From left: Simon Bridges, minister of energy and resources; Nicholas Tan, Caterpillar distribution strategy manager; Karl Smith, chief executive, Gough Group
Gough Group’s new $10 million purpose-built ‘component rebuild centre’ (CRC) has been officially opened by Simon Bridges, minister of energy and resources – with an emphasis on serving the expanding mining industry.
The new state-of-the-art CRC facility provides a controlled environment for the rebuild of engines, powertrain components, hydraulics and fuel injection equipment.
It is located at the company’s Christchurch headquarters, and Gough’s says it is positive news for the mining sector.
Karl Smith, group chief executive of the Gough Group, says the investment is one of the biggest in the firm’s 84-year history, and will ensure the heavy equipment market in New Zealand has access to a world-class facility.
“The leading edge environmental control technology of the building is matched by investment in new tooling – including a new engine dynameter, transmission test cell and fuel injector test cell – to enable Gough’s engineers and technicians to service the latest, most technologically-advanced Caterpillar equipment, especially, but not exclusively, for the mining industry.”
The new workshop is climate controlled with positive pressure which keeps the environment clean. High speed doors, an insulated roof and walls made of concrete tilt slab all combine to enhance the facility’s energy efficiency and help create a stable ambient environment inside.
Karl Smith says that Gough Group is mindful of the minister’s desire to ensure that mining remains a factor in helping to revitalise the Kiwi economy.
Mining contributes more than $1 billion to New Zealand’s GDP each year, generating over 7000 high-skilled, high-paid jobs – which extends to nearly 15,000 when the many indirect support service jobs are factored in.
“There is also a separate dis-assembly area to ensure the facility’s contamination control levels remain at the highest Caterpillar 5-star rating,” he says.
The new CRC facility has the capacity to strip and rebuild any variety of Caterpillar equipment and can carry out non-destructive crack testing of parts, dynameter testing of engines up to 3000 horsepower, dynameter testing of transmissions to Caterpillar 793 size, hydraulic pump testing and rebuilds of hydraulic pumps up to 150 horse power, rebuilds of hydraulic cylinders and a range of onsite monitoring.
The CRC took two years to plan, a further nine months to build and has a workshop floor of 80 metres by 21 metres, with three specialist sealed rooms and 20 overhead cranes.
“At present we have a staff of 16 in this section with a capacity to have 40 technicians working over a 24-hour period. We have already started recruiting for the facility and currently have four vacancies for technicians.
“The Gough Group is the largest employer of heavy diesel apprentices in New Zealand and this facility will work in closely with the apprenticeship scheme. We have 55 apprentices in our four-year course at present and are looking to take on 13 more in 2014.
“We have several adult apprentices in training and we are also upgrading a group of petrol technicians to become heavy-duty diesel technicians, an 18-month process,” says Smith.
