| 45 T T Hugh de Lacy Filled to the brimwith Hunter systems Hunter’s 800sqm factory at Te Rapa has 21 staff, comprising engineers, managers, designers, customer support, service and sales. Hunter Filling Systems INDUSTRY Servicing the food and beverage industry in particular has seen Te Rapa-based Hunter Filling Systems grow steadily over its 60 years of existence, supplying machinery that fills containers with anything in liquid or powdered form. Hunter Filling Systems designs and builds volumetric filling machinery and associated packaging equipment used principally by the food and pharmaceutical industries to pack grease into tubes, yoghurt into pots, honey into jars and vaccines into vials, and also increasingly by the pharmaceutical and chemicals sectors. Hunter’s 800sqm factory at Te Rapa has 21 staff, comprising engineers, managers, designers, customer support, service and sales, led by general manager Jason Savage, who comes from a corporate background. “We create our own designs – legacy designs that we’ve developed and manufactured in-house for decades – and which we modify to suit the client’s needs,” Jason says. “Our machinery is simple to operate, easy to clean and uncomplicated to maintain, and we also provide a range of ancillary equipment that includes sampling devices, cap tighteners, tub sealing and lidding machines, as well as container-handling equipment for in-feed and accumulation. If it pours, flows, oozes, glugs or dribbles, we make a machine to handle it. “Our products are marketed internationally through JL Lennard in Australia and All Fill Inc in the United States, and lately we’re seeing increasing demand for our machinery from the chemical industry.” A key ally to the company is Hamilton-based Echo Automation which programmes, supplies and services Hunter Filling Systems’ industrial electronics. Echo Automation was founded by Sean Donovan in 2014 to fill a gap in the market for complete machine design-to-build automation solutions, and as Jason says, “We’ve worked together very productively for years.” Hunter Filling Systems was established as an engineering company in 1963 by John Hunter, who guided the firm into the filling-systems sector and through a couple of changes of ownership before he and his brother Frank staged a management buyout in 1984. Today the company is owned by Niall Fuller, a mechanical engineer with 30 years’ overseas and local experience, who joined the company in 1998. Niall took over as managing director after John and Frank Hunter retired, while Jason Savage came aboard as general manager four years ago, after a long stint with Fletcher Building. “Hunter Filling Systems equipment has built a reputation for standing the test of time, and we put that down to the engineering expertise within our ranks for producing high-quality fillers in a competitive environment,” Jason says. “As well as filling machines, we provide turnkey packing lines, making it easier for our clients because they’re dealing with a single supplier for a coordinated project.” The company also has a marketing arrangement with its American partner, All Fill Inc, for the sale of auger fillers used for powders, granules and dry products weighing up to 25kg. The company has a long history of helping people into the industry through engineering apprenticeships, with five staff completing apprenticeships in light fabrication and engineering over the past four years. Dedicated to providing our clients with reliable and stress-free audio visual hire solutions to ensure the smooth running of their events. 07 957 1846 | 029 251 8846 info@anyav.co.nz anyav.co.nz Hamilton Projectors,LED Screens, Conference Systems Sound Systems, Zoom meetings, Video Cameras Live Streaming, Lighting and more +64 7 849 ECHO | sales@echoautomat ion.co.nz | echoautomat ion.co.nz • Electrical Circuit Design & Drafting • PLC Programming & Modification • Machine Automation Specialists Echo Automation Ltd Sean Donovan - Director LET US AUTOMATE THE SHIT OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM!
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