52 | ENGINEERING PFS Engineering T T Richard Loader Pedestrian rail bridge turns heads The 2022 Steel Construction New Zealand (SCNZ) Awards offered Hamilton’s PFS Engineering the perfect opportunity to showcase the skill set of its team, and the elegance of steel work, says Engineering Services Manager Campbell Upperton. Achieving Finalist in the $1 million to $3 million category, the project entered was the large pedestrian bridge that spanned the railway lines at Te Rapa’s Rotokauri Transport Hub. The project was managed by Stacey Halliday. “In addition to its functional purpose, the project had quite an architectural flair to it and brought together steel structure, stainless pipe work, aluminium panelling, laser cutting as well as powder coating,” says Campbell. “The structure makes a great gateway to the north of Hamilton city for its train system.” Located in Te Rapa, the Rotokauri Transport Hub is a major connection point for busses, as well as providing a rail station for the Waikato to Auckland passenger service, Te Huia. “The rail system follows through into The Base Shopping Centre at Te Rapa, and the idea was to establish a commute system from the north of Hamilton city right up into Auckland Central. “The structure we built goes from the bus/ train station area, up and across the railway line, and down into the Base Shopping Centre. “The structural steel work includes the stairs on either side, while the actual superstructure over the railway is a truss style pedestrian bridge with aluminium diamond panelling, and was made from two major sections that spanned three piers. All the fitout of the roofing, guttering, handrails, and all the panelling system was created by PFS Engineering.” Campbell says that for PFS Engineering there are two major benefits from entering the SCNZ awards, the first of which was providing a good opportunity to showcase what the company can do at a national level, and sometimes on an international level. “The other major benefit we typically get out of the awards is mixing and mingling with others in our industry. “We’re all trying to do the same thing, so it’s a really good chance to network with all the other steel companies throughout New Zealand. From that we generate contacts and build invaluable relationships, that might be beneficial for future projects where we can help each other.” Attending the awards evening also provided the opportunity to see the diverse range of remarkable projects being achieved by other engineers. “You would have no idea that some of this work is going on in New Zealand without going along to an awards evening like this and seeing them being showcased. This is not the first time that PFS has been a finalist, and in the past we’ve won the category and taken home the Supreme award. We like to measure up and ensure we are at the top of our game. If we get to the Finals we know we’re in the top three.” With its roots stemming back to 1994, and a very ambitious founder called Graham Singleton, PFS Engineering’s story is truly the classic Kiwi story, with a small scale business started in a twenty foot shipping container. Graham was a pipe welder and called his fledgling business Pipe Fabrication Services, which not surprisingly specialised in boilers and pressure pipes, like those in big processing plants such as Fonterra and Oji Fibre Solutions. As Graham’s reputation and business grew, more space was needed and the large site the company now sits on was purchased with the future in mind. The site was previously owned by Rolls Royce and came complete with several engineering buildings. While too big for Graham’s needs, his philosophy was that the business would grow — and it did. “During the 2000s the company started to diversify from its pipe fabrication roots to include product manufacture and that is why we shortened the name to PFS Engineering,” says Campbell. “We now operate throughout the Golden Triangle of Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga, providing our services to the waste industry, forestry, dairy, pulp and paper and irons sand mining. “We put our projects into the general category of complex manufacture. One day we could be fabricating a mining unit, and the next building bridge. As long as it is complex and involves design and intricate steel work that is where we operate and shine.” “In addition to its functional purpose, the project had quite an architectural flair to it and brought together steel structure, stainless pipe work, aluminium panelling, laser cutting as well as powder coating.” Fast, Flexible & Reliable CNC Plate Processing Providing fast turnaround CNC plate processing for over 25 years. Get in touch with us at profiling@marshallprofiling.co.nz Or give us a call on 07 850 8336, we would love to talk to you. 26 Sheffield Street, Te Rapa, Hamilton Laser Cutting Plasma Cutting Oxy-Fuel Cutting SERVICES WE OFFER: Pressing Rolling Machining
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