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History

Urban Maintenance Systems was born on the 21st of September 1995 from the kitchen table of Sam Furphy's home.

Sam grew up as part of the well known Shepparton Furphy family - the founders of Furphy's Foundry - home of the famous Water Cart. He began a short career in the Auction industry but remained interested and involved in the Foundry's thriving business.

In 1995, after the Kennett government introduced compulsory competitive tendering, a lot of outsourced maintenance contracts were offered. Sam spoke to his Dad about the huge opportunity there, explaining that after 130-odd years of manufacturing roots in Shepparton, diversifying into the services sector was a move he wanted to make.

That night, he scratched out a business plan and stayed up all night thinking about how it could work. The next day, he started UMS, initially as a Furphy subsidiary, with $7000 from the family business behind him. He turned his kitchen table in South Yarra into an office and started tendering. The first contract UMS won was with the City of Greater Bendigo, then, on the same day, the City of Greater Dandenong. They also won a job at the first Grand Prix in Melbourne, removing 12 kilometres of fencing. That contract still exists today.

In 1998 Campbell Walker joined UMS bringing new skills to a rapidly growing business.

Today UMS undertakes a huge array of public maintenance tasks: removing graffiti, keeping playgrounds safe, the upkeep of airport terminals, nuclear reactors, town halls, public toilets, road signs, shelters, the infrastructure in parks and gardens, even Village Cinemas' popcorn machines. UMS now has over 350 staff and 14 locations on the eastern seaboard.