60 | CONTRACTING Southern Screenworks T T Hugh de Lacy Ayslesbury firm’s reach extends to Niue From a single screening plant, Southern Screenworks has grown to 14, supplying local councils and contractors with aggregates that include base-course, boulders, crusher-dust and pre-mix. Crushing aggregate for the Niue airport extension (bottom). The home base and quarry are at Ayslesbury, 30km west of Christchurch, but Southern Screenworks’ field of activity extends to helping extend airport runways up in Niue and on the Chatham Islands. With a staff of about 35, and a comprehensive inventory including no fewer than 14 screening plants, the company has a service presence at up to seven quarry sites at a time around Canterbury and extending to the West Coast and Pacific Islands. The Chatham Islands work has recently been completed, and the Niue project has just a couple of weeks to run, bringing an end for now to the complex task of getting plant to the islands by ship, then getting it back afterwards. Back home the Aylesbury quarry supplies local councils and contractors with aggregates that include base-course, boulders, crusher-dust and pre-mix, and current clients include housing sub-divisions in Kirwee and Rolleston and the surrounding district. Over on the West Coast Southern Screenworks has plant working at various times at quarries from Haast in the south, through Hokitika and Greymouth to Westport in the north. This year the company is celebrating its thirtieth year in business, after being formed in 1994 by two mates, Brett Swain and Alan King, who met while working at the same quarry. Alan came from a dairy-farming background while Brett was a machine operator, and they launched Southern Screenworks with a single screening plant. Today, besides the 14 screening plants, the company operates around 16 loaders, eight cone-crushers and three jaw-crushers, along with six diggers, a bulldozer, a large trommel screen and three transporters. “I fell into the industry almost by accident, lending a hand at a quarry where I met Brett; we became mates and branched out on our own in June 1994,” Alan says. “We’ve been able to grow steadily over the years as demand waxed and waned, although at the moment things are pretty quiet despite all the talk about big government spending on infrastructure. “It may happen, but it’s just talk so far. “We can roll with the punches because we’ve been doing it so long now, and when things pick up again – there was a notable slowing down towards the end of last year – we’ll be well-positioned to take advantage of it.” A big part of Southern Screenworks’ community commitment has been its support for the Air Rescue Trust, St John Ambulance and other community groups including sports clubs, individual sportspeople and schools, regional sports and community not-for-profit organisations. This initiative was inspired by the tragic loss of Brett’s wife Alison in a car accident about seven years ago that saw her transported to Christchurch Hospital by helicopter, but unfortunately she didn’t survive. “We do a lot of work in remote areas, and while we’re highly conscious of our need to have strong health and safety regimes in place – we have a dedicated staff member looking after this area – we also recognise that we may need the Air Rescue ourselves some time,” Alan says. Proud to be associated with Southern Screenworks Ltd Congratulations to the team 38 Parkhouse Road, Sockburn, Christchurch Phone: +64 3 348 1653 | Email: sales@hsac.co.nz | Website: www.hsac.co.nz Proud to Support Southern Screenworks Ltd
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