68 | nzdairy DAIRY SERVICES » DairyTech South From a man in a van to a Sue Russell Looking back on what can only be described as an amazing journey to date, spanning the last decade, Shane Simpson, Managing Director of Southland-based DairyTech South, says at times he can’t believe what has been achieved. “In the space of 10 years, it’s gone from me in a van to the size it is now, with a fleet of 20 service vehicles, covering all of Southland and I know its been built concentrating on consistently providing our clients with the best possible service.” Built on good old-fashioned honesty, and delivering to customers what they want on time, DairyTech South has cemented a strong place in the market, supplying milking parlour testing and repair work, carrying a substantial range of related products such as Read Milking Machines, Wetit Teat Sprayers, DTS Automation, Cow Manager, MilkTech ACR’s and Automation, REL Feed Systems, to name a few. Ross Aitken, manages the Workshop, Daniel Brough takes care of the Electrical department and Trish Matthews looks after the office, leaving Shane able to overview the day to day operation, engage with customers and plan work ahead. The business began as ‘Independent Milking Machine Testing Ltd’, but Shane soon discovered, with increasing demand for allied services to be offered to farmers, a change in name was necessary, to better describe the scope of work the business engages in. Hence, in 2014, DairyTech South was born. Today, the business operates from two bases – Winton and Gore, with the Winton branch operating 10 years. “We needed to have another base so we’re now very stragetically placed to cover all Southland and respond to customers in a very timely way. It is all part of striving to give customers the best service always.” Today, the business operates from two bases – Winton (top) and Gore. “In the space of 10 years, it’s gone from me in a van to the size it is now, with a fleet of 20 service vehicles, covering all of Southland and I know its been built concentrating on consistently providing our clients with the best possible service.” With a team of 26 full-time permanent employees, among this number are apprentices. In-house training is a strong element to the company’s culture, as new product innovations are continually entering the market. Shane says while having industry knowledge is beneficial on employment, the key quality he is looking for in his team is the right attitude, to work well in a team situation and have passion to deliver the best possible outcomes to clients. “It’s critical that we remain absolutely up to date with latest technologies. Often, our clients turn to us for advice and we take this responsibility seriously, offering a range of opinions on the best course forward for them to consider.” Asked how the dairy sector is generally down South, Shane says its been quieter of late, as demand for new dairy parlours has levelled off. Gone are the boom days of serious farm conversions to dairy, so the bulk of the work these days is in maintaining equipment and upgrading or replacing existing plant. Ahead is a major new build, a 60 bail rotary at Riversdale, between Gore and Lumsden. Shane does acknowledge that the company’s growth took him somewhat by surprise and he’s enormously proud of what he and the team have achieved in a relatively short period of time. Traditionally January and February are the quieter months, but this is balanced with a huge jump in hours put in by staff once herds have dried off. Among the services the business supplies are electricians, plumbers and milking technicians. “We also pick up the phone when it rings and react when a farmer needs our immediate attention.” Living just south of Winton, Shane shares his time at both branches, ensuring the team have what they need to deliver milking shed solutions. “I’m really happy with our size and scale now and our reputation speaks for itself. It’s what has grown the company to the size it is today.” Proudly supporting DairyTech South Ltd over
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