| 65 T T Sue Russell Energy industry the main focus now The bulk of Stack Electrical’s work is in the oil and gas sectors. Stack Electrical CONTRACTING Enjoying its 40th year in business, Stack Electrical is a multi-generational company, today overseen by David Stack, son of founders Allan and Judy. Stack Electrical has branches in Wellington and, more recently, Invercargill, with its head office in Christchurch. Today, it employs 25 electricians, apprentices and administration staff, and offers an extensive array of services across commercial and industrial, along with hazardous areas, compliance/audits and inspections. David is based at the head office and says the business has been successfully operating in Wellington for a decade with an experienced team based in Petone, servicing that region. Today, five staff members work in this branch. “We also had been working a lot in Invercargill so decided just last year to establish a branch there. It’s just in its early days,” says David. The bulk of Stack Electrical’s work is in the oil and gas sectors. Choosing to concentrate on commercial, industrial and hazardous area electrical works, the company no longer services the residential space. “We’re industry leaders in hazardous areas and have long-standing working relationships with energy industry giants such as Exxon Mobil, Z Energy and BP, to name just a few. We bring huge experience to the table for them with new installations, ongoing inspections and maintenance,” David says. New employees are professionally developed through an intensive programme in the hazardous environment space, which, David says, can take up to two years. A focus for David on a day-to-day basis is in compliance, strategic planning, business development and pricing projects for clients. Christchurch and Wellington branches each have an operations manager overseeing the daily works operations. “Each of our clients operates their own health and safety systems we’re required to work to when on their site, so it can often be quite involved.” One service that sets Stack Electrical apart is the ability to deliver turnkey electrical projects. “We can offer our clients complete turnkey electrical solutions, meaning we handle all aspects of the project, from planning and design through to installation and testing, ensuring the system is ready to use and meets all necessary standards. “We make the process as straightforward as possible, taking care of the details their clients don’t have to with ongoing support and maintenance, to ensure everything runs smoothly, tailored to your specific needs.” While acknowledging much of their critically important work goes unnoticed in the public’s mind, sometimes an exciting and ground-breaking project crosses the desk, such as the Lyttelton Bitumen Tank LB11 project for client, Road Science. The project involved supplying the works to repurpose an oil tank for transition to bitumen storage. With a capacity of 5M litres, this was the largest electrically heated bitumen tank in Australasia. Work included building and installing a new switchboard and control cabinets, installation of new mains to site, an upgrade of the street transformer kiosk, control work and heating elements. “We were responsible for the full commissioning and successful handover of this project to the Road Science team and it went very well - quite exciting to be involved in such a ground-breaking project, which has substantially increased the client’s bitumen storage capacity.” Asked how the 40 years in business was celebrated within the company, David says the candles were blown out at a big party where suppliers, clients and staff alike enjoyed themselves at Christchurch’s Milton Street substation, an old substation converted into a hospitality venue. “We’re also very proud of our track record with sponsorship in the community. “We support a couple of cricket clubs, football and the brain injury trust, among others.” While 2023 was a year David describes as ‘flat-out’, he says 2024 has offered the teams a bit of breathing room. He says a recent development in the company’s structure is in bringing in one of the existing team members to take up the health and safety reins. “This will allow me to dedicate more time to client relations, strategic planning, and business development, all of which are essential for driving the company’s growth. “Additionally, it will enable me to focus more on hydrogen installation training, ensuring we stay at the forefront of this emerging field, so we can continue to deliver quality, innovative solutions to our clients.”
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