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April/may 2013 Volume 21: issue 4 www.wbn.co.nz
$20m expansion
keeps Sealed Air
ahead of market
Reading market
needs nationally
and around the
globe sets the
team at Sealed
Air, Te Rapa
ahead of the field.
By Mike Blake
n an exciting expansion
move, costing in
excess of $20 million
and involving planning and
designing a new plant as
well as upgrading existing
buildings, the company has
responded to the needs of
its customers in the growing
global dairying market.
Sector manager-ANZ
dairy John Dawson said:
“We saw the need for customer
security/retention and
realised that investment in
new technology would allow
Sealed Air to support clients’
growth, many of whom are
involved with dairy in the
local and more particularly
the international marketplace.
“And being in a very competitive
global market, this
investment gives us an edge,”
he said.
“While our research
and development team and
designers on site are thinking
globally and locally, a focus
has been on how to play to
New Zealand’s strengths in
the international dairy space.”
“With this investment we
have advanced our ability to
ON OFFICIAL opening day, visitors walk down the driveway in front of the new Sealed Air
multiwa l paper sack production facility at Te Rapa with renowned plastics man Bi l Foreman
centre front. – photo courtesy Rhys Palmer
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tailor-make solutions for that
market.”
“And our solutions fit
well,” said John.
“Our expansion project
is one of the largest capital
investments undertaken globally
by Sealed Air for 2013.
“New equipment brought in
from Germany enables us to
produce 25kg multi-wall bags
for packaging export milk
powder far more accurately
and efficiently than we currently
do.
“These are high performance
bags made to the
strictest hygiene demands of
our dairy export sector,” said
John. “We make and deliver
and the client fills and
exports.”
There is enough demand
for the 25kg bags in the New
Zealand market alone to keep
the new production line rolling
24/7, according to John.
The project began back
in 2011 under the expert
supervision of manufacturing
director, Hamilton-Rotorua,
John Hall.
INSIDE
Torpedo 7 has
Raynes Precinct
on the move at
Titanium Park
“Planning began in earnest
and in 2011 with conceptual
designs drawn up and
requests for proposals advertised
for the manufacture of
the facility.
“By the end of 2011 contracts
were in place and
groundwork had begun,” he
said. “Building progressed
through 2012 and was completed
in November, about six
months ahead of projections.”
“And it needed to be,
considering the volumes
Continued on page 5
(centre pages)
Frustrated TGH
boss says:
“Consider the
big picture”
By Mike Blake
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The group expanded, firstly adding two
scientific magazines, NZ Bioscience magazine
and NZ Laboratory News. Then New Zealand
Grey Power came to us with a proposition
to write, produce and print their national
magazine.
Having the title of ‘Group Editor’ bestowed
upon me meant these were all my ‘babies’.
Earlier I had been elected to the board of the
Waikato Chamber of Commerce. This was
a good move and under the leadership of
Dr Steven Saunders (Dr SAS) along with the
expertise of several board members elected
from professional organisations within the city,
the Chamber progressed. After a few years
Steven retired and it became my turn at the
helm. Thank goodness for a strong team on the
board and in the office. When I stood down,
some six to eight years later the board very
kindly honoured me with life membership.
R
ecent claims that there
has not been enough
consultation on Tainui
Group Holdings’ proposed
development at Ruakura
seem to have lost sight of
the bigger picture and TGH
CEO Mike Pohio is encouraging
people to take a step
back and consider the project
in its entirety.
More than half of a l freight
in New Zealand is today transported
between Hamilton,
Tauranga and Auckland.
“Current volumes will
double over the next 20 years
and the real issue is understanding
that there are significant
value-add opportunities
for Waikato in what is
being carried in trucks and
on trains,” said Mike. “There
is also the issue about how
we most efficiently deal with
what is coming at us.”
Ruakura has direct access
to the existing East Coast main
trunk railway which connects
Waikato and Bay of Plenty to
We lington and Auckland.
Simsey
TGH CEO Mike Pohio
The Waikato Expressway
wi l run alongside it which wi l
give a direct motorway link
into Auckland.
“That means Ruakura wi l
take a lot of that freight off
local roads,” said Mike.
“Value-add benefits from
the proposed Ruakura development
wi l be shared by many
people and organisations in
Waikato,” he said. “This project
has strong elements of
national benefit and it is certainly
hugely important regiona
ly.”
In total, the development is
estimated to a tract more than
$3 bi lion of direct investment,
Continued on page 39
Church Road
“
I felt I knew
the town and
many of the key
people making
it buzz.
Eileen and I are ‘semi-retired’ now and live in
a great spot at the rapidly forming Tamahere
Country Club. •