42 | ENGINEERING Kawerau Engineering - 60th Anniversary T T Karen Phelps Firm stays strong after 60 years Its services range from routine plant maintenance and industrial repairs to highly specialised fabrication and on-site project management. “Our goal is to keep things consistent for our clients and we remain committed to offering the same reliability and integrity that have defined the company since 1965.” After 60 years of specialist craftsmanship and a willingness to take on challenging projects, Kawerau Engineering is entering its seventh decade in 2026 as one of New Zealand’s most capable and trusted engineering providers. “It’s pretty cool the company has been going for so long,” says one of the current directors and company general manager Greg Adams. “We’ve had steady leadership and a strong team and that’s helped the business stay successful for six decades. We’ve now completed over 23,000 projects for customers.” Founded in 1965 by railways boilermaker Ken Jackson, in its early years the company specialised in boiler making and pressure vessel fabrication. When Greg joined in 1990 this work remained central, but the company was also beginning to shift into new areas. Over time it expanded its capabilities, adapted to new industries and steadily built a reputation for taking on complex and highly specialised projects. Today it is recognised as one of New Zealand’s most specialist engineering firms. Its services range from routine plant maintenance and industrial repairs to highly specialised fabrication and on-site project management. It has grown into a company employing around 40 staff. Although based in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, Kawerau Engineering works for clients across the country and in Australia. Kawerau Engineering has also become internationally respected for its work in custom yacht keels. This is a field Greg describes as very specialist with no other New Zealand company offering the same capabilities supplying custom keel and bulb packages to some of the world’s leading racing yachts. “We specialise in custom keel and bulb packages in the 40’-150’+ range across all classes of yacht, with a strong representation in premier yacht racing around the globe. “ We treat each unique project as being as individual as its owner and work closely with the world’s leading designers to ensure that all parties’ expectations are fulfilled.” The company continues to take on unusual or technically demanding projects, such as building a new boiler for a steam locomotive. Greg says this kind of work is made possible by the depth of expertise within the team. Kawerau Engineering employs degree-qualified mechanical engineers, welding engineers, metallurgists and a weld inspector/QA manager, giving it a level of technical capability rarely found in a regional firm. It also has fabrication approval from the ship classification society, Germanischer Lloyd, for its marine fabrication projects. This expertise is supported by substantial workshop infrastructure, including a heavy fabrication facility, a pristine stainless-steel fabrication shop free from metallurgical contaminants, specialised machinery, gantry cranes up to 32 tonnes and access to one of the southern hemisphere’s largest capacities for machining complex keel components. The company’s stores and steel-processing facility adds further flexibility, allowing it to handle mid- to large-scale industrial projects efficiently. Remarkably the company has had only two managers in its entire history — Ken and then Greg who joined the company in 1990 and later purchased it with fellow engineer John Evans, company site manager, in 2004. Greg believes this continuity has been a key factor in its resilience and growth. He says the 60th anniversary milestone is a testament not only to the company’s leadership but to the generations of skilled staff who have contributed to its success. “The culture of the company remains one of its greatest strengths,” says Greg. “Now it’s about trying to keep the business steady for the next generation. “Our goal is to keep things consistent for our clients and we remain committed to offering the same reliability and integrity that have defined the company since 1965.” 07 350 2220 indexengineering.co.nz Services: • Technical Support • Mechanical Design • Design Verification • Design Review We congratulate Kawerau Engineering on their 60 year anniversary and look forward to providing continued support.
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