22 | Design and construct Matt Savage (Apex Water Principal Wastewater Engineer) talking with a Fonterra client on site. Below, Steve Kroening. T T Richard Loader REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Apex Water: Olam Food Engineering everything since 1952 ENGINEERING • Structural steel – Residential, commercial and industrial • Mechanical and bulk handling equipment • Design, build and install solutions. • 90+ Staff across 4x workshops When Steve Kroening talks about Apex Water, the company he founded in 2009 with fellow director Matt Savage, there is little doubt that he is passionate about the business of developing bespoke wastewater and drinking water systems. Originally focused on the food and beverage sector including wineries and dairy processors, Apex Water’s client sectors have progressively evolved to include municipalities and residential property developers, and cover the depth and breadth of the country, a reflection of its reputation as a designer and developer off three-waters systems. Initially based just in Timaru, Apex Water now employs a team of 45 professionals, based in Timaru, Christchurch and Auckland. With 25 staff, Auckland is the company’s largest branch. “We also have a couple of people based in Hamilton and another in Palmerston North. So that coverage makes it much easier for us to undertake projects from the top of the North to the bottom of the South.” A significant point of difference for Apex Water is that it is a design and build contractor, and Steve says to a large degree everything designed is highly bespoke. “A client comes to us with a problem, and it’s up to us to solve it for them. We don’t have one wastewater or one drinking water process that we replicate across the country. Particularly in the food and beverage sector, smaller companies won’t have a depth of in-house engineering expertise so they engage us to design a system that works for their business operation, and meets their consent requirements. “We have the in-house capability to come up with that bespoke design of the treatment process. In the case of drinking water, we consider the water source, and how to ensure that it meets the drinking water standards. In the case of wastewater, we consider its composition, the volume being produced, and where can it be discharged to. From all of that we design and develop a treatment process that will work. While many Council tenders are construct only, we’re seeing a growing proportion of Councils looking at that design and construct approach, and that encourages innovation from the market.” Steve observes that in any business, success comes down to having the right people who have the right motivations. Apex Water’s inhouse capability includes a team of university qualified chemical and process engineers who design the treatment process, with in-house draughts-people transforming those designs into CAD generated 3D models. “We have the in-house capability to take ownership of the construction site, manage subcontractors and produce the treatment process that results from it. Our project delivery staff include qualified and experienced mechanical and civil engineers, project engineers, project manager and site managers who love being on site at 7.00am. “We also have a small servicing and operations team. One of the things we’re seeing, particularly with the projects we’re doing for property developers and some industrial clients, is that they are often keen for us to be involved in operating the systems. There are number of things that we’re doing in terms of remote plant operations using telemetry and computer systems, through to having people on the ground running the plant.” Reflecting on Apex Water’s journey over the last 14 years, Steve makes the point that having passion for what you do is imperative. “All our people are motivated to come up with great designs to deliver great projects. Success is also about wanting to do interesting and bespoke projects, wanting to enjoy doing them and doing them well, and having the team that buy into that ethos. “Being a design and build business, the client only has one party to look to if something goes wrong. We’re at a size now where we’re a significant company in the three waters sector. A key measure of success for us is being invited and encouraged to submit tenders for projects.”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=