Since the tighter regulations around building safety were introduced a few years ago, one Paraparaumu-based business has seen its turnover more than double in two years.
Tony Lincoln started Safe Scaffolding in 2003 with two young workers and one truck, and now he has 21 members of staff and six trucks according to The Dominion Post.
Lincoln says he saw a gap in the local market while running his plastering business, and when he launched the business a new German-engineered scaffolding product became available which made the process easier.
“Its a strong system that clips together,” says Lincoln. “Its a bit like a Meccano set.”
“The equipment is heavy. Sometimes the guys have to carry it up 165 steps on some of Wellington’s steep hills. It is a really hard physical game. The young fellas have been wonderful, that is the key to the whole thing.
Lincoln told The Dominion Post that at first he mainly operated in the Kapiti region but realised there was a demand in Wellington, so he started providing scaffolding for builders and painters in the capital city and Porirua.
“The demand has just kept growing. We are flat out.”
Stricter building regulations around safety have boosted the company turnover. In the past few years it has increased by 60% a year.
Although 75% of the company’s business is Wellington based, workers will travel as far as Palmerston North and the Wairarapa for some jobs.
