| 45 T T Hugh de Lacy Innovation drives tannery’s success Greenlea Premier Meats, Wilson Hellaby Ltd and Glendenburg Holdings all pitched in to buy the Wallace Group’s rendering, composting and tannery operations in Waitoa, and in Northland and Feilding. Waitoa Tannery REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Innovation and new technology, both contributing to sustainable practices, have seen Waitoa Tannery in the Waikato nearly double its production of skins and hides, allowing it to ride out the depressed market since the company was formed in mid-2020 following the sale of the Wallace Group to a trio of corporate buyers. Greenlea Premier Meats, Wilson Hellaby Ltd and Glendenburg Holdings all pitched in to buy the Wallace Group’s rendering, composting and tannery operations in Waitoa, and in Northland and Feilding. Hamilton-based Greenlea and Auckland-based Wilson Hellaby jointly bought the hides and skins operation, now trading as Waitoa Tannery, while Glendenburg Holdings’ Glenn Smith and Steve Dahlenburg own and run the rendering business as Wallace Proteins. A third company called Waitoa Industrial Estate Ltd (WIEL) was formed by the three corporates to own the wastewater treatment assets and the surrounding farmland. The three companies together have since made a considerable investment in upgrading the effluent treatment facilities both at the tannery and the wider site to ensure environmental compliance now and well into the future. The same three companies are involved in the joint composting business on the Waitoa site. Greenlea is a family owned and operated meat processing company exporting to more than 40 countries, while Wilson Hellaby is a privately meat processor marketing beef, lamb and pork into domestic and selected export markets, and Glendenburg has wide experience in rendering operations. The Waitoa tannery’s output has rocketed from around 350,000 hides a year to around 700,000, with a further 350,000 calf skins being processed during the bobby calf season. “The increase in our output is because we are now processing hides from Wilson Hellaby’s meat plant, Auckland Meat Processors, based in South Auckland, as well as for Silver Fern Farms’ Dargaville and Te Aroha beef plants,” Tannery Manager Steven Robb says. “We are open to the prospect of increasing production further, but we concentrate on processing hides and skins from north of Taupo to avoid excessive transport of them. “We have been able to add more efficient and new tanning vessels, along with a new fleshing machine capable of greater throughput, and the overall increase in scale allows us to process hides more efficiently,” he says. The tannery has a permanent workforce of 65, supplemented by about 15 temporary staff during seasonal peaks. WIEL runs the composting operation, taking hair recovered from the tanning process, paunch grass from the meat companies, waste treatment sludges and sawdust, and direct-marketing it to horticultural businesses. hennessy.co.nz Freephone 0800 243 243 Smart Solutions, Powerful Results. Each edition priority delivered to your door. . www.waterfordpress.co.nz/subscriptions . . . i i 03 983 5525 Stay informed; we work with business owners and decision-makers across all economic sectors, profiling their success. i ; i i i i - ll i , ili i . Your Business, Your Industry, Your News. r i , r I tr , r . businessnorth Volume 21 | Issue 3 | June 2022 www.waterfordpress.co.nz businessnorth “The market for hides and skins is quite depressed at the moment, but we continue to be able to sell and export our current production,” Steven says, adding that the labour market has been a challenge at times. “Although we experience low turnover of permanent staff, we had a lot of issues sourcing labour between 2020 and 2023, especially during the seasonal peaks. “However the current situation seems to be much improved, and we’re able to operate fully staffed all year round,” he says.
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