| 51 T T Bernadette Cooney Playing a key role... Wm Ross Engineering has been a quiet powerhouse within Bay of Plenty’s industrial sector. Wm Ross Engineering ENGINEERING For nearly 60 years, family-owned Kawerau-based precision engineering firm Wm Ross Engineering has been a quiet powerhouse within Bay of Plenty’s industrial sector. Serving some of the region’s most critical industries, including pulp and paper, geothermal energy, sawmilling, and transport infrastructure, Wm Ross Engineering began as a one-man machine shop in the 1960s, and today is a dual workshop operation led by the founders’ sons, Ian and Bill Jnr. Ian runs the Kawerau workshop specialising in medium-sized precision engineering, fitting and welding, while Bill operates a second site at Mount Maunganui, BOP Gear Cutters – focusing on high-production CNC machining and gear manufacture. Their Kawerau workshop has two 5-tonne gantry cranes, and offers a range of workshop capabilities from CNC, manual and vertical turning, CNC milling and boring 4.3 metre x 2.5 metre gearbox reconditioning and dynamic balancing. “We started off servicing the pulp and paper industry back in the early days, and we still do repair and maintenance for the Kawerau tissue mill and Whakatāne mill for cardboard manufacturing,” says Ian. “We do a lot of maintenance and repair work for Carter Holt Harvey sawmilling and Oji Fibre Solutions pulp mill in Kawerau and the local dairy industry.” In addition, they provide pump reconditioning for the local council. All these are significant contributors to the regional and national economy. “We have also played a key role in making and supplying componentry for numerous weigh in motion systems on New Zealand highways. We’ve been making those for about 20 years now,” says Ian. “We precision machine the plates that are embedded in the roadway to provide accurate weight data for decades.” The success of Wm Ross Engineering’s operations relies on well-established and trusted relationships with suppliers, such as they have with CNC Profile Cutting Services of astings. “They supply a lot of profile cut plates to us and we’ve worked with them for over 10 years now,” says Ian. Notable of late is Wm Ross Engineering’s current involvement in the TOPP2 Geothermal Supply project underway in Kawerau, a 49MW geothermal power station that will significantly boost regional energy capacity, and is the fourth geothermal power plant to be developed by Eastland Generation. The first geothermal plant on the Kawerau Geothermal Reservoir was Te Ahi O Maui, a 26MW plant developed in partnership with the Kawerau A8D Ahu Whenua Trust. Wholly owned by Eastland Generation is the Geothermal Developments Ltd (GDL) plantgenerating 9MW of renewable baseload electricity and third is TOPP1 24MW geothermal power plant fuelled by Ngāti Tūwharetoa Geothermal Assets. TOPP2 is big news for Kawerau, says Ian, set to be twice the size of TOPP 1 and Te Ahi O Maui, and an employment driver in the township. “We’re helping with the engineering components for that project and it’s good to be part of something that’s going to power the region for years to come.” A year on from a transformative expansion, Hastings-based CNC Pro ile Cutting Services has further solidi ied its position as New Zealand’s foremost pro ile cutting operation. The company recently unveiled a purpose-built, 5,000-square-metre workshop, signi icantly enhancing its operational capacity and work low e iciency. Alongside the expansion, there has been substantial investment in advanced machinery, including two high-precision ibre laser cutters, and a new K5000 plasma cutting system. Totalling 5 plasma pro ile cutting systems, with max bed length of 29mtrs, 2 ibre lasers at 6metres long, 3 press brakes, a 600 tonne - 6mtr, a 400 tonne - 4mt and a 70-tonne production press. “The new facility has transformed our production work low” says Managing Director, Andrew Ayre. We responded to the rising demand for precision pro ile cutting and have evolved into an even bigger specialised plate processing provider. “It’s created space to move, space to think, and above all, it’s enabled us to deliver even greater e iciency without compromising quality.” The new workspace now totals 7,500-square-meters across our two sites. Today, the irm operates as one of New Zealand’s largest plate processing facilities, delivering a vast range of materials and thicknesses from 0.5mm to 300mm. “We pride ourselves on holding an extensive range of materials, from Aluminium, Stainless Steel, Mild Steel, Medium Tensile Steel, High Tensile Steel, Abrasion Resistant Steel (450/500 Brinell).” Its services span nearly every major industry, including structural steel, civil construction, forestry, agriculture, pulp and paper, geothermal, horticulture, viticulture, transport engineering and mining. “We’re a key supplier of pro ile cut components to W.M Ross Engineering for all aspects of their manufacture and machining projects. We have been for many years now.” The company also supplies numerous pro iles for ongoing work with integrated conveyor systems which require special materials that are then hard chromed in Auckland. The company’s vertically integrated approach o ering bevel cutting, drilling, tapping, and pressing in-house ensures tight control over quality and lead times. With a strong team of 40 highly trained operators CNC Pro ile Cutting provides full end-to-end service, shaping components to exacting standards with unmatched accuracy and consistency. We are the benchmark for pro ile cutting in New Zealand. Expansion brings rewards Whether your business is in the North or South Island, a one man band or a multinational company, CNCPROCUT can provide you with high quality profiles. Plasma Cutting Brake Press Service Laser Cutting Bevel Cutting Drilling & Tapping Oxy-Fuel Cutting CNC Profile Cutting Services is a New Zealand owned and operated company with more than twenty years experience in the cutting industry. We lead the way in New Zealand’s steel market, with our innovative vision and have become the country’s largest and most ecient plate processing plant. 06 879 4690 sales@cncprocut.co.nz www.cncprocut.co.nz
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