Client Focus

Engineering sound business practices to prosper in changing economic times

Engineering firm WML Consultants Pty Ltd are proud to say that their work makes things work.

WML Consultants Engineers Paul Foley and Greg Woodroof outside the new City of Bunbury Library with the Parkdale Avenue road redesign in the background.

The company’s involvement with a host of projects in Bunbury and around the South West ensures that roads, buildings and all sorts of structures do what they are supposed to do and allow people to get on with their lives.

Among a long list, WML Consultants has been associated with the viewing platform at Whippy Point in Bunbury, the Big Swamp Boardwalk, a number of road and building projects at the Bunbury Port and most recently the redesigned road layout on Parkdale Avenue near the new Bunbury City Library.

The firm is located in what was once the Railway Institute at the corner of Wittenoom and Wellington streets and there are three owners; Paul Foley is the CEO and takes care of geotechnical matters, Steve Woodhouse is the Structural Manager and Greg Woodroof is the Roads and Infrastructure Manager.

Together they have 15 employees including engineers and drafters, and soon they will add another engineer to improve the capacity of the geotechnical section.

The civil, structural and geotechnical engineering work WML produces is mostly conducted behind the scenes, and is not always obvious to the public but without it, things just wouldn’t work.

According to Paul, the three owners gain a great deal of enjoyment from the hands-on engineering aspects of their work.

“We love what we do, but sometimes you have to work on your business, not just in it”.

WML Consultants Engineers Greg Woodroof and Paul Foley

This is where AMD Chartered Accountants has been invaluable to WML’s continuing profitability in the midst of the Global Financial Crisis and a local economy that is feeling the effects of increasing unemployment and reductions in major industrial growth.

According to Paul, WML is well placed to ride out the recession because it has a clear set of performance measures to keep an eye on. Under the guidance of Chartered Accountant Shaun O’Callaghan, WML uses a conservative style of business management, which encompasses staff retention strategies, keeping an eye on expenses and making provision for lean times by retaining adequate cash reserves.

“We have a pretty good handle on what is happening in our business. We knew that mining activity was going into decline so we have focused on roads and Local Government projects, and looking for other opportunities such as in expanding our geotechnical capacity,” Paul said.

“Now we are hoping to see some of the Federal Government’s economic stimulus package funds for infrastructure coming to the South West.”