44 | RURAL SERVICES » Kinatai Engineering National Field Day site ‘a big step’ The Kinatai Engineering team. Their trailers are high end, high spec and totally customisable. Karen Phelps Kinatai Engineering has just secured its first site at the national Field Days in June and for company owner Troy Whitehead it the fulfilment of a long-term goal. “It’s a massive step for us to go to the national field days after just finishing our first ever central district field days earlier this year. Its something I have dreamt of for more than 10 years. People can look out for our site S16 on 12-15 June. We’ll show our tip trailer range, levellers and graders. Our grader is interactive to help show off its capabilities” Troy grew up on a dairy farm and did a few engineering jobs while completing a Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture) degree. In his last year he knew he was finishing to start his business so he cleaned out the palm kernel shed at his parents farm and Kinatai Engineering was born in 2016. One of his early experiments was a tip trailer. Today trailers form an important part of the Kinatai Engineering range: “My first trailer was built while I was still at university over the summer holidays and weekends. It was built using two borrowed old stick welders which could only be used outside of milking time as they would trip the fuses. I only had one grinder, a drill and a small oxy acetylene kit. It was also painted by mum, dad and myself by hand with paint bushes. Its crazy to think how we got things done in the early days, but at the time I had no other choses” The first trailer was meant to be for his Mum and Dad but was put on TradeMe to see if it would sell. “it sold for more than I thought which made me think I could make a business out of it. The range today started with that design but we have developed it hugely.” Two years in the business moved into a bigger shed on a lifestyle block in South Taranaki in Oaonui. From there he has added three more workshops to accommodate growth with another one coming shortly Kinatai Engineering makes its own range of tip trailers, levellers and graders as well as undertaking general engineering work. At Kinatai Engineering everything is done in house including 3D modelling. There is a full range of plant including CNC machines, press brakes, hydraulic hose fittings, sand blasting and painting facilities. Troy says the trailers are high end, high spec and totally customisable. They are favourites with farmers, contractors and they are looking to push into civil companies. Key benefits include the trailers a built to order to match all your requirements with are very few limits on customization, the ability to cart larger cubic volumes holding more than their tonne rating and they are made wider so bales and diggers can fit Kinatai Engineering
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