58 | A proven ability to problem solve During the past two to three years Balfour Engineering has added to its workshop a plasma profile cutter, a sheet metal folder and a guillotine. Russell Fredric Innovation and the ability to problem solve are hallmarks of Balfour Engineering that have served its customers through decades of economic cycles. Originally established in the 1940’s under another name, the Northern Southland company has been owned by Carl Gutschlag and Callum Baird since 2021, with Carl’s father Des being its previous owner. After working for his father for a few years, Carl purchased the business about 25 years ago and bought Callum in as a director in 2021. Carl and Callum have built on Balfour Engineering’s well-established reputation, while having Callum as a second director has contributed to focusing on aspects of the business that could be improved such as upgrading systems and processes and the workshop’s plant, in addition to being proactive on social media. “It [social media] keeps everyone aware of what we’ve been doing and what we can do including recent projects. It’s amazing how you can do a job, put a photo up of it and all of a sudden more people start asking about it.” Carl previously ran the business solely with his wife, but having Callum as a second director has been a gamechanger, he says. “We got an office person and have enhanced the business and its operation. We now have a showroom with water fittings and other product lines. It’s a real step up and it’s made a difference to the turnover too. We’ve stepped out of the office ourselves and got some systems in place to improve the flow of everything.” “In the four years it’s gone from a husband and wife business to a more streamlined operation.” The company currently employs nine staff of which three are apprentices training in mechanical and general engineering, with one close to qualifying and two new ones recently employed. They and the rest of Bafour Engineering’s staff benefit from an interesting variety of work of which about half is on customer’s sites. RURAL SERVICES » Balfour Engineering The business’ key services includes general engineering, welding, fabrication, hydraulics, and the site work which includes expertise in grain handling equipment in collaboration with Rakaia Engineering. “They supply the silos; we build silos and install the grain handling gear.” One of its innovations, designed in the early days of the business and continuously improved, is a groundwork leveller which breaks down the soil for sowing after discing or ploughing. “We changed the ideal of the way people were building six metre fold-up levellers. We’ve built quite a large number of them.” A feature of the leveller is that the channels that groom the soil are on a progressively different angle which allows an increasing amount of soil to pass under, as opposed to other brands where the channels are at a set angle. The unit can be hydraulically tilted up on the back of a tractor which allows a set of rollers or other equipment to be towed behind. Another innovation, and a simple one, is a [water filled] roller with drop down wheels that makes it easy to move around a farm or from farm to farm by road. During the past two to three years Balfour Engineering has added to its workshop a plasma profile cutter, a sheet metal folder and a guillotine Balfour Engineering Proudly operating as the Southland ENZED Franchise and Authorised Distributor of TotalEnergies Lubricants and NZ made Weldwell Electrodes. PROUDLY SUPPORTING BALFOUR ENGINEERING www . w i l k i n s f a rmi ng . c o . n z FOR MORE INFO For pricing & contracts: 03 201 6246 or 027 249 9317 GRAIN, BLENDS AND CUSTOM STOCKFEED REL Group proud supplier for Balfour Engineering REL Supplier for: Westeel grain silo | Westfield grain augers All grain drying equipment | Meal feed systems | Disc mills www.relgroup.co.nz | +64(03)3 302 7305 47 Ordsal Street, Gore Phone 900-4673 Brake Clutch Commercial Driveline Electrical Engine Filtration Lubricants Suspension Tools Pleased to support Balfour Engineering which has significantly increased its capacity for sheet metal fabrication. “The profile cutter, it’s been absolutely brilliant for fabrication work. It’s made a big difference.”
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