| 113 nzdairy for NZMPTA DAIRY SERVICES » Cowley Electrical Dairy & Pumps water, machinery supply, installation and maintenance, it has been hard to get those tradespeople’s skills formally acknowledged,” Brian said. “It had got right down to a demarcation question with plumbers and electrical technicians. “Of course, the client could do the work for themselves, but if they employed anyone, the interpretation of the rule was that that person had to be a quali ed tradie. “We have nally got of cial recognition that these things can be done by a ‘suitably quali ed person’, which will simpli es the process and ease our customers’ costs.” The apprenticeship includes two layers – one year for common engineering – before it splits into two options for milking machine technicians or water technicians. “We have 90-odd apprentices on the books now, including one guy who has just nished the milking one and he’s already started the water apprenticeship,” Brian said. “It gives people options because not all companies offer both. It’s taking shape and it is making a groundswell of difference simply by legitimising their work skills.” Exceptional quali cation Farm Supplies Central also includes a team member that takes things to the next level. Richard Washington is one of only six in New Zealand to carry an advanced certi cation from the NZMPTA in dairy diagnostics, milking machine testing, mastitis, and milk quality advise. “When you have a high Somatic Cell Count, often the rst thing the vet will say is that it is the milking machines,” Brian says. “By creating a quali cation that encompasses animal health as well, Richard can stand in the pit with the vet and talk the same language, but with more knowledge about the milking machines. That helps everyone.” Richard is part of an overall team of 14 at Farm Supplies Central Ltd, who work with most of the industry’s main dairy brands, and who also offer an “anytime service”. Brian and Sue have been proud to recently bring one of their sons, Brice, into a partnership role in the business after his own busy career working in New Zealand and Australia. Their other son, Grant, was working in international installations for dairy juggernaut GEA before Covid-19 hit. He has now settled into another engineering role. Farm Supplies Central install 95 percent of what it sells. “That’s the guts of the business and people have faith in us to make it work,” Brian says. “We’ve seen a lot of companies come and go in our time. But the locals have backed us all the way, and it’s a bloody good feeling.” While he’s on the subject of water, Brian rmly believes the three waters reform programme is necessary. “It is a new opportunity,” he said. “These councils have got to realise it’s a 180-billion-dollar upgrade that is needed and the councils and ratepayers are never going to be able to afford to do it. The government is using the ‘Golden Rule, ‘He who pays the gold, makes the rules’, so it needs to take charge to make sure that the job is done right.” Local rugby is a passion Back at the local level, Farm Supplies Central has sponsored Te Kawau junior rugby since 2007. The club used to have around 60 junior players, and this year it boasts 195 potential All Blacks in the making. It’s another thing that Brian is justi ably proud to be a part of in his own back yard. He says, “We did it with the aim of building real club mentality from the ground up, and it’s been great to be part of it.” We’ve just spent a lot of money changing the New Zealand Milking Machine Standards – which continue to be higher than Europe’s standards.” Company’s resolve to retain staff rewarded Some members of the CEDP team from its three branches at a shed opening on the Taieri last year. Russell Fredric “A lot of people were looking at putting staff off, but we were looking at the goal posts we had set for ourselves, at the bigger picture. It wasn’t easy, but we feel pretty good about going ahead with it now.” Staying focused on the needs of customers and staff through economic ups and downs is a point of pride for the directors of Cowley Electrical Dairy & Pumps (CEDP). The company formed in 2016 bringing together two strong businesses, Dairy and Pumps based in Gore and Cowley Electrical based in Balclutha. It now has three branches across Otago and Southland, the newest being in Allanton. A key to the company’s growth has been the complementary skills of its managing directors Ken and Phil Shields based in Gore and Jared Cowley based in Balclutha. These three cover the eld of business, farm experience and trade skills that are needed to help guide their team. Each branch has experienced tradesmen who are supported by a retail store and workshop supplying and servicing trusted brands. Ken says while it hasn’t always been easy, especially during the covid pandemic and the dairy pay-out crash of 2014/15, their resolve to retain staff has proved successful in the stability of the company’s now 34-strong workforce. This in turn has bene ted customers through CEDP’s ability to retain its skill base and to continue to maintain high standards of service and workmanship, which Ken regards as cornerstone of the business. “A successful business has good staff all the way through it,” Ken says. This has also enabled the team to provide continuity of a comprehensive range of services which includes turn-key dairy shed builds and industrial construction projects and contracts, electrical, refrigeration, ef uent systems, pumps, general engineering, and reticulation design and installation. “The goal all along has been to build a onestop-shop that covers all the aspects of what we’re doing. I’m pretty proud of the work we do.” In the face of the 2020 lockdowns and uncertainty due to the global pandemic, CEDP continued with their plans to open the new Allanton branch, which covers the Taieri region. “A lot of people were looking at putting staff off, but we were looking at the goal posts we had set for ourselves, at the bigger picture. It wasn’t easy, but we feel pretty good about going ahead with it now. It has a branch manager, electrician, engineer and an administrator based there now and has gone from strength to strength over those 18 months.” • to page 114 Maclon is pleased to support Farm Supplies Central Ltd and proud to be a supplier of high quality water reticulation products. www.maclon.co.nz Reverse Cycle Water Chillers & Titanium Heat Exchangers Kiwis Supporting Kiwis for NZ Farming Conditions www.icecycle.co.nz Contact your local CEDP branch today Freephone 0508 786 772 www.cedp.co.nz BALCLUTHA | GORE | ALLANTON Domestic, Dairy & Industrial Electrical, Engineering, Pumps, Refrigeration
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