20 | Taranaki - Cleland Timber REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Claland Timber manufactures finger jointed, treated and primed exterior products such as weatherboards and fascia, along with ‘appearance’ grade radiata pine products in clears and dressing grades. Passionate about the business of precision engineering and a strong advocate of bringing manufacturing back to New Zealand, Richard Smith wants to spread the message that the country has the technical skills and capability to manufacture machinery and parts, without having to look beyond the border. Richard founded Meta Engineering Ltd in 2017, after being o ered the opportunity to lease the Inglewood building he served his engineering apprenticeship in. “I’d been working in Australia for ten years and the time was right to return home and start my own business,” says Richard. “I started with two customers and one employee and the business has grown to about two hundred customers and a team of six.” General engineers with a specialised and self-su icient machine shop, Meta Engineering’s equipment includes press-brakes, guillotines, CNC mills and lathes, enabling all work to be done in-house. As Meta Engineering’s reputation for quality craftsmanship and a one-stop-shop from design and fabrication to installation and servicing has evolved the business has grown to include customers in the timber, agriculture and poultry sectors. “The majority of our work comes from the wider Taranaki region as far north as Urenui and as far south as Hawera. But we’ve completed projects Meta Engineering - Quality Craftsmanship in Otorohaunga and Tokoroa for timber mills and have just quoted a south Auckland project for chicken shed upgrades — one of our biggest growth areas — so we’re wide reaching.” Richard says an increasing volume of work is coming from timber mills requiring the manufacture of machines and structures for timber handling and processing. “Companies like Clelands Timber might want to load timber into a processing machine and engage us to build in-feed and out-feed tables. For another customer we built an entire processing shop after they su ered a ire. That project included the design and manufacture of a continuous door press and the loading system for it along with trim saws, a twin head router machine and the structural steel for their new building. That same company makes sca olding planks and engaged us to build some of the equipment.” From something as simple as turning a pin to the complexity of building a gearbox; servicing quarries, earthmoving and agricultural companies is all part of Meta Engineering’s diverse range of work. Complimenting the commitment and craftsmanship of his team and loyalty of his customers, Richard says Meta Engineering prides itself on being the best. “Come to us and it will be right and it will work.” Precision Machining and Fabrication Facilities SPECIALIZING IN • Equipment Design Manufacturing, Servicing & Repair • Onsite Repairs and Maintenance • Poultry and Dairy Equipment Providers • Quarry and Transport Industry • Structural Buildings 0279 659 534 / 06 756 8079 Fax 06 756 8075 www.metaengineering.co.nz
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