| 69 CONTRACTING Connell Contractors Connell Contractors specialises in deep and large diameter pipelines, trenchless pipeline rehabilitation, sheet piling, de-watering, electrical, and civil works: left, the first section of Tower 26 being erected by ELX using the ‘BlackHawk’ helicopter; and right, work at the Karapiro Hydro Dam. The team of solutions-focused innovators at Surfprep provides expert concrete repair, seismic strengthening, surface preparation, and coating systems services to a range of clients in the commercial, industrial, civil, agricultural, and residential sectors. Established in Hamilton in 2005, Surfprep followed the needs of its customers into concrete repair, building a team of technicians experienced in a wide range of concrete repair solutions and an extensive range of specialised equipment. With specialised equipment and specialised skill sets that aren’t readily available in all parts of New Zealand, Surfprep has the ability to mobilise its large team of concrete and surface preparation specialists and equipment to locations all around New Zealand. With in-house engineering, Surfprep can modify machinery to suit any surface preparation task, completing jobs in less time with less manpower than traditional methods, causing less disruption and lowering costs for clients. “So much of what we do is fixing something that has gone wrong for somebody,” says Surfprep managing director Aaron Bennett. “By being innovative, with a vast amount of different machinery at our disposal, Surfprep – Going the extra mile we give our clients the practical solutions they are looking for.” Surfprep is well known for going the extra mile on the projects it is involved with. Like when KiwiRail needed to lower the base of a brick tunnel floor on the Northern Rail Line, Surfprep modified machinery and upskilled staff to be tunnel-ready. “Once on the project, our bobcats were invaluable and not only were used for milling down the base of the tunnel, but also for powering all manner of other hydraulic equipment, including concrete saws, concrete breakers, and hydraulic pumps,” Aaron says. “Other tasks completed onsite included material handling and waste material clean up. Timeframes were tight so we double-shifted two machines on 12 hour shifts, six days a week.” When Surfprep was working on a dairy factory rebuild project in Hawera during Covid lockdown, and the project’s main contractor was losing staff to the illness, Surfprep put its Auckland team of 20 staff in Hawera to help with construction tasks. “We understood there was a labour shortage, we believed we could help, so we kept putting our hands up to do what needed to be done. We are here to support the companies we partner with and give them the solutions they need.”
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