34 | New string to the bow Hydradiesel provides maintenance and repair facilities, as well as parts, for a mixed clientele that includes major trucking, fuel supply and construction companies, owner-drivers, line-haulers, the dairy industry, port and airport. CONTRACTING Hydradiesel Engineering T T Hugh de Lacy Lower Hutt, heavy vehicle workshop company Hydradiesel Engineering has expanded its services into fuel tanker compliance in a response to changing market demand, taking on a sixth staff member in the process. Hydradiesel’s part-owner and workshop manager Jake de Bod says the new development has left the company in a better position moving forward. “We weren’t quite as busy as we should be last year because a lot of trucking companies and owner-drivers were feeling the pinch and putting off major maintenance and repair investments,” Jake says. “Things are picking up now, and the expansion into compliance work that we began in early December is also paying off, so we’re feeling a lot more confident.” Hydradiesel provides maintenance and repair facilities, as well as parts, for a mixed clientele that includes major trucking, fuel supply and construction companies, owner-drivers, line-haulers, the dairy industry, port and airport. The company was founded in 1973 by Brian Ellis, and today is owned by Jake, Steve Liddy and Arie Koen. Much of the work relates to diesel engines and differentials, gearboxes and braking systems, but Hydradiesel’s capabilities go beyond that, taking in automotive parts, marine diesel engines and earthmoving equipment. The flow of machinery through the Seaview workshop ranges from trucks, bulldozers, car-carriers, compactors and diggers to graders, dump trucks and forklifts, with trailers and campervans thrown into the mix. To ensure no client is left stranded with broken-down equipment in the field, Hydradiesel also operates a 24/7 breakdown service. The comprehensive parts catalogue includes air bags and filters, alternators and body panels, brakes and linings, clutch kits and plates, along with cylinders, fuel pumps and filters, headlights and inboard marine engines. “Our clientele includes big companies like the nationwide MOVe Fuels’ fuel and freight divisions, and Strait NZ, a large general freight carrier. “We also have a huge number of owner-driver clients split about evenly between general freight services and forestry.” The North Island has been slow to benefit from the record prices that are driving the country’s main farming industries, sharply stimulating the economies across the board in the lower South Island especially. “Until recently we were still feeling the after-effects of Covid 19, and the economy in the lower North Island was slow to pick up,” Jake says. “Truck and equipment owners were keeping their service, maintenance and new equipment plans to a minimum until there were clear signs of a recovery. “These have now arrived, and the impact on our workload is pleasing, though there’s a way to go yet before we’d call ourselves really busy. Proudly Supporting Hydra Diesel Engineering Ltd TRUCK PARTS 0800Cummins Ph 0800 286 646 cummins.com/engines Proudly supporting Hydradiesel, Cummins Wellington region dealership for over 30 Years “The move into fuel compliance has been a positive one for us, reinforcing the reputation we’ve built up over more than 50 years of service to the agricultural, commercial, industrial, construction and marine industries. “As a result of our fuel compliance services, we’re finding ourselves also getting into fuel tanker parts and equipment, and things are starting to look increasingly positive,” he says.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=