76 | Outback Welding CONTRACTING Welding business busy Outback Welding is looking at further expansion to meet growing demand for its services. T T Hugh de Lacy The Balclutha factory of French dairy giant Danone initially provided nearly all the work for local start-up Outback Welding, but in the last six months the company has found itself flat out with upgrading the local council’s water supply. Outback Welding was formed in 2018 when Terry Owen and Jared Cowley took over an existing business and found themselves working almost exclusively at Danone’s Balclutha plant, contributing to the eventual commissioning of its biomass boiler that has reduced the operation’s CO2 emissions by around 20,000 tonnes a year. Terry and Jared acquired the company in partnership with two other businesspeople who have since been bought out, and Jared also co-owns Cowley Electrical Dairy and Pumps which has branches in Balclutha, Gore and Allanton. Most of Outback Welding’s work for Danone has involved mechanical engineering and stainless steel welding, something Terry had plenty of experience with Balclutha company Morgan O’Shea, coming out of his time in 2004. Jared completed an electrical apprenticeship about the same time with another local firm, McLaren Electrical. While the demand from Danone has taken up 95% of Outback Welding’s time over the past few years, it six months ago launched into a new field by helping build booster stations for the Clutha District Council’s water upgrade project. Outback Welding is currently working flat out on that project, plus a couple of smaller ones, with a full-time staff of five backed up by close associations with a group of top-line contractors. “The work for the council has really expanded our horizons and we’re now keen to get into more general engineering, which was another area in which I picked up a lot of experience during my apprenticeship,” Terry says. “Because so much of our work was initially for Danone, we’re effectively based at their plant in Balclutha, and they’ve been an absolutely amazing company to work with.” Further expansion to meet buoyant demand for its services has seen Outback Welding having to deal with a shortage of skilled tradespeople, but Terry says that that shortage also seems to be easing now. Danone remains a key client though, producing 20,000 tonnes of dairy products a year under its Nutricia label, including infant formula that’s blended and packed in the factory. Danone is the world’s biggest producer of fresh dairy products and plant-based foods and beverages, with nearly €28 billion ($NZ47b) in annual sales in 120 countries, and 96,000 staff spread across 55 countries, with its main markets being Europe, China and North America. “Because so much of our work was initially for Danone, we’re effectively based at their plant in Balclutha, and they’ve been an absolutely amazing company to work with.” PROUDTO SUPPORT OUTBACKWELDING Our Services Include: • Stainless fabrication • Welding specialists • On site contracting & installation • Structural engineering • General engineering • ASME IX Welding of Stainless and Carbon Steels • Certified to the Dairy & Wine industries 4703 • OW-2205-01 Procedure • OWSS1 Procedure
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