C.I. Maintenance Services

C . I . MA INTENANCE SERV I CES does play a significant part in the way they operate. Dayle acknowledges, “Our client, being the Commonwealth, can be quite demanding but the exciting part for us is being able to provide unique solutions that work for them and at the same time to bring our staff along on that journey. Having the opportunity to work across the many facilities we operate gives them exposure to different conditions and experiences, which they can take forward in their careers, should they choose to leave the island.” About 70 percent of current employees either started with CIMS or have worked on and off for them. The business as a whole is made up of people who were there from the beginning. In September 2019, CIMS took on a larger portfolio of assets for the Commonwealth, which resulted in significant expansion. Today, the facilities they look after range from camp-style accommodation, through to apartments and other types of accommodation facilities. The major asset they maintain on the Island is the Commonwealth Detention Centre. “Typically, our Commonwealth clients will come to us with a scope of services they require,” says Dayle. “Other clients may come to us with an idea, whereby we will develop a solution for them. It’s a bit of a mixed bag. We tend to tailor things around what our clients want but with our Commonwealth clients it’s a bit more prescribed. Sometimes they find it challenging, or less cost-effective to develop a solution that originates from the mainland and they’ll come to CIMS and ask if we provide this. On every occasion our focus is on developing solutions for them, even if we don’t provide the services under our current work scope. Through the larger PRL group of companies, we’re able to provide additional services from fuel supply through to shipping, earth moving, waste management, road maintenance… it’s endless, really.” years, CIMS has strived to be the provider of choice to the Commonwealth – cultivating good relations and being there at times when they need something is critically important. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted CIMS significantly on Christmas Island but in a positive way. According to Dayle, “We were actually asked at short notice, to prepare critical facilities for quarantining purposes, thus the COVID pandemic certainly had a big impact in terms of intensifying the services we provide on the Island.” Nick adds, “With the COVID situation Christmas Island was quite fortunate being a remote island, and the Commonwealth through the Territory Controller moved quickly to lock down the place. Equally challenging was the impact on flights when state borders were shut down. That really added to the advantage of CIMS being a maintenance provider with a strong local presence. Not being a fly in, fly out operation, they were able to provide a full suite of services to the Island throughout the pandemic.” Being so remote, finding a skilled workforce on Christmas Island is one of the biggest challenges for CIMS. Over the last 12 months, having access to a larger workforce that was less transient gave CIMS the ability to provide continuity of service. However, there are still challenges, in terms of training and having the appropriate trainers for specialist areas. Logistically, it’s been hard to get the right people in and out of mainland Australia, due to flight restrictions. Like any successful organisation, CIMS is always looking to continuously improve its operations. However, up on Christmas Island, technology poses its own set of challenges. Internet and basic services aren’t always available, depending on weather and other conditions. With maintenance being a high-volume business, the company relies on software platforms to manage the work. That technology is ever-evolving and