Building Ever Better – Swietelsky’s 2025 Strategic Direction

As a leader in construction and rail, Swietelsky is focused on not just delivering for customers today, but also into the future. They have recently set their new strategic direction, with a focus on continuous improvement while remaining, people, solution and future orientated.

First established in Austria over right decades ago, the Swietelsky Group has since expanded its partnerships, now in 21 countries across the globe, and establishing an Australian branch in 2011.

Swietelsky Rail Australia (SRA) has been critical to creating international partnerships in the construction and rail industries across the globe. Our subsidiary has also been an integral part in implementing the strategic direction for Swietelsky Group outside of Europe and the UK.

We’re proud to lead Swietelsky Rail’s 2025 Strategic Direction down under whilst combining the local knowledge and values of our Australian team to deliver quality outcomes to our clients.

Swietelsky’s Global 2025 Strategic Direction

For the 2024/25 year, SRA and Swietelsky Group’s new strategic direction is ‘Building Ever Better’. The direction aims to encapsulate continuous improvement across the company, from the people and sustainability to the outcomes for clients and their ESG.

SRA is dedicated to embodying this new strategic direction alongside our international counterparts, with a specific focus on incorporating the Australian values and offering innovations which can be shared across the globe with our international teams.

As part of the strategic direction, Swietelsky Group’s 2025 action plan includes:

• Promotion of life-cycle oriented construction – starting from the competences (design, materials and processes)
• Development of solutions and products for adapting to the consequences of climate change
• Continuous improvement of resource-saving construction methods
• Focus on CO2 -saving construction materials
• Increase in the share of building certifications

SRA is proud to be an international subsidiary of the Swietelsky Group who are leading the construction and rail industry with their innovation and people-orientated approach.

We are also proud of our own focus on incorporating Swietelsky Group’s 2025 strategic direction into our own day-to-day operations, values and ESG.

We Are Swietelskys

At SRA, we believe our most valuable asset is our team, aligning closely with Swietelsky’s people-orientated approach to business. We like to say, ‘We are Swietelskys’ – meaning everybody who works for Swietelsky Group is part of a larger family.

Family has always been a critical part of our business. So much so, that it remains to be our number one value within SRA, alongside Integrity, Respect and Excellence.

Family represents our business as a cohesive unit – just as we are ‘Swietelskys’, we are a family that supports each other both inside and outside the workplace.

Our Managing Director, Anne Modderno says the value is also a reminder for our team that we don’t live to work. In most cases, we work to support our families outside of the workplace.

“We understand that working in the rail industry involves being away from home, and working long shifts in all kinds of locations,” Anne said.

“This can create stress on family life which reinforces how important it is to find the balance between being away and being at home; and creating the safe work environment that allows our staff to be 100 per cent present in their home life when away from work.

“What sets us apart from traditional rail industry roles is our transparent focus on family. Our core value of family means family first – always. Swietelsky family, second - always. We encourage and support each other, and we keep ourselves and our families safe.”

We define integrity as owning our actions, and doing what we say we’ll do. It allows us to remain solutions-focused and accountable with our fellow team members and stakeholders.

Respect is critical to every business, and our team identified this as a core value with the aim to remain transparent and truthful, and giving a voice to everyone.

And excellence is built into everything we do – from the work we deliver to our customers, to the machinery and equipment we use.

Our Australian values are aligned with and supported by those of the Swietelsky Group; people-orientated, solution-orientated and future-orientated. With our people as our most critical asset, it made sense our values had to be impactful on their day-to-day operations.

Although we work outside of Europe, we’re proud to work closely with other Swietelskys across the globe, something we consider to be a point of difference for our business.

In July 2024, members of the new Austrian executive team visited our Australian premises for the first time, to meet some of our core team members and gain a better understanding of the Australian rail industry, local heavy haul networks, current markets and future opportunities.  It was a fantastic opportunity to share knowledge international knowledge across both teams, and a chance to strengthen our parent company relationship.

Our focus on sustainability

We believe ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) is an operational imperative - it goes beyond legislation and is vital when establishing benchmarks and results within a business to be future-oriented.

At SRA, our ESG is based on four pillars:

• Fairness
• Innovation
• Ecology
• Interaction

Our commitment to sustainability includes working closely with our international partners to ensure each subsidiary of Swietelsky Group is stiving to operate with environmentally friendly processes and equipment for every project.

Our partners are required to incorporate sustainable and resource-efficient practices into their corporate strategies. This includes the responsible use of natural resources, with a focus on recycling, waste reduction, and minimising greenhouse gas emissions through decarbonisation efforts.

We emphasise the continuous improvement of environmental and quality awareness among employees, making it a core management responsibility. Across all project phases, our partners must ensure the implementation of resource-saving processes and the use of environmentally friendly equipment.

The commitment to renewable energy is critical, as it contributes to reducing reliance on fossil fuels and enhancing air quality. Equally important is the careful management of water resources and the preservation of soil quality. We expect our partners to avoid wasteful practices, particularly those that result in deforestation or excessive land use.

Biodiversity and animal welfare are also paramount. Our partners must actively promote the protection and preservation of various species and their habitats. Handling hazardous substances with utmost care is non-negotiable. These materials must be stored, transported, and used in ways that protect natural habitats and comply with both national laws and international agreements.

Through these commitments, we ensure that every project reflects our dedication to creating a more sustainable and resilient future.

Beyond the facts and figures of Swietelsky Group’s ESG approach, our Australian team is proud to have policies in place making a difference to our team. Some of these policies include:

• 33% First Nations people representation in Senior Leadership Team (up 20% since January 2023)
• 33% female representation in Senior Leadership Team (steady)
• 20% female representation in the Executive Leadership Team (steady)
• 14% female representation across the workforce (up by 9% since January 2023)
• 11% First Nations people representation across the workforce (up by 9% since January 2023)
• $16k committed investment in community sponsorship and grants in FY23 (up by $12,000 in 2022)

SRA and Swietelsky Group are always looking at ways to improve our operations and corporate social responsibility. With our new 2024/25 strategic plan in place, we are continuing to build ever better for our customers and our staff.

Learn more about our business, people and focus on building ever better.