| 95 James Lux Developments CONTRACTING Equipment brings benefits The upper North Island cyclones and rain events in recent years, and the clean-up and remediation work required have kept the firm busy. T T Russell Fredric “You can run a lot more tools, you can get into areas that you can’t get to with a normal digger; it gives you a massive range of movement.” James Lux Developments’ investment in leading-edge technology is testament to the pride its directors and staff take in every job. The company’s clients also benefit from the complementary skills of owners James Lux and Dave Anderson, who knew each other through a previous work association before starting the company in 2021. Dave has a background in concrete and asphalt, James is experienced in earthworks and quarrying, while both are experienced in pavement work, and are supported by staff that share their sense of pride. “Our experienced staff utilise innovative equipment and the right machinery, so we can offer a comprehensive range of services, including earthworks, retaining-wall construction, road construction and maintenance, driveways and rural entranceways, and drain formation and cleaning,” James says. The upper North Island cyclones and rain events in recent years, and the clean-up and remediation work required, stretched the resources in the civil works industry, but have been good for JLD’s workload, James says. “We’ve done a heck of a lot of maintenance and repair work on the state highways, as well as repair work for private clients as well from the storms. NZTA have focused a lot on scour protection around bridges and structures.” JLD is often subcontracted to larger companies, such as Higgins and Downers, and James attributes this trust to both the directors’ previous working relationships with these and other companies, in addition to being reliable and readily available when needed. James and David are also the sole directors of civil and roading construction company Splice Construction, while David and his wife are the owners of civil construction company ACO Waikato. Combined with JLD, these complementary businesses offer an extremely broad range of equipment, experience and capacity across the Waikato, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Hauraki, Whangamata and Matamata regions. Although JLD itself is a small business with eight staff, James has invested strongly in technology that makes a big difference, and three of its four CAT excavators are equipped with tilt rotator buckets and GPS-grade control systems. The tilt rotator buckets offer unlimited 360-degree rotation with a 45-degree tilt on each side, providing operators with maximum flexibility to tackle complex angles, and for precise positioning. “You can run a lot more tools, you can get into areas that you can’t get to with a normal digger; it gives you a massive range of movement.” While this and the GPS units came at a significant cost, the benefits are well worth it, James says. “The tilt rotator gives the operators the ability to do things a lot easier, and it means you don’t have to put your digger in a risky situation. “If you’re working in a dual-lane road and you are working in one lane, you can work within that lane as opposed to needing to move out into the other lane. It’s definitely more efficient.” JLD’s work as a subcontractor in the civil sector in roading for NZ Transport Agency has had carry-over benefits in some residential work, James says. “We do so much work for NZTA. We do a lot of the entranceways that come off the state highway. “A lot of local contractors won’t do that because of the special compliance requirements, but for us it’s quite easy to do. “We take a lot of pride in doing a good job and it shows in the quality of our staff and equipment.” PIRTEK WAIKATO HYDRAULIC & INDUSTRIAL HOSE & FITTINGS 07 853 5630 | waikato@pirtek.co.nz
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