QUT and heavy equipment supplier Hastings Deering have joined forces to advance emerging data science technologies to build better returns for customers, partners, and investors alike.

The partnership, spanning an initial three years, is designed to harness intuitive and predictive data solutions and upskill the workforce.

Hastings Deering will co-sponsor QUT researchers to work in their Brisbane-based headquarters, gaining valuable industry expertise in sync with their academic studies.

Expertise will be drawn from QUT’s Centre for Data Science, a centralised hub for world-class data science research.  The Centre is led by internationally-renowned statistician Distinguished Professor Kerrie Mengersen.

Professor Mengersen said the partnership is an excellent example of an industry-university cooperation.

“We aim to be pushing the frontier of data science practice and providing pathways for emerging data scientists to gain real world experience,” she said.

“This project demonstrates that data science can help address a range of problems that impact businesses and industry.”

Four flagship projects will be undertaken including providing a data governance strategy, a framework of benefits, customer and market analytics and insights into internal customer data needs.

Hastings Deering General Manager of Marketing and Digital Solutions Seb Banks said this milestone partnership brings together an understanding of the potential benefits of data and its outcomes on customers and partners with best-in-class data science and research at QUT.

“In this digital age, data points inform all decision making. At Hastings Deering, data tells us everything from where our machines are located to when they’re ready for service and how much dirt is moved. The challenge is how we consume the data to drive outcomes,” he said.

“This partnership will combine the academic and technical expertise of students from QUT with our 90 years of rich history and data as a company.

“Together, we aim to chart a better future for the resources and construction industries, while striving to support students in their academic pursuits and become an employer of choice.”

A post-doctoral research fellow and three PhD students will work on the Hastings Deering Data Science Research Program. The positions will work cross disciplinary and assist with the coordination and delivery of Hastings Deering Partnership.

QUT’s Centre for Data Science co-lead of social systems, Dr Char-lee McLennan, said there would be “intangible benefits” to the program.

“We will be working alongside our industry partners jointly investigating and evaluating the efficiencies and effectiveness of data science practice in an organisational setting,” Dr McLennan said.

“The project may consider what people to employ, what best practice processes to adopt, how to solve efficiencies across a matrix organisation, and how to differentiate between improvement projects and innovation projects.” 

Dr McLennan said the project would be evaluated in terms of major milestones as well as post project sustainability of the benefits of the partnership.