52 | Getting the basics right first is key RMS Contracting Kelly Deeks CONTRACTING The huge growth of RMS Contracting in the past three years highlights the growing demand in the market for experienced civil construction partners that get the basics right, with the young company proud to be involved in a variety of major infrastructure projects throughout New Zealand. Started by Ross Troughton in 2017, Wellington and Waikato-based RMS Contracting originated in agricultural contracting before Ross began looking for something else to keep himself and his machines busy during downtime in winter. Meanwhile Ross’s friend Fred Witton was project managing for HEB Construction on major infrastructure projects. “Ross won some civil work, he liked it and carried on with it,” Fred says. “By 2019 he had six staff and had won a big contract with CPBHEB JV, the build partner on the Transmission Gully PPP. He asked me to come on board and help to take RMS Contracting to the next level, and I’m proud to say we have since grown from six staff to more than 40.” Ross’s extensive knowledge and experience with machinery combined with Fred’s business and engineering degrees are the perfect recipe for civil contracting success. Fred says RMS Contracting chases world-class basics in everything they do, meaning each job or activity is broken down to its most basic components, and each of those components is done well before moving on to the next. “When you look at them as a whole project they are super technical, but broken down and done well anything is achievable. We are involved in some major projects, such as the construction of Te Ara o Te Ata Mt Messenger Bypass, Taranaki’s largest ever roading project. “It’s tiger country, really challenging terrain. We’ve got a talented team working there, taking one step and a time, breaking it down to the simplest tasks, and doing them really well.” Family focus is another important core value for RMS Contracting, which continued to pay staff 100% of their wages through Covid lockdowns. “It was easier for us to get a loan than for our staff to get one. The fact Fred Witton and Ross Troughton in front of their Caterpillar Next Gen D6 Dozer. we did that sort of filtered through the gossip network, and we actually managed to increase our team again by picking up another couple of talented guys who weren’t being looked after by their employers.” Every new team member at RMS Contracting signs up to the company’s core values from the start - world class basics, solutions focused, honest, reliable, and proud of what they do. “Everyone knows from the start this is the expectation, and the harder you work for us, the harder we will work for you, making sure you are being well paid, and helping you to reach your goals. We’re sitting down with the team regularly and seeing where we can add value, whether that is extra training or helping them to budget if they want to buy a house. One of our guys has recently been the first one in his family to get pre-approved for a mortgage for multiple generations. He has got his family out of that cycle, and that’s why we try to add value wherever we can.” Fred says RMS Contracting reaps the rewards tenfold, as this team that’s happy at home is happy at work. “We’ve currently got guys in Wellington, New Plymouth, Hamilton, and north of Auckland, and any one of them, given the word, would get on a plane and go where we needed them to go. That sort of buy in from our team means we can do a really good job for our clients as well.” Fred and Ross are just back from a summer holiday on-call, so their staff could take a Christmas break. Proudly Supplying RMS Contracting with Fendt Tractors Hamilton & Otorohanga 07 843 7237 waikatotractors.co.nz
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