Business Rural North Spring 2021

58 | Delta Stock Crates has NZ covered Delta has spent a lot of time and money researching and developing a wide range of unique stock crate designs. Kelly Deeks N ew Zealand’s largest manufacturer of alloy stock crates, Delta Stock Crates is proud to manufacture quality livestock crates that pro- vide the best balance between tare weight, strength, and durability at a competitive price. Delta Stock Crates has had 30 years in the market since company founder Mike Gordon es- tablished the business in Fielding, looking to bring some innovation to the industry which was starting to move from steel crates to steel and alloy. Today Delta Stock Crates is New Zealand’s only stock crate manufacturer with full manufacturing and servicing facilities in the North Island and the South Island, with a branch in Timaru opening in the late 1990s. In Feilding, a new purpose-built work- shop was built in 2017, with a state of the art paint booth offering a complete paint service on site. Rooted in innovation, Delta Stock Crates contin- ues to provide its customers with exactly what they want. Fielding branch manager Ted Shannon says key to Delta Stock Crates’ innovation is listening to the transport operators and working with them to develop solutions to their problems. “These guys are using these stock crates every day,” Ted says. “We may be the expert in building them, but we’re not the expert in operating them. We work together with the operators to come up with the best way of making their crates work for them. Every transport operator has their own way of operating, so we accommodate all of their ideas to come up with a solution that works for their operation.” All Delta Stock Crates are built to order. The Delta team brings years of experience in manufacturing stock crates with a focus on delivering products that combine the best balance between tare weight, strength, and durability. A number of standard options and optional extras are available for full customisation. Improving health and safety standards over the years have seen Delta Stock Crates innovating associated products to make the job safer and more efficient, such as handrails and winches to lift crate floors. “The latest one we’ve come up with is an air- operated door that can be opened from on top of the crate,” Ted says. “The average age of livestock drivers is now above 60, so if a transport operator can make their job easier, they will also make gains in health and safety and efficiency. This air operated door was an idea brought to us by Graham Lowes of Farmers Transport in Hastings, and we were proud to be able to find a solution for this particular problem.” Delta has also spent a lot of time and money researching and developing a stock crate designed to reduce back rub, at a time when this issue was plaguing the industry. The resulting new custom- RURAL SERVICES » Delta Stock Crates made extrusions provided a win-win for the entire industry, maximised heights throughout the crates while maintaining strength and losing tare weight. Delta is a member of the New Zealand Road Transport Forum. All Delta Stock Crates and Truck Decks have a full two-year manufacturer’s warranty against product defects or faulty workmanship, and all new stock crates are AsureQuality Certified. “The average age of livestock drivers is now above 60, so if a transport operator can make their job easier, they will also make gains in health and safety and efficiency.” Proud supplier of stockcrate covers to Delta Stockcrates Your tr usted t ranspo rt text iles sup plier si nce 197 5 ̽ 6LGH &XUWDLQV ̽ 7UDQVSRUW 7DUSDXOLQV ̽ 5ROO 2YHU &RYHUV ̽ (OOLSWLFDO 5ROO 2YHUV ̽ )HUWLOLVHU &RYHUV ̽ 7KHUPDO 7DQNHU &RYHUV www.straitline.co.nz &RQWDFW XV WRGD\ IRU D TXRWH