Olinga Services has announced a new partnership with Clemtech, a leading recruitment specialist with over 27 years’ experience providing technical projects and labour in the international rail sector.
The agreement will allow Olinga Services to step up its delivery of resource and recruitment solutions, project management and consultancy services for complex, high-demand Australian rail projects.
We spoke to Badi Noble, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Olinga Services, as well as Andrew Clements, Managing Director of Clemtech, to find out more.
A cultural fit
Olinga Services’ partnership with Clemtech came about after a chance meeting at the AusRAIL PLUS rail conference in Melbourne in 2025.
“It was one of those fortuitous things,” said Noble. “We were introduced at AusRAIL and the conversation went from there.”
Noble said Olinga Services and Clemtech align from a values perspective, which is very important to them.
“We like how Andrew runs his organisation, how they provide their services and how they treat the individuals around them.
“I think that cultural compatibility is key for any partnership to really thrive.”
Clements agreed: “Both Olinga Services and Clemtech genuinely care about doing things the right way and putting people first.
“We’re about finding the right person for the job and making sure they get home safely at the end of the day.”
Scalable solutions
Olinga Services provides a wide range of services to the rail industry, including:
- Facilities management (maintenance, caretaking, automation, cleaning services, technology)
- Sustainability solutions (audits, consultancy, reporting and data analysis, Internet of Things sensors, Nano coatings and waste management)
- Resource solutions (recruitment and labour hire, surge workforce, project management and project delivery, consultancy, training, technology)
The Australian-owned business works with rail manufacturers, operators and maintainers, providing cost-effective and innovative solutions. It also has its own Registered Training Organisation (RTO), which allows it to provide staff training and certification as required.
Backed by its partnership with Clemtech, Olinga will offer technical workforce supply (electrical, mechanical, installers) and total project delivery (European Train Control System, Train Protection and Warning System, modifications). It will be able to provide comprehensive engineering, supervision and project management support, as well as installation, modification and testing/commissioning teams.
Noble said Olinga Services offers a high degree of flexibility to its customers.
“When it comes to recruitment, we do labour placement or labour hire; we can put project managers into a project to assist, or there’s a full contracting engagement process,” he said.
“If they are looking for someone to come in with all the tools and resources and get the work done, we can provide that – or if they’re looking for a hybrid support model, they can choose that option.
“We offer the full suite of services and everything in between.”
Noble said Olinga Services can provide emergency and surge workforce capability to meet short-notice or urgent needs from customers. “We’ve responded to staffing needs as quickly as within 24 hours.”
He shared examples of Olinga’s work with current rolling stock manufacturers in New South Wales.
“They might need people of a mid-skillset for two or three weeks to complete a specific task and we are able to provide them a flexible resourcing model they can utilise when they need it.
“We can deliver quickly because we maintain a large, licensed work bench of resources.”
Nurturing local talent
Clements said Clemtech has built a strong reputation in the United Kingdom, particularly for its recruitment work for train operators, rolling stock and rail equipment manufacturers, and project delivery specialists.
The company has specialist expertise in supporting rolling stock overhaul, refresh and modernisation projects.
Clements said that its focus will be on using its experience and knowledge to help Olinga Services find the right talent for Australian projects.
“We’ll be supporting them to identify local talent who might be working in other sectors, who have transferable skills, and who we can help develop from a competency perspective,” he said.
“There are a lot of good people already in Australia and we’re keen to support them as much as we can.
“On occasions where this isn’t possible, we will also be able to use our network to bring in international talent.”
With Australia’s rail industry facing a skills shortage, Noble said Clemtech’s knowledge and connections will prove invaluable.
“There is so much rail activity happening in Australia at the moment – it’s unprecedented,” he said.
“It’s fantastic, but it means there’s a shrinking availability of the local talent pool. We’re excited to be able to draw on Clemtech’s capabilities to widen the resources available to us and to our customers.”
Embracing innovation
Outside of the recruitment space, Olinga Services has been embracing technological innovations, successfully implementing the first automatic scrubbing machine to be deployed across the Sydney transport network.
“The machine has been operating successfully, helping to increase process and cost efficiencies while allowing our staff to focus on other tasks on site,” said Noble.
“There have been no safety issues or incidents with the machine even when operating during peak periods.
“By incorporating automation into the delivery of our services, we have been able to focus our resources on cleaning key areas that deliver improved customer satisfaction.
“Automation is not about replacing jobs, but supporting our staff to deliver a better customer experience and outcomes for our clients.”
Looking to the future
Clements said Clemtech is very happy with the partnership with Olinga so far, and the companies have already been getting some great traction.
“We’re looking forward to working with Olinga and creating opportunities together.”
Noble said the partnership with Clemtech is a “critical and significant milestone” in terms of Olinga Services’ growth.
“We see this partnership as an important part of the future of Olinga Services, and we’re very excited to be on this journey.”
