| 83 Fast Logging Crew 54 , from left, Rob Lamb, Laura Solomon-Ahipu, Craig Macdonald, Stephen Thorby, Junior Aiturau, Kim Kohere T T to page 84 T T Hugh de Lacy Fast Harvesting Ltd FORESTRY Fraggle and Smiley’s team – Fast, they call it – but it’s better known as a substantial forestry harvesting company based in Tokoroa that has turned entry-level opportunities into independent businesses for some of its staff. Fraggle and Smiley are, respectively, Ange and Michael Alexander who picked up their nicknames in their teens and formalised them into the name of their company: Fast Harvesting. The pair got into the forestry business in 1996 when Linda and Kevin Goodman offered them a partnership in their existing company by buying out one of their crews and a New Bellis hauler. The Goodmans and Alexanders then set up Ribbonwood Cable Logging and spent the next 16 years growing the partnership before the Alexanders bought it out in 2012. “When we went out on our own we changed the name to Fast Harvesting as an acronym of our nicknames: Fraggle’s And Smiley’s Team,” Ange says. Over the last 12 years of operating Fast Harvesting, the Alexanders have offered some members of the team a financial interest in their work, setting up other Fast companies and starting them off as minor shareholders. Four of these former employees have gone on to set up their own companies. “This is the same sort of opportunity that Kevin and Linda Goodman gave us back in 1996, and it’s something that Smiley likes to continually work on,” Ange says. Providing business pathways for staff Top range, top service When power generation, agricultural, transport and logging companies acquire their oils and lubricants from TotalEnergies NZ, they know they’re backed by the world’s fourth largest oil company. TotalEnergies NZ range consists of more than 600 products for every type of industry. With a network of 11 branches throughout the country, service and delivery is never a problem. They have a commitment to being close to their customers and take a very collaborative approach with their customers. They see their customers as partners. “We see TotalEnergies as an extension of the client’s business, integrating our services seamlessly into their requirements,” says Greer Marshall, General Manager Operations. TotalEnergies recycles all 20L and drum packaging. All customers are o ered free removal of 20 litre containers nationally and these are recycled for local use. 20L containers are taken to a recycling facility, chipped, and exported to manufacture other products or used locally to produce products. Drums are collected from customers and delivered to a metal recycling centre. TotalEnergies o ers a wide range of biodegradable oils and greases. These can be introduced in direct replacement of existing lubricants in most situations. With any outdoor operations lubricants and greases that can be released into the environment of a long lasting e ect on soil and waterways. With the direct substiituion of biodegradable products the environmental risks can be substantially reduced. “We sell to the public and customers can just come into our branches and select what they need o the shelves, but when you’re operating a business with large and increasingly varied lubricant requirements you need to have an association with a company that can specify and supply exactly the right product for the application. “That’s when our in-house technical support team, based in Hastings, comes into its own, able to research and specify the premium product of the speci ic application,” Greer says. TotalEnergies has three technical support sta committed to solving the challenges of inding the right lubricant for the job, and often that can be done with a phone call. TotalEnergies NZ has a handy recommendation app. Search “Netlube Total” in your app store to download. approved by OEMs for more information visit tenz.nz
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