Leaving a job in banking in the 1980s to join his father and two brothers in the civil construction industry, Mr Gosatti’s passion for trenchless began as the industry started to really take off. His early work included the Infill Sewerage in Perth in the 1990s, a program that he cites as one of the critical factors that propelled the development of the industry, and one that also put Western Australia in a good position.

“In the last few years, I think we [Western Australia] and Queensland have been in a boom cycle, and there’s been a lot of infrastructure activity going on. This encourages more use of Trenchless Technology. Certainly things like the Infill Sewerage program in the 1990s encouraged Trenchless Technology throughout the state. It’s programs like this that make the technology take off.”

Having been a state president for the Civil Contractors Federation and now an active member of the federation’s board, Mr Gosatti has worked steadily over the years to spread the word about Trenchless Technology. He is currently the Managing Director of Vortex Pipes.

Mr Gosatti lives on a resort estate called the Vines, which is located on a golf course in the Swan Valley, with his wife Charlotte. He has a daughter Cara and three boys – Adrian, Ricky and Christian who are avid AFL players. The future of the ASTT and the trenchless industry

The father of four, and keen golfer, has ambitious plans for the industry as Chairman of the ASTT; to be driven by improving the strength of the industry through training and certification, and the introduction of new and improving technology.

“We need to formalise our training, and our certification and qualifications need to be promoted now that they’re just out in the industry.”

Mr Gosatti also plans to push the awareness of Trenchless Technology through the engineering fraternity and asset owners.

A board member on Skills DMC as a representative of the civil construction industry, Mr Gosatti said “I think the focus has got to be on more emphasis on quality going forward and continuing to promote the industry through a quality product, not just a cheap product, or something for a quick buck.”

Mr Gosatti identifies training and certification as a challenge for the industry going forward. “And then in line with that you have certified operators and qualified operators as a minimum level. Hopefully in five to ten years time you just won’t have an operator on a contract that hasn’t got a certification or a qualification.”

In tandem with certification and training, Mr Gosatti said that he is passionate about the introduction of new and improving technologies.

He identifies the advances in boring machine and microtunnelling technology over the last five to ten years as amazing progress, particularly laser technology and the dramatic improvements in slurry machines. Mr Gosatti also said that lining has gone through a number of changes and benefited from the introduction of new technologies.

“Vortex has brought in a UV cured light liner that is the latest in the world,” said Mr Gosatti, adding that the company is also developing a shield liner technology in Perth.

“The continuous process of looking for improvement through technology is a passion of mine.”

Changes in the industry

Over the last five to ten years, Mr Gosatti has seen a huge improvement in operating standards out in the field.

“Within three to five years, some pretty average operators became very, very good operators and amongst the best in the world.

“I remember when we first started, in particular in microtunnelling. You were lucky if you got within 50 mm on grade, and now the guys are very accurate, and they’re much more skilled at what they’re doing. The amount of directional drilling that’s now done means that there are many operators that are very good at it.”

As well as a marked improvement in onsite skills, there has also been a shift in attitudes.

“When I look at the Infill Sewerage program for instance, in the beginning, less than three per cent of the actual lines being done were trenchless ones. Now more than 50 or 60 per cent of them are Trenchless. It took five years, but they [the asset owners] realise the benefits. I think those sorts of things are happening everywhere, I think the introduction to push underground power has seen trenchless technologies becoming more in vogue because they create less problems.”

Promoting the industry

Conferences and events are vital to promoting the industry in Australia, says the new Chairman.

“A big catalyst in Western Australia was when the 2000 International No-Dig Conference was held in Perth, and I think that was a pretty important mark for Western Australia and Perth. It showed the industry what the rest of the world was doing, and certainly made a lot more awareness of Trenchless Technology in WA.”

The next international No-Dig conference, to be held in Singapore 2010, will be an important chance for Australian contractors and companies to be involved at an international level.

“I think all members should take the opportunity to keep themselves up to date with the latest technology and what’s happening in the industry, and they [the conferences] the best opportunity to do that.”

I think that’s what’s good about conferences and exhibitions, the international ones and even the Australian ones. You get to see what technological improvements that people have come up with and present to the industry.”