34 | Jamestrong Precision Packaging: HB Regional Skills REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Company overcomes challenges to flourish Jamestrong Precision Packaging has seven state of the art manufacturing plants, including high hygiene specialist facilities. T T Sue Russell PROUDTOPROVIDE CLEANINGSERVICES TOJAMESTRONG ∙ Industrial Projects ∙ Project Management ∙ Automation ∙ Scada ∙ Plant Maintenance ∙ Instrumentation ∙ Industrial Refrigeration ∙ Sitewise Gold OUR SERVICES 06 870 1322 info@roberts.org.nz www.roberts.org.nz 35 years of recruitment & staffing success. Kiwi owned & operated. Recruitment Contractors & Temporary Staff Executive Search Custom Talent Solutions Contact Gareth Robertson, Managing Director 027 700 4756 gareth@scitex.co.nz Quote promotional code ‘Support the Bay’ for 20%off standard permanent recruitment charges, for roles briefed prior to 30th September 2023 General Manager Technical and Research and Development at Jamestrong Precision Packaging, Andrew Buchan, says that key to the company’s ability to traverse the challenging landscape brought on by navigating COVID emergency levels was an overriding concern for the welfare and care for its staff and teamwork across the business. That same attitude was called for when, more recently Hawkes Bay and many parts of New Zealand’s East Coast, in the North Island, were severely impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle. “We had no power at all in both our Hastings plants when Gabrielle arrived. These facilities and the people working in them are crucial to the entire operation of Jamestrong Packaging, both here in New Zealand and in Australia where we also have plants. The overall Jamestrong Team , especially the Hastings Team did a fantastic job of managing the crisis.” For COVID, a whole raft of procedures and processes were adopted, focussing at all times on minimising risk to employees, regardless of their roles in the factory. Andrew says, his frustration at that time, was in not being able to travel to plants, given he’s based in Australia. “It was fortunate though that I had spent so much time in all our facilities that it was relatively easy to communicate through Zoom.” Jamestrong Precision Packaging has seven state of the art manufacturing plants, including high hygiene specialist facilities. Each one has specialised capabilities to meet very specific customers’ needs. In New Zealand, there are four plants, one in Auckland, Christchurch and two in Hastings, about 2km away from each other. The business has operated the Hastings sites for about 40 years. In the Hanui Road factory the core activity is to cut and coat tin plate and make the ends. These are then supplied on to other plants, while at the King Street site, food cans and aerosol cans are made. Combined, these four NZ factories produce cans used for infant formula, food, dairy and non-food related industries. When Cyclone Gabrielle descended on the province, wrecking havoc to infrastructure, homes and businesses, Andrew says the first week was spent almost entirely on focussing on how all the affected people were. “We ran the crisis team from Australia because some of our colleagues in New Zealand were cut off.” I have a lot of pride in the New Zealand and support team in Australia. “They all pulled together, did a great job and got everything back going.” Jamestrong Precision Packaging have put in place mental health support for those impacted by the cyclone in the Hawkes Bay and Andrew says that support will remain for as long as it is required. Another thing Andrew is proud of is the commitment the business has to ongoing training, to upskill from entry level through to advanced/management roles across all aspects of the plants’ operations. Underpinning this is the time and effort put into creating the company’s PTS programme (Production Training System). In late February when Business Central spoke with Andrew, they were literally in the throes of completing the programme, which is a mix on on-line and plant-based, training. “We are one of the largest employers in Hastings with 145 staff across our two sites, so putting time and energy into creating the PTS is sending a signal to all our team about how much we want to see them professionally and personally advance.” The programme begins with an induction around the training programme from a broader sense to get people grounded in the business. Then depending on which part of the site they will be working, are a series of modules, both theory and practical, to work through. “It’s very thorough with assessment both on-line and on the workshop floor.” So much so is the commitment to ongoing training that Jamestrong has created a fulltime trainer and a full-time person overseeing the PTS for the business.. Driving the businesses commitment to its team is the will to see long-term engagement by staff in the business. “It’s as simple as this: If we want loyalty from our people we need to be prepared to back them and give them a pathway of progression and accomplishment. That’s how a strong business grows.” The Technical and R & D group Andrew leads is looking closely at ways to save energy, improve the plants carbon footprint through recycling and in developing new products. “We are a business that strives to lead the industry we operate in and this begins with commitment to our people, the community we work in and to the environment.”
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