34 | Russell Fredric Productive plant a major employer Prime Range Meats processes lamb, mutton, beef and bobby calf veal for domestic and export markets. Southland: Prime Range Meats REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT WHAT WE SERVICE: MIXED WASTE, SPECIAL WASTE, GREEN WASTE, CLEAN FILL, RECYCLING & DEMOLITION WASTE. Follow us on Facebook @Southerntransportco.limited Available Skip Sizes: 2m, 3m, 3.5m, 4.5m, 5.5m, 6m, 7.5m, 8m Book online! • MINI + MAXI BINS • WHEELIE BINS • JUMBO BINS • SKIP BINS • CLEANFILL • GREENWASTE • FULL RECYCLING • SERVICES • RESIDENTIAL WASTE • COMMERCIAL WASTE Pride and professionalism, hallmarks which pivot on customer relationships, are where the rubber meets the road for Southern Transport. Part of wider H W Richardson Group which operates across seven separate sectors, Southern Transport specialises in transport logistics, waste management, skip hire, heavy haulage and bulk cartage. The business incorporates Allied Materials, Gibbs Wood & Coal, Joe’s Refuse, Clearaway Skips, and Heavy Haulage and trucks based in Dunedin. Southern Transport originally spawned out of Niagara Sawmilling in 1946, with four trucks used to cart lumber for the mill. In the mid 1970’s, after acquisitions of many surrounding transport companies, Bill Richardson expanded into ready mix concrete and purchased Allied Concrete in 1976. H W Richardson Group was subsequently formed in 1982. The company employs 50 sta and runs a leet of 40 trucks, predominantly Mack’s and Hino’s, from lighter trucks to 600 horsepower Mack Superliners. Vehicle operations manager Roy Agnew says there is a sense of prestige in belonging to a company which has created a great reputation based on a long legacy, but Southern Transport’s real success is based on building lasting relationships that help grow client’s business’. “This has been the foundation to our success and still continues to this day.” An example of this commitment is the work the company does for Invercargill irm Prime Range Fresh. Southern Transport has two dedicated refrigerated units to transport frozen meat year round from Prime Range Fresh’s processing plant to South Port’s cold storage facility in Blu . Having a modern, well-maintained, well presented leet that always looks sharp is also a part of Southern Transport’s ethos, Roy says. “It’s all part of Bill Richardson’s legacy and being one of the founding companies for H W Richardson Group. “We have many very good clients and professional drivers that are dedicated to maintaining high standards of service and strive to do a very good job and to do it safely.” Southern Transport employs highly comprehensive health and safety procedures that not only provides a safe way of operating, but also manages the risks associated within the tasks and controls that are involved to assist them in completing jobs safely and e iciently. Regular training is provided by HWR’s driver trainers to all sta and operators to ensure they stay at the top of their profession while the company also provides regular competency-based training within their specialty. Pride and professionalism Red meat processor Prime Range is a major employer in Invercargill that recognises its staff as one of its greatest assets, manager Brent Crawford says. The company employs 190 staff and, somewhat surprisingly in today’s employment economy and severe labour crisis, has very few vacancies needing to be filled. “We are certainly not complacent with it, we’ve got to be conscious we are looking after the staff we’ve got, the key thing is to hold the staff. We’re in a fortunate situation at the moment, but that can change very quickly. We have a family culture that has been around for over 100 years.” Prime Range processes lamb, mutton, beef and bobby calf veal for domestic and export markets, as well as operating a wholesale and retail arm, including an online business. Its plant operates year-round except during the Christmas and Easter holiday periods and it is part of its culture to not operate on Saturday’s, while it also only operates a day shift only. “It’s about well-being and obviously health and safety which is paramount. We made the decision four years ago not to work any Saturday’s, aside from the veal season and aside from the month of August.” A driver behind the decision was that the strenuous, repetitive nature of the work could take it’s toll over six days and that sufficient rest days are imperative, Brent says. “The benefits that we’ve seen are that we’ve got a reasonably stable workforce now; currently we are looking for maybe two or three staff members. The absentee rate has reduced significantly and reported accidents have reduced significantly.” Sufficient down-time is not only important for process workers, but also for supervisors and managers who make better decisions when they are mentally sharp, Brent says. “These days your employees shouldn’t be viewed as a cost, they should be viewed as a valuable asset and that’s the way we like to try and view it.”
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