40 | Waikato: Protech Stainless T T Russell Fredric High standards required for steel Protech Stainless is a key player in Waikato, employing in excess of 30 staff. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Established in 2004 as a two-person business specialising in stainless steel fabrication, Protech Stainless is a key player in Waikato, employing in excess of 30 staff. The Hamilton business is spearheaded by Simon Richards and Tony Brinkworth. “We are both fabricators by trade. When we started the business we did all the fabricating and invoicing. We are passionate about fabricating and getting things right – we enjoy a challenge,” the directors say. Protech has predominantly worked in the dairy industry, but it has also completed some significant projects in other sectors. The company’s dairy clients include Fonterra, Open Country, and international process companies such as GEA and Tetra Pak. “We installed some decanters for Tetra Pak at Tatua (Dairy Company) a couple of years ago. We also installed some lettuce tunnels for Greengrower’s, which we worked on for most of last year,” Simon says. Greengrower is a sophisticated hydroponic horticultural operation growing produce in a vertical farming system of stacked layers within tunnels. The majority of Protech’s output comprises stainless steel which, because it is in contact with food products, requires a high level of finish. “You can hide a lot more with mild steel, because generally it’s getting painted or galvanised. Stainless is not; if you put any marks in it you’ve got to then polish them out. There’s a lot of care taken with stainless, and then generally the finish of the polishing is a lot higher because it’s quite often food grade,” explains Simon. “Its finish has to be polished to a certain standard to meet the industry requirements for food grade.” Protech is increasingly undertaking work related to wastewater treatment plants, including fabricating 12-metre-long grit chamber tanks as a subcontractor to a Hamilton company. Protech has the ability to manufacture tanks up to 50,000 litres with a variety of stainless- steel grades, including 304, 316, duplex and high-temperature-grade stainless steels. Vessels and tanks can be manufactured to comply with HSNO (Hazardous Substances and New Organisms, (standards required for the storage of hazardous materials) with certification, while tank internal finishes can be polished to suit food grade or pharmaceutical specifications where required. Whether it’s a process tank, CIP (clean in place, self-cleaning) tank, water tank or mix tank, Protech’s team designs and fabricates with high attention to detail on every vessel to ensure they are within the tolerances of each customer’s requirements. Protech’s capacity to handle such a diverse range of projects has been an asset in maintaining a consistent workflow. “We’ve got some good long-term customers that have been dealing with us for nearly 20 years and we do have a reputation for quality.” Protech operates from a comprehensively equipped, 1700sqm workshop that has seven overhead cranes of various capacities up to five tonnes, in addition to plate and sheet rollers, sectional rolls, a variable brake guillotine, sheet rollers and two brake presses. One of the brake presses, a Deratech 250 tonne, 4.1-metre-capacity machine with seven axes, is a new CNC machine installed last December. This is more accurate and efficient than our other brake press and will help keep us at the top of our game,” says Simon. Power Tools & Abrasives Limited Abrasives | Hand Tools | Power Tools • Specialist suppliers of Hand Tools, Power Tools, Machinery and Engineering Supplies • Exceptionally high customer focus • Unbeatable service • A can do attitude to supplying industrial products and service • Capable and efficient in all freighting areas • Preferred suppliers to some of Hamiltons largest industrial firms Proudly Supporting Protech Stainless Ltd CONTACT US 027 282 4005 info@ptaltd.co.nz powertoolsabrasives.co.nz · STEEL · STAINLESS · ALUMINIUM · PLATE & COIL PROCESSING I I I I I Full Material Traceability Systems Industry Leading Processing Capability Comprehensive Range of Stock Responsive Processing Capability Quality Assurance “In Full and On Time” Delivery Promise ll i l ili I i i ili i i i ili li I ll i li i www.vulcan.co l
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