Queensland Industrial Land Strategy: Regional and International Benchmarking Study

When needed, CDM Smith can draw on its international resources and reach to deliver insightful projects to clients cost effectively.  CDM Smith has delivered a number of projects under the Queensland Industrial Land Strategy, however the Regional and International Benchmarking Study drew on CDM Smith’s international capabilities to deliver an understanding of the relative costs of establishment and operation of three different types of industrial operation.

The benchmarking study generated establishment (or capital) and operating cost profiles for three alternative forms of industrial development within Regional Queensland (Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Gympie), South East Queensland, Sydney and Melbourne, as well as for regional and capital city locations within Malaysia and Thailand.  The study entailed a detailed review of land, construction, plant and machinery, labour, electricity, water and gas costs across regions throughout Queensland, Sydney, Melbourne, Malaysia and Thailand.

Marcus Brown from CDM Smith Economics Team worked closely with Stuart Brown, CDM Smith Development Assistance, to access international development and operating cost data sets and to provide insights into the industrial development environment in Malaysia and Thailand.  The international benchmarks were generated for major industrial centres and regional centres throughout Thailand and Malaysia.

A ten year combined capital and operating cost profile was developed for each of the three industrial enterprise types and benchmark locations, these were then expressed in present value terms to identify a present value of cost for comparison purposes to illustrate the effect of potential trade-offs between capital and operating costs in alternative locations and for alternative industrial enterprise types.