| 7 DMI Electrical Engineering T TKelly Deeks Specialist skills brought to tricky projects DMI designs, manufactures, and installs electrical equipment for process automation in the industrial sector. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT A Rotorua electrical engineering company’s specialist approach to complex industrial projects has earned it a finalist spot in the manufacturing category at the Rotorua Business Awards. DMI Electrical Engineering managing director, Tim Wiringi, says the recognition reflects the value the business delivers from Rotorua, including work that takes its team across New Zealand, Australia, the Pacific, and further abroad. Based in Rotorua, DMI designs, manufactures, and installs electrical equipment for process automation in the industrial sector, with experience across sawmilling, wood processing, pulp and paper, food production, plastics, chemicals, mineral extraction and other processing operations. The company’s specialist capability recently took Tim to a remote forestry processing operation in Australia, where DMI was contracted to upgrade equipment that had been operating for more than 20 years. The project involved installing new control equipment alongside older machinery while keeping the existing process running. DMI also had to develop drawings that were not originally included in its scope, and complete the work within a tight operating time frame. Tim says DMI was brought into the project because of its long relationship with the equipment manufacturer, which it has worked with for about 23 years, and its experience integrating new equipment with existing processes. “We tend to take on the tricky projects,” he says. “I think we’ve got an exciting business that offers a lot of value, and the things we are doing are big, especially for a small town and a small company.” Travel is a regular part of that work, although Tim says it’s not as glamorous as it sounds. He spent a month in Australia on the latest project, while last year he spent 175 nights away from home and took 55 flights. “By flight 10 the glamour has worn off!” DMI was established in 2018 after Tim decided to build a company around the type of specialist work he enjoyed most. He had spent 13 years in the industry with a previous employer, where he learned through a trialby-fire approach with a broad range of work, and became increasingly focused on complex engineering and automation projects. DMI’s name reflects its core model of design, manufacture, and installation, while its narrower focus allows the team to apply the same processing fundamentals across different industries. The turnkey approach means customers can have a project designed, built, installed, tested, and commissioned through one team. DMI puts emphasis on developing its people, with apprentices working alongside experienced tradespeople, and opportunities for secondary school students provided through Gateway programmes. Tim says maintaining the team through a difficult period in the electrical and industrial markets, where projects have been delayed and new work has been uncertain, has been important in order to manage the eventual economic recovery He is now advocating for greater emphasis on competency and upskilling as technology changes the electrical industry. Solar power, electric vehicles, battery energy storage, automation, smart buildings and increasingly sophisticated power management systems have become mainstream, yet many of the industry’s training and competency frameworks still reflect a traditional view of the trade. Tim believes the industry needs to focus not simply on increasing apprenticeship numbers, but on ensuring people are properly trained, competent, and equipped to work safely and effectively with modern technologies before they are signed off. Maximize uptime. Minimize Risk. Engineered for Continuous Operations Harsh and Hazardous Areas Power Reliability & Reduntant Systems Energy Monitoring
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