Sarens tests tailored SPMT solution for tunnel panel installation in Australian infrastructure project

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Sarens has completed the engineering and testing of a customised Self Propelled Modular Transporter solution designed to install precast concrete panels inside a major tunnel project in Victoria, Australia. Developed in partnership with Spark North East Link, the system demonstrates how heavy transport equipment can be adapted to perform precise installation work in confined infrastructure environments.

Rather than serving solely as a heavy haulage platform, the SPMT configuration was engineered to transport and accurately position concrete tunnel panels within the excavation. The project required a compact solution capable of operating in restricted spaces while maintaining a high level of positioning accuracy.

Sarens combined 10 axles of Kamag K24ST SPMTs with a hydraulically operated installation frame developed by its own engineering team. Working as a single integrated unit, the system can handle concrete panels weighing up to 36 tonnes and lift them to heights of 12.5 metres.

Why use separate lifting equipment when one engineered system can perform both transport and installation? That question shaped the design approach behind the project, reducing the need for additional handling once the panels reached their installation point.

According to Sarens, the successful testing programme confirmed that the engineered solution could transport and install the concrete panels safely while meeting the project’s operational requirements.

The company said the combination of SPMT manoeuvrability and the purpose built hydraulic frame provided the precision needed for work inside the tunnel environment. Such applications illustrate how modular transport equipment continues to evolve beyond traditional heavy haulage roles into specialised infrastructure installation.

The testing also supports the next execution phase of the North East Link project, one of Australia’s largest transport infrastructure developments currently under construction.

Sarens said the solution was developed through close cooperation with Spark North East Link, with engineering teams from both organisations working together to design, test, and validate the installation method before deployment.

The project highlights a growing trend within the heavy lift and project logistics sector where transport specialists increasingly develop bespoke engineering solutions tailored to individual infrastructure projects rather than relying on standard equipment configurations.

As tunnel, energy, and industrial projects become more technically demanding, integrated transport and installation systems are becoming an increasingly important part of project execution strategies.