Associate Chairperson – The Challenges that lie ahead.

TEJ PANESAR, reflects on the last financial year and the challenges for the next year.

The current year has continued to be full of challenges for the Associates with reduced activity for goods and services to be supplied to the Industry as a whole and our members in general.

The withdrawal of major infrastructure projects has had an adverse effect on the business activities of the Associates. This time has been used by the Associates to establish relations with a broader spectrum of the voting members with quality time in readiness of the good times that must eventually come.

Despite this, the enhanced communication with the voting members and their quarry operational teams has led to a belief that there is reduced leakage of business outside of the Associates group. The support from voting members to the Associates, growingly acknowledged as a “Preferred Supplier” has kept the Associates confidence high despite reduced business activity.

The Associates continue to write technical articles and advertise in Sand & Stone to share their products, knowledge and expertise with the industry. This has helped in keeping good touch with the readership and the decision makers at the Quarries, Recycling plants, Concrete and Asphalt plants. This is a true reflection of their interest in the Association or the Industry in general.

The Associates have sponsored and attended field training programs run by the CMPA in the regional areas. This has improved interaction between Associates and voting members.

Among the key training sessions, the following are note worthy

• Safe Working Distances from Quarry Faces Workshop in Pakenham (February 2015 – 47 attendees)
• General Meeting in Wangaratta (March 2015 – 48 attendees)
• Guarding Guidelines Workshop in Wangaratta (March 2015 – 32 attendees)
• Traffic Management Workshop at William Adams,  Clayton (May 2015 – 27 attendees)

The CMPA upgraded website has been launched. Associate Members will now benefit from a very good interactive CMPA website with worthwhile links and search facilities on the web. These benefits that include company details and web link on the CMPA website and advertising opportunities in the future. The Preferred Supplier & General Information Reference Manual (distributed to all Members) is being more frequently referred to by Quarry Operations management to choose the preferred supplier. I would urge everyone to actively use the website to extract its full potential. Suggestions for further developments are very welcome.

The Associates Committee has also done well to keep persevering with ideas to improve interaction and business with the voting members. With a Voting member attending the Associates meeting it has provided them with a firsthand feel of the mood and expectations of the Associates as many Associates attending the meetings are not necessarily Committee members. This is very heartening.

We continue to progress in the right direction and the Associates group has once again shown confidence in electing me to lead the Associates Committee and to represent their views constructively to the Management Committee for another year. I sincerely thank the Committee and the group in working closely to keep the activities and participation meaningful.

The support from the Secretariat and administration is very valuable and appropriate. My personal thanks also goes to each member of the CMPA Management Committee and voting members in understanding the issues raised by the Associates and agreeing to solutions offered. It encourages the Associates to bring up matters with a sense of confidence that fair support can be expected.

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