As we celebrate our 20th anniversary Practical Engineering is enjoying a time of growth and now boasts the largest workforce in its history. As our client base has expanded and as we work to keep up with the demand across the Utilities and Infrastructure, Industrial and Energy and Resources industries we have recently have welcomed four new engineers, a mechanical designer, an estimator, a fitter, and two additional project managers to Practical.

Looking back over the past 20 years, and the growth on growth that Practical has seen, it is prudent to take a moment to pay homage to where it all began. Founder and Managing Director Rod Tait started Practical Engineering in 1997 to meet a need he saw in the engineering sector for designers who were more connected with the work they were doing. While some engineers excel at theoretical engineering and running numbers, Rod saw the market as needing engineers who were able to combine quality theoretical engineering skills with real world know-how.

Following on from this Rod has overseen the growth of Practical Engineering by providing clients with creative and practical solutions for their most challenging engineering issues. The basis of a large portion of the organisation’s growth has always come from returning and referred customers and Rod is particularly proud of this fact.

Practical prides itself on hiring increasingly qualified and experienced engineers who are skilled at applying first principles of engineering to meet client needs. This diversity in capability has allowed us to continue to grow despite shifts and downward trends in various industries. That said, looking towards the future, Practical is set to continue the process of departmentalising its operations, setting up teams dedicated to meeting the needs of clients in the Utilities and Infrastructure, Industrial and Energy and Resources industries.

While continued growth is in the strategic plan, Rod is passionate about maintaining Practical’s capacity to respond to clients’ needs with agility – distilling their requirements down to their barest minimum to develop a creative and practical solution in a way that most large companies are unable to do.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our clients for their ongoing support over the past 20 years. It is our hope that Practical will continue to meet your needs and exceed your expectations for many years to come.