70 | Firm enjoys steady growth Northern Automotive Truck and Tractor now has 16 full-time employees, plus a couple of part-timers TRANSPORT Northern Automotive Truck and Tractor T T Virginia Wright When Chris and Kate Wimsett returned to New Zealand to settle down in 2014, they had travelled for a year after seven years working in the mining industry in Western Australia. With parents living not far away, they bought their Katikati business Northern Automotive Truck and Tractor, complete with its workshop and two employees. Ten years and three children later, Kate still does the behind-the-scenes accounting for the family-owned-and-run business as it grows. Their main focus is heavy transport: repairs, servicing, COFs (Certificate of Fitness) for trucks, buses and motorhomes, along with WOFs (Warrant of Fitness) for cars, trailers, and motorbikes, and inspections for all sorts of agricultural and commercial vehicles from forklifts to taxis, to rollers, and of course, tractors. Having taken advantage of every opportunity to bring more of their core services inhouse, they now have 16 full-time employees, plus a couple of part-timers. “We didn’t expect it to grow like it has, but we’ve taken every opportunity as it comes,” explains Chris. “Two years ago, we bought the engineering company across the road, which did some of our work. The facility to repair, build and certify anything from trailer drawbars to machining flywheel and rotors helps keep the service in-house.” Under a managing engineer, they do all the transport work for Northern Automotive on top of their specialty of building residential house lifts. Chris can now set his priorities for when and what things get done first, which means he can respond quickly when he knows a client has a pressing need. If it’s urgent, he can put a team of people on it to turn it around as quickly as possible. While in the mines, Chris added his ticket as a diesel mechanic (or fitter) working with all sorts of heavy-vehicle plant machinery to his New Zealand qualification for working with light vehicles. He has now added the LT400 manufacturing certification, which authorises him to certify heavy vehicles and any repair work done. Part of his ongoing focus is securing a workload for his employees, keeping the process in-house to speed things up for customers, and saving them money while extending Northern Automotive’s capability. “We are the only ones in our area that offer a broad range of repairs and services on both heavy and light vehicles. We could be working on a Mini-Cooper on one side of the shed, a 50-tonne Kenworth truck or a tractor on the other,” Chris says. While his own preference is primarily heavier machinery, Northern Automotive also has a light vehicle mechanic working full-time on car servicing, repairs, and warranties. There are light vehicle, heavy vehicle, and engineering apprentices learning their trades. Chris believes this future-proofs the industry by training the next generation, and ensures the future of their trade. One of their leading mechanics manages all breakdowns and call-outs with their kitted-out specialised field service vehicle. “He can fix anything, light or heavy, hydraulics or electronic,” says Chris. They continually invest to keep up to date with modern standards, whether it’s staff training or new equipment such as new scan tools to help diagnose electrical faults. We offer expert heavy vehicle certification services to the New Zealand transport industry including design and certification for a wide range of specialized solutions. P: 027 252 1114 E: office@alpineconsulting.co.nz W: alpineconsulting.co.nz Qualified experts specialising in the repair, servicing, and diagnostics of electrical and air-conditioning systems in vehicles and machinery of all sizes. Your Local, Fully Mobile Experts AIR CONDITIONING INSTALLATION AND REPAIR AUTO ELECTRICAL 027 474 8908 | katikatiautoelectrical@gmail.com | www.katikatiautoelectrical.co.nz ■ Domestic Installation & Repairs ■ New House Wiring & Renovations ■ Stove & Whiteware Servicing ■ Irrigation, Frost Protection, Pumps ■ Test & Tag ■ Thermal Imaging ■ Commercial & Industrial ■ Underground Cabling ■ Heat Pumps Supplied, Installed & Repairs ELECTRICAL SERVICES LTD TAURANGA 07 571 3429 44a Burrows Street, TGA KATIKATI 07 549 0042 4 Marshall Place, Katikati www.switche.co.nz QUALITY ASSURED MASTER ELECTRICIAN
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