48 | Sable Engineering ENGINEERING 2.5m 9.5m 1.55m First we listen - Then we deliver Safety First Is Safety Always. Interior Refurbishments Government Infrastructure Education Healthcare Commercial & Industrial Design & Build Retail Residential Analysis For professional analysis, no obligation discussion, contact Mark Gutry on (07) 547 4074 | 021 753 134 markg@wattsgroup.co.nz 27 Owens Place, Mt Maunganui www.whconstruction.co.nz Going strong after 20 years Sable Engineering is a leader in structural steel fabrication and installation. T T Kim Newth When Richard Campbell started Sable Engineering in 2006, he was a sole operator working hard to build contacts and contracts. Today, Sable Engineering is a leader in structural steel fabrication and installation in the Auckland market, employing more than 40 staff out of state-of-the-art facilities in Silverdale. It is a proud time for this family business in the lead up to the company’s 20th anniversary this August. “It is quite a milestone,” says Richard. “Not many businesses make it this far. We hope to do something special in August to mark the occasion.” When Richard and his family relocated from South Africa to New Zealand in 2003, Richard already had several decades of experience in the steel industry and had spent 14 years in the mining machine manufacturing sector. After coming to New Zealand, Richard initially worked in a concrete crushing plant before moving into site welding associated with the Northern Gateway project. Then he began getting requests to assist with fabrication work. “I then opened a small workshop and it all went from there — Fulton Hogan helped me a lot in those early days.” March Cato and Cassidy Construction also helped support Sable Engineering as it got started. Within a few months, the workshop team of one had grown to three. A large-scale project in 2008 to make multiple pipes for March Cato — needed to line a collapsed pipeline in Botany — prompted a move to a bigger workshop. “We had to get the steel for that from Vulcan Steel — 200 sheets of 12mm plate. March Cato gave me quite specialised jobs in custom machine building too, because of my experience in the mining sector. “We have done a lot of site welding through the years as well, for example on the New Market Viaduct bridge rebuilding project.” Richard says Sable Engineering still works with the same companies that supported him at the start. “That’s because they know we’re easy to deal with and deliver quality work — we’re quality certified to CC3.” A particularly memorable project for Richard stemmed from an emergency call-out in Parnell in 2023, after a main sewer line collapsed leaving a massive sinkhole. “They specifically called me and it was a very big project for us. We made trench shoring to secure the sink hole and custom equipment to clean out the old sewer drains and reline them.” Since then, Sable Engineering has completed a number of substations for Vector and multiple canopies for both BP and Z fuel stations. Further growth for Sable Engineering came in 2018 with the move into their current 1500sqm fabrication facility, which has a monthly output of 100-200 tonnes. It includes a well-equipped workshop, yard space and storage. The company has also invested in mobile cranes to provide additional capacity and flexibility. “We trebled in size after moving into our new factory, as we were able to do so much more.” Richard’s twin sons, Michael and Shaun, both have key roles today at Sable Engineering with Michael serving as Operations Manager and Shaun as Commercial Manager. Both are highly skilled and experienced in their own right. While Richard is starting to hand over the reins, he remains very actively involved in this thriving family business.
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