P U B L I S H E R ’ S D E S K
ONE OF A KIND, BIG INVESTMENT AND
SOUTHMACH THE AUTOMATIC CHOICE
“It’s given us that headspace to be able to take on
more work and get ahead of where we were. We
couldn’t keep up with it as we were,” Paul Jessup,
ceo of Metco Engineering told me this month.
He was talking of the newly-installed and very-impressive
end-to-end Trumpf set up the Wellington
engineering business has. Two laser cutters book
end a sheetmetal storage tower that can hold 51
pallets of 3 tonne each. It’s all automatic with a
robotic picker.
Technology has given Metco the ability to do
more… or as Mr Jessup says, initially, get ahead of
the 8-Ball. The capacities are stunning… over the
course of a weekend the machinery can process
some 100 tons. And, if that wasn’t enough, the new
machinery means capacity has increased by 20
times.
Immense, and a significant investment but the
doors for ‘more’ have been well and truly opened at
Metco.
Auckland’s Stainless Engineering, headed by
managing director, Leanne Morris, has also made
significant investment in the 40-year-old business.
They’ve put in a JFY new TFC-3015S (3kW) CNC
laser cutting machine, which joins a JFY press
brake.
“We didn’t have a laser cutter so whatever we
did next we wanted to make sure it was the right
thing for us to do long term and future-proof the
company,” Leanne told me. Future proofing seems
to be a current trend and the number of engineering
workshops doing just that are on the rise.
“We had always outsourced. And that’s worked
fantastic for us over the years… but it came down
to we are a stainless steel fabricator and this is
fundamental to our process.”
You can read about both company’s in this issue of
NZ Engineering News… pages 16 and 44, respectively.
And if you’re on the market for new machinery,
there’s also an interesting piece by One Finance
and Insurance’s Shaun Nicholson on page 47. His
article, “Financing the machines: The changing Kiwi
landscape” gives significant insight into the historic
landscape and how and why it has changed.
With machines going into plenty of workshops
throughout the country, it’s a busy time for the
engineering and manufacturing industries. It’s also
an exciting time, particularly as the industry is set
to come together for the bi-annual SouthMACH
industry trade show.
Show organiser XPO has been working tirelessly
on this event, and it has geared up some great
innovations and attractions for the May show.
“The Entrepreneur’s Development Hub fosters the
growth of our future manufacturing technology
businesses, introduces them to the marketplace and
facilitates networks for commercial success,” Aad
van der Poel, event manager, says.
It’s just part of a huge array of happenings… and
I’m sure many of you have already booked your
flights and accommodation for the South Island and
Christchurch event.
We’re coming in force with four staff dedicated to
the show.
See you there.
Greg Robertson
Publisher
SEE THE NEW
AUTOMATED METCO
MACHINE ON PAGE 16
www.engineeringnews.co.nz 3
/www.engineeringnews.co.nz
