About Us

Since 1973, Vipac Engineers & Scientists has been delivering engineering solutions worldwide that foster innovation, transform skylines and shape the testing landscape. Our NATA accredited laboratories, wind tunnels, acoustic and climatic chambers, and vibration equipment enable our engineers to perform a wide array of testing. Vipac is active in the Building and Infrastructure, Defence, Transport, Railway, Mining, Power, Oil, Gas, and Consumer Appliance industries.

With operations across Australia, Vipac offers a personalised service from a team of 150 staff.

Vipac is NATA- and A2LA-accredited, as well as ISO 9001-compliant, with capabilities in acoustics, vibration, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and system design.

At Vipac, we measure our success by that of our clients.

 

 

Company overview

Established in 1973, the name ‘Vipac’ stems from our original core competencies; Vibration, Pressure and Acoustics. Since then, our services have diversified and our engineering solutions now touch nearly every facet of life.

Every time you use an energy efficient fridge, watch a sports match unobstructed by shadows, breathe clean air in a carpark or lean safely on a balcony, know that an engineer is likely behind it.

Here are some engineering solutions we’ve developed over the years:

  • Helped Hydro Tasmania understand how noise and air pollution is propagated and dispersed
  • Minimised building supplies needed to support structures in Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport
  • Harnessed sea breezes in Saudi Arabia’s Jenan Gardens to reduce energy costs
  • Prevented rain from leaking through the roof at Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station
  • Answered the call during an emergency plant shutdown at One Steel Whyalla Steelworks
  • Reduced personal fatigue and improved productivity on board Indonesia’s Soehanah ship
  • Helped travellers at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport cope with the tropical climate through a system of radiant floor cooling and displacement diffusers
  • Lowered the risk of injury at Laos’ Sepon Gold & Copper Mine
  • Helped Melbourne’s Westpac headquarters’ achieve its NABERS and Green Star recognition through energy and sustainability information.

We’re a 100% Australian-owned NATA- and A2LA-accredited laboratory, an ISO 9001:2015-compliant company, and Australia’s only ABS-recognised specialist in ambient environmental testing in the marine sector. Our offices are located in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide.

 

Accreditations

All testing areas within Vipac (and our wholly owned subsidiary Gas Technology Services) are accredited under the ISO 9001:2015 quality certification.

We’re NATA- and A2LA-accredited for a wide range of laboratory and field tests, and are also accredited under ISO 17025:2017 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories.

We report to the WGEA, and are compliant with the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 (Act).

We’re accredited under AS/NZS 4801 – Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems, and ISO 14001 Environmental Management System.

Other bodies we are accredited with:

  • Recognised internationally under the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).
  • Danish Maritime Authority (DMA).
  • American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). (Vipac is Australia’s only recognised specialist in Ambient Environmental Testing in the Marine sector)
  • Our Senior Consultant, Stephen Thomas, is a Certified Air Quality Professional (CAQP) with Clean Air Society of Australia & New Zealand (CASANZ).
  • Our Senior Consultant, Vasos Alexandrou, is a Registered Professional Engineers of Queensland (RPEQ).
  • Our Cyber Security Consultants are Certified Ethical Hackers (CEH) with EC-Council.

Our offices, engineers and scientists have memberships with:

  • AAS  - Australian Acoustic Society
  • AAAS - Association of Australasian Acoustical Consultants
  • ADC – Air Diffusion Council
  • AEAG – Australian Engineering Achievers Group
  • AIRAH - Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning and Heating
  • AIVAA   - Air Infiltration and Ventilation Association of Australia
  • ATTMA - Air Tightness Testing & Measurement Association
  • AGWA - Australian Glass and Window Association
  • CESA - Consumer Electronics Suppliers Association
  • CTBUH – Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
  • EC-Council - InfoSec and Cyber Security Association
  • WERS - Window Energy Rating Scheme (WERS)

Many of Vipac’s staff are qualified to a PhD level in areas such as vibration, wind, acoustics, physics and mechanical engineering.

 

Our Services

Ventilation and indoor air quality around COVID-19

Our air quality and ventilation experts have been supporting industries and organisations since 1973. We’re guided by requirements set out by the ISO, ANSI, ASHRAE and AIRAH, helping create and maintain healthy environments for living, learning or working in. This has become even more important in the wake of COVID-19, and to curb the spread of airborne viruses.

HVAC testing

The performance testing of HVAC systems (air distribution systems) and other building components is key to determining the effectiveness of specific air distribution systems. Vipac’s independent and NATA accredited Air Distribution & Acoustic Laboratory is the largest in Asia-Pacific, with the ability to conduct full-scale mock-ups of various systems. Our services include fan testing, sound testing, testing to a multitude of international standards, airflow visualisation, and more.

Defence and aerospace testing

Our defence and aerospace team specialises in testing and consultancy for the key areas of land, marine, air and space, with security clearances up to NV1. We’ve been optimising the operational performance, reliability and availability of military and aviation assets. Our independent laboratories are NATA (ILAC)-accredited, with MIL-STD-810 and MIL-STD-901 environmental qualifications and IS0 9001:2015 certification.

Acoustics and vibration

Vipac provides a large range of consultancy services to all Australian Industries, including Defence, Power Stations, Mines, Heavy Industry, Processing Plants, and Infrastructure - Roads, Rail and Ports.  Our core competencies are problem solving, design support, development approvals and compliance.

Environmental testing

Vipac’s NATA- and A2LA-accredited labs house a comprehensive range of mechanical and climatic testing equipment, enabling us to subject your products to almost any service conditions the natural environment may throw at them. Accelerated life testing enables faults and potential modes of failure to be discovered in a short amount of time, and assists in the prediction of service life and maintenance intervals.

Electrical safety

Our NATA-accredited laboratory ensures electrical appliances and equipment are safe for consumer use, and conform to Australian / New Zealand and IEC standards. This includes small and large electrical appliances, Ingress Protection (IP) testing up to IP68, and cable products.

Wind engineering

Vipac offers industry-leading wind engineering consulting services to determine the wind effects on buildings, structures and the environment. With wind tunnels, and offices throughout Australia, Vipac partners with architects, planners and developers across Australia to improve the design of buildings and enhance their structural integrity, reliability, comfort and efficiency.

Performance testing

Vipac conducts performance testing on air conditioners, whitegoods, swimming pool pumps and electric water heaters. Our NATA accredited laboratories test the energy and water efficiencies (as applicable) of your products and ensure they conform to Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (GEMS), Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS), Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS), Energy Star Rating Scheme (ESR), and other standards.

Building technology and design

Vipac’s engineers are independent consultants who can get involved in any stage of the building and construction process –design, certification, tender preparation, construction supervision, maintenance, and remedial advice. All assessments are supported by extensive field instrumentation, advanced CAE programs and facilities, such as a boundary layer wind tunnel, various acoustic chambers, and façade and window test rigs.

Traffic systems

The Traffic Systems Group provides independent testing of fixed site speed and red light camera systems, as well as mobile speed systems. Vipac can provide site commissioning testing, ongoing scheduled testing as well as on demand testing.

Gas Technology Services

Gas Technology Services (GTS), a subsidiary of Vipac Engineers and Scientists, is an industry leader in providing support services to the Australasian gas industry. With over 150 years of cumulative gas industry experience, our team represents the greatest concentration of gas technology knowledge in Australia and can test to Australian and international standards.

Calibrations and metrology

Vipac provides both independent, NATA-accredited laboratory and field calibration services for a broad range of test and measurement equipment, notably Flow, Pressure, Gas Detectors, Acoustics and Noise, and Vibration Meters.

Air quality

Vipac provides air quality assessment services for councils, government departments, commercial industry, developers and contractors. Air Quality Impact Assessments are an important environmental aspect, which is legally required to be managed by various government and regulatory bodies.

Cybersecurity

Our Cybersecurity team is able to perform Vulnerability Assessments and Penetration Tests on your electronic infrastructure, ensuring your security policies are adhered to, and testing your perimeter for potential attack vectors. We can assist with compliance for a range of international standards and regulations.