48 | Diverse customer base drives success The installation of the new furnace and boiler system is the largest undertaking by Ngahere in recent years. Ngahere Sawmilling Company T T Russell Fredric REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Established as a small family business in 1980, Ngahere Sawmilling Co Ltd is embracing change and technology as the third generation make their mark on its operation. In April 2024, the saw mill finished commissioning a new fuel-handling furnace and boiler system for kiln-drying its timber, replacing a coal-fired boiler system, which had been in use since 1999. The new plant is fuelled with residues, such as sawdust, planer shavings and chips from the saw mill’s own production. Located in Mataura, the sawmill was established by Dave and Claire Coyle in 1980, operating from a site at Conical Hill before moving to its current site in Mataura in 1982. Staff numbers have increased from five in 1980, to a current staff of 30. Dave’s son, Stephen, the current managing director, joined the company in 1986, and continues to work in the business along with other family members, including his wife Debra and brother Michael. The next generation includes Stephen and Debra and their sons, Scott and James, and Michael’s son Thomas. Eastern Southland has been a good place for Ngahere Sawmilling to set up a business, with most of the staff coming from around Gore and Mataura, Stephen says. “We have had a very stable workforce over the years, and have had a low turnover of staff, which is great for the business. Most of our staff are multi-skilled and can perform a range of tasks around the site.” Scott, who joined the business in 2017, came from a building and construction background, which has helped when talking to customers about their timber requirements, and James is strongly focused on preventative maintenance and getting systems in place to track machine and plant reliability. Ngahere Sawmilling’s core products and services include treated timber for the rural sector. Since 2004, it has been the exclusive supplier of treated timber and poles in the lower South Island to Greenwood Sheds NZ for its farm sheds and cattle yards. Ngahere Sawmilling also has valuable long-term business relationships with a large number of export-driven companies in Otago and Southland, and continues to supply their export packaging requirements such as wooden ISPM 15 certified pallets, bins and gluts. The diversity of its customer base, and not having to rely on the residential construction industry, have been key to its success through some tough economic cycles. “We don’t have the big highs that some suppliers have when construction is strong, but we don’t have the big lows either when construction is slow,” says Stephen. Because of the large quantity of pallets and bins Ngahere Sawmilling produces, it has invested in a high-speed Opti Cut crosscut optimising saw, which scans the lengths of timber and optimises each cut to ensure best recovery from the timber. “This machine is much faster, and much safer to operate than our original snip saws,” Stephen says. The installation of the new furnace and boiler system is the largest undertaking by Ngahere in recent years and took about two years from start to finish. TRANSPORT & GENERAL ENGINEERING Mobile Hydraulic Hose Repair Service 13 Waiau Street, Gore | Ph: 03 208 1773 | Mobile: 027 615 7719 PROUD TO SUPPORT NGAHERE SAWMILLING COMPANY Ideas | Advice | Great Accounting PROACTIVE ACCOUNTING YOU REALLY WANT P: 0800 427 739 E: business@harrexgroup.co.nz • Wood-fired boilers, furnaces, and heat plants • Heat plant accessories, augers, and moving floor fuel bins • Coal-to-wood fuel conversions • Boiler servicing • Steam boiler compliance surveys MORROW ENGINEERING CO LTD We manufacture and service wood-fired heating systems, along with a range of related solutions: PH 03 3598699 | Cell 0274 398455 | Email: admin@mecol.co.nz 533 Sawyers Arms Rd, Harewood Christchurch 8051
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