| 55 T T Karen Phelps Training a top priority Page Macrae Engineering is one of the largest employers in the Tauramga region. Page Macrae Engineering ENGINEERING Page Macrae Engineering is adapting to navigate the 12 months of continued economic contraction in the sector and has recently completed a restructure of the business to create three distinct divisions of People, Products and Projects, says CEO Alan Sutcliffe. Established in Mt Maunganui in 1955 as a small marine repair business Page Macrae Engineering remains a privately owned and operated company and today is one of the largest employers in the region, delivering both bulk handling solutions for Australasia’s port industry and major infrastructure projects across New Zealand. “The goal is that by focusing on these it will help Page Macrae Engineering weather the challenging times facing New Zealand’s manufacturing industries,” he says. With regards to the People division Page Macrae Engineering operates the company’s Apprentice Academy, which sees 20-25 apprentices enrolled at any one time in the four-year program, including four female apprentices to date. Alan says that it has been so successful it is about to celebrate a significant milestone – its 100th qualified tradesperson. “For the success and sustainability for our future generations, training young engineers is one of the company’s top priorities. Our apprenticeship programme is testament to this, and it provides us a steady stream of home grown talent into the industry every year. “We work closely with Competenz NZ and are proud of our industry training leadership role we play by having one of the greatest number of apprentices employed by a single privately owned company in New Zealand. We believe we never really graduate and aim to expand what the academy is offering so more staff can build additional specific skills once qualified.” In the Products division the focus is on delivering bulk handling solutions for the ports of New Zealand and Australia. Alan says it is currently responding to the needs of its clients to meet sustainable goals in terms of controlling dust emissions and reducing energy usage ahead of legislation and has recently developed new dust suppression hoppers and electric grabs. “These products not only meet environmental needs but also replace the need for operators in the loading areas, enhancing safety through the latest positioning technology. “Our design team are developing smart sensor technology to gather real time data of the assets, providing the customers with vital information to optimise their processes,” explains Alan. In the Projects division the restructure has focused on bringing all works through a newly centralised Project Management Office (PMO), to ensure that all projects use the same processes in one area. Alan says that the PMO has a depth of experience in industries such as power generation, petro-chemical, pulp and paper, food processing and materials handling and is positioned to offer a one-stop shop to deliver multi-disciplined projects. “We now have the breadth and depth and processes to manage multiple disciplines on major works such as civil, electrical and controls. Positioning ourselves in this mid-tier level allows us to give our clients piece of mind dealing with one company rather than multiple ones.” Recent projects undertaken by Page Macrae Engineering include a major refit for the Whakatane paper mill, completing a major shutdown at Ballance at the Mount and another large shutdown project with Oji Fibre at the Tasman mill at Kawerau. Despite the current challenges to the manufacturing industry Alan believes the recent changes that have been made at the company have positioned it to be ready to capitalise on future works as the economy improves: “While our purpose remains ‘Engineering a Better Tomorrow’ we recognise the difficulties our industry has faced and so have used these tough times wisely to focus on our people, our products and our projects, setting Page Macrae Engineering up for the future.” Proud to support Page Macrae Engineering Established in 1955 and still based at 27 Glasgow Street Tauranga, Robert Page Engineering Ltd is a New Zealand owned and operated Company that proudly provides a repair, maintenance and large capacity CNC production machining services to various industries. enquiry@robertpage.co.nz 07 578 4171 • General Engineering • Quarries • Heavy machinery and Port Equipment • CNC machining • CAD Design • Project management • Manufactures of Prokerb Kerbing machines Proud to support Page Macrae Engineering STEEL · STAINLESS · PLATE & COIL PROCESSING · ALUMINIUM Full Material Traceability Systems Industry Leading Processing Capability Comprehensive Range of Stock Responsive Processing Capability Quality Assurance “In Full and On Time” Delivery Promise www.vulcan.co
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