About Us

Proudly customer focused and driven to provide operational excellence, the UCS Group (UCS) is one of Australia’s leading urban development utility network services companies, efficiently connecting new developments to the electricity grid and NBN telecommunications network. UCS is a leading provider of sustainability solutions to communities, including solar, batteries, recycled plastics products and other technology solutions.

Having one of Australia’s largest self-provide network construction teams, with more than 25 years of continuous operation experience, we provide full end-to-end services in project management, design, construction and commissioning of utility electrical and telco NBN infrastructure.

We will take responsibility of the whole planning and design process, through to strategic sourcing, construction, commissioning and handover – or we will team up with your existing partners and suppliers, to work seamlessly together.

Our experience, and professional expertise, is second-to-none, dealing collaboratively with developers, civil companies, utilities and regulators to ensure the smooth delivery of your network cabling project. The long-standing relationships UCS maintains with our customers are a credit to our company and our people.

OUR HISTORY

In 1995, as the State Electricity Commission Victoria (SECV) was completing privatisation, and new private network companies took control, three skillful employees from Powercor Ltd resigned and founded the business called Underground Cable Systems (UCS). One of the founders, Niel Towan, is a current Non-Executive Director of UCS. The founders realised that developers needed better attention and faster service to build their projects. In 1995, the business started in Bendigo on their first project from Rory Costelloe’s Villawood Properties.

By 2001, through leveraging its highly skilled workforce and providing responsive and reliable services, UCS has built a reputation amongst its customers as the premium provider in underground network design and construction services. By 2006, recognised as an industry leader in specialist high voltage (HV) and low voltage (LV) cable jointing at utility standards, UCS continually expanded its pool of resources by bringing on new apprentices and developing training programs to increase the technical capability of its workforce. UCS is one of few utility contractors to continually reinvest in the industry through direct, employed apprenticeships, with around 10% of the workforce being apprentices.

By 2012, much of its work is undertaken on large residential and industrial subdivisions, and customers include land developers, civil contractors and other utility services companies. UCS becomes one of Australia’s largest specialist underground network design and construction contractors.

In 2016, UCS embarks on a major new business strategy of national expansion, with the view of replicating its well-regarding utility expertise nationally. During this period the UCS facilities were expanded into Melbourne’s East at Hallam, Melbourne’s West at Truganina and across the border into NSW at Campbelltown. This expansion continued in 2018 when a facility at Grovedale (near Geelong) was added.

In 2018, under its current CEO, UCS took the strategic view that it wanted to make a longer lasting and relevant impact on the communities it helps to create, thereby adding long-term value to its stakeholders, namely its customers and employees. UCS’s sustainability offering bolts neatly to its well-known electrical and telco NBN infrastructure solutions, encompassing commercial solar solutions, Urban Residential Development (or URD) products from recycled plastic materials and other sustainability focused solutions, such as batteries.

UCS continues to execute its UCS2023 strategic plan, with electrical contractors licences attained in ACT, South Australia and Queensland. UCS has recently delivered solar projects in South East Queensland with more in the pipeline. Accreditation for URD activities in the ACT has been attained, with accreditation for URD activities in South Australia and South East Queensland being well advanced.

Rebranding Project

In April 2019, the company was rebranded from Underground Cable Systems to UCS Group. The entire workforce was present for this launch event. To commemorate the rebranding event and the launch of the UCS2023 Strategic Plan, street artists (from Blackbook Ink) were commissioned to create four separate, but linked, pieces of ‘graffiti’ styled artwork to adorn the walls of the Truganina meeting area. The artworks depict our culture, brand promise, purpose, history, values and service lines. The below video is a timelapse recording of the artwork being created on-site.