| 65 T T Bernadette Cooney Training builds success at electrical specialists Brad Sparrow took out first place in the Master Electricians Apprentice of the Year competition for Bay of Plenty-Waikato. CONTRACTING Electrical Works Electrical Works of Tauranga is celebrating the success of a talented team member, Brad Sparrow, who took out first place in the Master Electricians Apprentice of the Year competition for Bay of Plenty-Waikato. The win recognises Brad as the top industrial electrical apprentice in the region, a reflection of both his talent and the company’s long-standing commitment to training excellence. “Brad’s got a great attitude and a willingness and natural ability to pick things up quickly,” says Colin Smith, founder and owner of Electrical Works. “He’s only 21, but he’s already got to the position where he can run his own jobs. That’s the kind of initiative we like to see in our team.” Brad completed his entire apprenticeship with Electrical Works, and is currently working as 2IC on an electrical installation for a new asphalt and chip sealing plant for Acon Industries at Tauriko, Tauranga. “He’s running part of the team there under the tutelage of one of our senior guys. A clear sign of the trust he’s earned.” Colin says training apprentices has always been central to his business. “We decided early on to train apprentices, and our tradesmen put the time and effort into the young ones for the future of the industry,” he says. “Over the years, we’ve trained around 25 apprentices all up.” Founded in 1998 by Colin and two partners with industrial electrical backgrounds, Electrical Works Tauranga has grown to a specialist team of 15 staff, including three apprentices. From its Tauriko base, the team provides industrial and automation electrical services across the Bay of Plenty and beyond. The company’s expertise spans machine breakdown and maintenance, machine builds, plant and factory installations, automation systems, robotics, and machine safety. Electrical Works is also the primary regional installer for Omron Automation and Robotics, integrating advanced control systems into factories and production lines throughout New Zealand. “We are Omron’s primary installers for any of their systems,” says Colin. “They give us really good backup, but we do work with other types of PLCs and such, but Omron is our main one.” Recent automation projects include a system for Tauranga beverage manufacturer, Pure Bottling. They bottle a wide variety of packaged drink products across 60 to 80 different brands, so require reliable and nimble automation that can switch easily between product lines and packaging formats. Electrical Works Tauranga has recently completed a major control system upgrade for Metalco, a metal recycling operation that has relocated its main plant to Rainbow Mountain near Rotorua. At Metalco, Electrical Works consolidated several independent control systems into one streamlined, networked setup. “Before, different sections of the plant didn’t talk to each other,” says Colin “Now it all runs under one umbrella, which means fewer breakdowns and more uptime. That’s what we aim for – improved efficiency and reliability.” Alongside automation and robotic electrics, Electrical Works continues to offer 24/7 rapid-response breakdown service for clients, as well as specialist welding equipment repairs, another niche that has grown from one of the company’s original founding skills. We’ve been helping electricians get the job done right since 1935. We have the products and skills for everything electrical. For everything, electrical • Electrical • Lighting • Data Supplier 07 5715217 www.scottelectrical.co.nz tauranga@scottelectrical.co.nz Master Electricians Waikato congratulate Brad and the Electrical Works team on taking the top spot in the Industrial Apprentice competition. masterelectricians.org.nz
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