the right guy on the other end of the phone to pick it up and deal with the problem, and that we get on to the site and get the problem diagnosed and repaired quickly, minimising interruption.”
Shane Wormall said that in short, Komatsu’s contribution to the Wormall fleet wasn’t just beneficial — it’s essential.
“Their equipment and support services form the backbone of our plant operations, and any disruption in this relationship would have a direct and measurable impact on our site efficiency,” he said.
“They understand about and care about this. The machines being A grade is an added bonus.”