| 17 T T Hugh de Lacy Expansion phase for transport company Emmerson Transport REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT An aggressive capital expenditure programme over the past three years has seen Hastings-based company Emmerson Transport add 32 new trucks and a range of trailer equipment to its already large fleet. It has also seen the company relocate into two new purpose-built facilities, its Wiri depot to Pukekohe and its existing Hautapu depot to an adjacent property. It has other depots in Auckland, Waitoa, Levin and Whanganui employing 160 staff in total, including a driver pool of 110, plus management, operations, transit freight, storage, maintenance and engineering staff operating no fewer than 96 prime-mover units and associated trailing gear. The company was founded in 1977 by the Emmerson family of Hastings, focusing on produce and livestock transport, and it entered a vigorous growth stage through the 1980s and 1990s after the deregulation of transport licensing. “This saw major changes and substantial opportunities for Emmerson Transport Ltd to capture freight from northern markets and provide additional out-bound Hawke’s Bay volume,” General Manager David Hill says. “The fleet grew rapidly during the midlate 1990s, and a decision was made to exit livestock cartage and concentrate on more general freight, continuing the expansion.” The company enjoyed further organic growth during the early 2000s, but also invested in the acquisition of other companies including, in 2007,the long-established Bruce Hill Transport Ltd, which saw fleet numbers double and gave the company a broader base into other industries. “The configuration of our fleet is mainly truck and trailer combinations, and a large percentage of them are of a high productivity nature,” David says. “These consist of both dry freight and wet specialist truck and trailer curtain-siders, hard-sided refrigerated semi-trailer units, aluminium truck and trailer bulk units, and flat-deck semi-trailer units.” Emmerson Transport boasts a wide range of clients with none comprising more than 10% of the company’s total turnover, spread across building and construction, general manufacturing, rural supply servicing, the meat industry and smaller general freight activities. “We’re quietly working to expand business activities within selected market sectors, and are particularly keen to service further the requirements for out-bound Hawke’s Bay freight, matching this with in-bound freight from the Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions. “The company is also keen to invest in specialist plant and equipment to meet the challenges of our niche customer requirements,” David says. Cyclone Gabrielle had a substantial impact on the company last year, as it did right across the eastern seaboard of the North Island. It delivered an especially severe blow to the Hawke’s Bay economy, and most notably to the Panpac timber mill in Whirinaki, one of Emmerson Transport’s key customers. “This has not been helped by the general economic slowdown across the whole industry and commercial spectrum, and it’s fair to say that there’s been a very apparent slowing of economic activities, and freight volumes are down across the board. “That said, we’ve been more fortunate than most in the general industry, and are continuing to experience across-the-board inquiry for our company’s services,” he says. Emmerson Transport General Manager David Hill. The company has added 32 new trucks to its fleet and currently employs 160 staff. 021 289 9741 PROUDLY SUPPORTING EMMERSON TRANSPORT bridgestone.co.nz Bridgestone provide Emmerson Transport with market-leading products, advice and nationwide support to help them achieve the lowest cost per kilometre possible.
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