12 | Coal substitutes used Golden Bay is one of the top employers in the Northland region. T T from page 10 Golden Bay Cement REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Office: (09) 4327643 www.macswayscaffolding.co.nz Congratulations to Golden Bay Cement for investing in this innovative project. We are proud to support our progressive Client with Professional Scaffolding and Rigging Services for 52 years. T T Kiwi commitment - page 14 “Another key benefit is that all the wood ash and steel from the tyres is incorporated into a product called clinker, manufactured during the firing process, and a key ingredient in the manufacture of cement.” Kelly says that GB would ultimately like to use 75% wood and 25% tyres in its process but is still a way off from achieving that and as an interim step, a project is now underway that will allow GB to substitute coal with other products such as plastics that cannot be recycled. “We are currently working with different waste companies on what might be available to us, and that will be commissioned within the next year. So environmentally it is a wonderful option for these products to be used. We have an alternative fuel campaign, so we’re looking at how much coal we use and ultimately the goal is to be coal free by 2030.” From a manufacturing point of view Golden Bay is one of the top employers in the Northland region, employing around of 160 staff, along with another 70 in other parts of the country. The company operates two limestone quarries: one 30 kilometres north of Whangarei in Hikurangi that produces 30% of the material required by GB, and the other just above the Portland plant that produces the remaining 70%. Over the two quarries there are around 25 people operating heavy diggers and loaders. The rest of the Portland team are production staff including a variety of labourers, machine operators, and engineers. The majority of Portland staff live locally within about 30 minutes of the plant. Beyond Northland, there are a few service centres round the country, the largest of which is in Auckland, and smaller ones in Tauranga, Napier, Wellington, and New Plymouth. There are a number of drivers transporting cement around the country, and there are also two marine vessels operated by contractors. As Manufacturing Manager, Kelly has responsibility for 140 of the Portland based team. “Golden Bay has an extremely low turnover of staff, with many people having achieved 20 to 40 years’ service milestones. There is also a lot of intergenerational employment, with staff whose grandparents and parents worked here creating quite a family culture.”, Kelly commenced her career with GB over twenty years ago as a young engineering graduate and took on a variety of roles, overseas experience and family, before eventually finding herself in the top manufacturing role. “We don’t have a formalised graduate programme, but we do look to bring graduate engineers into the team, to ensure we have a stream of technical expertise on site. Generally, we are looking for chemical and materials engineers, but we also consider electrical, mechanical and software engineers. Feeding that technical pipeline, and training the engineers is very important to us. Fletcher Building also supports career development study, and there are development opportunities within the production team. One of our recently appointed shift managers came from being a loader operator, so there are opportunities to move into leadership roles. I would like to see more of that because they know the business, the people and we can give them the skills.” In addition to direct employees, a wide range of businesses, collectively employing up to 500 people, support and supply GB’s activities in the region. “We outsource all our heavy engineering,” says Kelly. “We have two scheduled maintenance shutdowns each year, and when that happens, we would have up to two hundred contractors on site. The truck drivers who bring demolition timber from Auckland as an alternative fuel source, is another example of a business that exists because of Golden Bay. On a daily basis there are ten drivers bringing wood to site and depending on demand taking back bagged cement to be exported to the Pacific Islands. We have found that some businesses have based their entire workload and focus on Golden Bay. So in addition to direct employment opportunities at Golden Bay, there is also a flow on effect throughout the region.”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=