64 | Williams Hoist & Haul CONTRACTING www.eckford.co.nz 1 Auckland Street, Blenheim . Phone: 03 578 3002 STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING: Steel Fabrication · House Beams Galvanised Brick Lintels · Winery Catwalks and Platforms Proud to support Williams Hoist & Haul Limited CrediFlex FINANCING NEW ZEALAND BUSINESS crediflex.co.nz Commercial Finance brokers helping with finance solutions for the transport industry for over 20 years. No load too big or too heavy The five-axle MTE vessel trailer allows the business to tackle loads where dimensions can present a greater challenge than weight. T T Russell Fredric Oversized tanks, machinery, boats and other difficult loads require specialist equipment, with Williams Hoist & Haul combining lifting, transport and recovery capabilities from its Blenheim base. Owned by Ian Williams, the company operates three Kenworth tractor units alongside four- and five-axle vessel trailers, transporters for machinery, trombone trailers for long loads, quad trailers for heavy loads, hi-ab trucks and small cranes. Its five-axle MTE (Modern Transport Engineers) vessel trailer can lower close to ground level, raise loads about 1.2 metres, widen from 1.8 metres to 4.5 metres and extend from about 11 metres to nearly 20 metres. This equipment allows the business to tackle loads where dimensions can present a greater challenge than weight. Wine tanks, for example, can range from about 3.5 metres to 5.8 metres in diameter and from eight or nine metres to 14 or 15 metres long. The company’s work extends well beyond winery equipment. Williams Hoist & Haul transports pre-cut frames and trusses, undertakes crane and transport work for the salmon industry, and moves steel buoys built locally for export to Christmas Island. Other marine work includes transporting locally built boats, including vessels built for use in the Pacific. Small cranes can work between vineyard rows to erect frost fans, while vehicle recovery adds another dimension, including lifting vehicles that cannot be recovered using conventional recovery trucks. Diversification has become increasingly necessary as the Marlborough wine industry has changed. The business has transported about 18 large tanks from a closed winery near Auckland to Waipara. “There’s a lot of smaller wineries that’ll buy second-hand gear or tanks and winery machinery, because it’s obviously more competitive for them with the dollar value than buying new,” says Ian. “There’s a lot of smaller wineries that’ll buy second-hand gear or tanks and winery machinery, because it’s obviously more competitive for them....” The company’s ability to handle varied work is underpinned by certification and training. Equipment, cranes and lifting gear are checked annually, the business has four certified pilots for over-dimensional loads, and staff members hold NZQA qualifications covering rigging, dogman, hi-ab and crane operations, heavy haulage and overweight bridge crossings. “We pretty much try and do absolutely everything that we possibly can.” Ian started the business in 2006 after a local tank builder suggested he invest in a better silo trailer. He found a hydraulic MTE trailer in the North Island that could widen and extend, then began transporting wine and dairy tanks. The timing proved significant. Following the Kaikōura earthquake, damaged tanks and winery infrastructure created a surge in work, with Ian moving more than 400 tanks from one winery during the first year after the earthquake. From its original truck-and-trailer setup, the company has evolved into a fully staffed business with a broader fleet and range of services, with diversification being essential as the local wine sector has contracted, and new work helping keep the equipment and staff busy. For Ian, having a can-do attitude and offering top-level customer service has always been the backbone of the business. “If a phone rings and somebody wants something done, we’ll do our utmost to do it. You have to, because otherwise we wouldn’t be here.”
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