54 | ENGINEERING Morgan Engineering Delivering a high quality product Morgan Engineering design and manufacture heavy transport equipment including bathtub tippers and trailers, flat deck truck and trailers, tankers, aluminium tip units and water trucks. T T Sue Russell Greg Jeeves has been with Whangarei’s Morgan Engineering as General Manager since April last year, a locally owned and operated business which founded in 1985. Carrying a structural and civil engineering degree and who has worked in the infrastructure and heavy equipment industry for the last 25 years, Greg says, his move into the business afforded owners John and Toni Sherwood the opportunity to step back into semi-retirement. Today, 32 people work for the company, one of Northland’s largest heavy haulage manufacturing businesses. “We design and manufacture heavy transport equipment, as well as undertake maintenance and repairs. Our services are honed around manufacturing and fitting bathtub tippers and trailers, flat deck truck and trailers, tankers, aluminium tip units, water trucks, bottom dumpers and any other bespoke builds” says Greg. He’s proud of the fact that within the ranks of staff, the company employs several apprentice fabricators and lives a commitment to providing opportunities to those interested in fabrication to learn and progress. “Our workshop manager began as an apprentice here and it’s great to see people make a really good career out of the engineering disciplines.” The workshop is home to a precision machine shop and both guillotine and press facilities. This allows Morgan Engineering to manufacture and see manufacturing projects to conclusion in-house. The company has a big building programme with Keith Andrew Trucks, sole importer of FUSO Trucks in New Zealand. “They are one of our main client’s and it’s good to have this long-term business relationship with them.” COVID impacted business and still does to this day, with access to good quantities of steel being stressed. “We’re still recovering from it, but last year we saw a good uptake of work which has provided us with some certainty going forward. When there’s a down-turn in the economy, infrastructure tends to pick up and we’re booked through to August this year with work.” “Our commitment to quality has seen clients continue to come back for more builds and we have built a reputation in Northland as the leading heavy vehicle manufacturer that delivers a high quality product.” Balancing the new work there’s also ongoing maintenance and repairs for trucking fleet operators. Being nimble and adapting to changing markets has meant Morgan Engineering has diversified its service offering further, to provide equipment for the forestry sector, structural engineering for residential and commercial clients, roll over protection and even steel artworks. Morgan engineering fabricated steel artwork for the Te Honoga Hundertwasser Memorial Park Library in Kawakawa which opened in October 2020. When Business North spoke with Greg the company was actively looking for more staff and had just contacted North Tech to obtain another apprentice. Morgan Engineering has two workshops, with the main facility in Dyer Street handling repairs and maintenance, structures and trailers with a separate smaller workshop that is dedicated for new builds. “We can fit six trucks at a time at the Boundary Ave workshop.” Greg’s convinced it’s the consistent attention to detail and quality that brings clients back. “Our big clients beyond Keith Andrew are trucks brands Hino, Isuzu and Mercedes. We’ve got clients all over the North Island.” And while acknowledging there is some trepidation about the upcoming year, in terms of economic buoyancy, Greg says Morgan Engineering is in a good position to continue to prosper. “A huge part of it is the quality of the team who all care about what we’re doing and giving our clients, large and small, the best possible service.” Showcasing excellence and innovation within the engineering sector 3 Dyer Street, Whangarei P 09 438 1822 admin@morganengineering.co.nz www.morganengineering.co.nz Trailer Manufacture • Manufacture of Aluminium Bins for Trucks and Trailers • Repairs & Maintenance • Profile Cutting • Structural Engineering Delivery times represent a commitment from us and we guarantee your satisfaction Dan - 0274 883 816 Northland Sandblasting E: northlandsandblasting@yahoo.co.nz 25 Hewlett Street, Port Road, Whangarei | Ph: 09 987 0190
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=