70 | Three decades of expert service Reliability of the machinery is key for Mike Kettle’s business. Richard Loader Havelock North based Mike Kettle Contracting has been delivering a high-quality service to the Hawke’s Bay farming community for the last 33 years, ever since Mike Kettle bought an existing business consisting of three tractors, four hay bailers, some rakes and a mower. Since those early beginnings, the business has grown significantly in terms of the diverse range of tractors and machinery, the scope of agricultural work and the number of customers that proudly call ‘Mike Kettle Contracting’, their farm contractor. “Initially we were only doing hay, then we moved into baleage and then into cultivation and cultivation has just got bigger and bigger, as has the machinery. We invest in new machinery every year, mainly to replace existing machinery. Sometimes you’re trading one or two tractors for newer ones, as well as the equipment that goes behind them. We tend to trade tractors when they get to 6500 hours. Reliability of the machinery is key for our business.” The adoption of GPS technology in the company’s tractors has enabled huge savings in the paddock, with significant improvements to accuracy and efficiency, which Mike says ultimately benefits the farmers’ purse. “The less time we’re in the paddock, the less the farmer gets charged. For our round balers, we have a wrapper on the back. As soon as the bale come out the back, its wrapped, as you’re baling the next bale. That has been a huge advance and avoids the need for another tractor and person in the paddock behind the baler.” Delivering a high quality and responsive service has always been at the heart of Mike Kettle Contracting’s success and Mike relates a story from the early days of operation. “Initially I only had three tractors, and a guy called me and said he had all this ploughing to do. He said, ‘do you want to go and buy a plough so that you can do it.’ I went and bought a new tractor and plough, and away I went. It’s all about service at the end of the day. Many contractors can do what we do, but it’s the service that really makes the difference for the farmer. Over the last thirty-three years the number of customers that we service has certainly grown, usually through farmers talking to each other over the fence. You will often get people calling and saying they were talking to Joe Bloggs the other day and he told me you do his work. Most growth happens through word of mouth.” In a line of work that often involves all-nighters and pre-dawn starts to get the work done before the weather bomb hits, passion is another vital ingredient to the mix. “Passion is an attitude thing,” explains Mike. “I always tell employees that if they have the right attitude, we can teach them anything. I’ve also found that when you employ females, their attitude is really good, and they want to be here, because they think they have to be better than the person next to them. RURAL SERVICES » Mike Kettle Contracting Ltd They listen, they learn quickly and they’re really good at what they do.” Based in a large yard on St Georges Road, half way between Hastings and Havelock North, Mike’s contracting team operates from the coast at Waimarama, Patoka to the west, Tutira to the north, and Waipukurau in the south. It’s about an 80-kilometre radius from home base. While the core customer base is the farming community, there is a growing number of orchardists taking advantage of the burgeoning apple market, and Mike Kettle Contracting provides orchard development services as part of its suite of offerings. The contracting team is made up of six full time permanent staff, with another eight – ten casuals during the summer months. “We never have difficulty finding casual staff. We get a lot of uni-students returning to the Bay during the holidays, and we have other staff coming out of the woodwork. I have had three guys call in the last three weeks looking for jobs. Our permanent staff are a mix of mechanics and drivers. All our qualified mechanics can drive tractors, and they all do that in the summer.” Mike Kettle Contracting also does all its own winter maintenance, and staff who are not qualified mechanics do some of the maintenance work, providing them with work during the off-season and giving them the knowledge of what to do if a machine has an issue out in the field. “That also makes the person a more marketable employee, because they can do light maintenance, or at least understand what the problem is. You’re always trying to develop your people and make Mike Kettle Contracting Power Farming Hawkes Bay 06 879 9998 Proud to support Mike Kettle Contracting Ltd We keep you growing proudlylocally ownedandoperated 100% kiwi owneD them better than what they were yesterday; that’s an important part of it. At the end of the day my team have to be able to work autonomously, and make decisions.” Mike quotes the example of the team getting together while he was away and developing the concept of a brochure that outlined the diverse range of services offered. “When I came back, they said this is what we have got, and I said let’s run with it.”
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