PREPARING FOR THE NEXT CYCLE
The mood is changing. After years of uncertainty, confidence is returning - enquiries are up, activity is picking up, and customers are talking about opportunities again.
The question isn't whether the market is improving. It's whether you're prepared for it.
Projects and partnerships matter more than ever. Most businesses are excellent at what they do, but complex capital projects - procurement, engineering, logistics, compliance - pull focus from core operations. What we consistently find is that the total cost is often similar whether you manage a project internally or bring in specialists. The difference is where your time goes.
Economics, not ideology, is driving electric.
Fuel is one of the biggest operating costs in our industry. Electric-drive machines are gaining traction because they frequently deliver higher tonnages and lower running costs. The environmental benefits are real - but for most operators, they're a bonus on top of a financial case that already stacks up.
Supply chains don't wait for you to be ready.
Supply chains can break fast. If demand keeps strengthening, the decisions you make today will determine where you sit six months from now.
The businesses that perform best in growth cycles aren't the fastest reactors. They're the earliest preparers.
Optimism without preparation is just exposure.
Hart General Manager
Bert
PROJECTS ON THE GO!
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Gain clarity on common industry questions
Click the QR code to watch the how to videos
TRT516 at Fulton Hogan Christchurch
S5 with Segregation Wheel
AFT Thompson - K4
Urban Quarry crushing concrete to 40mm
Cameron's Quarry K8e
HOW WINSTONE AGGREGATES GOT A WASH PLANT IN THE GROUND IN UNDER A MONTH
“We ran the numbers and quickly came to the conclusion it would be a really good business opportunity. It made a lot of sense.” - Craig Lee FROM STOCKPILE LIABILITY TO REVENUE STREAM:
Every quarry generates it. The scalp material off the primary crusher that piles up with limited sales potential. At Belmont Quarry in Wellington, Winstone Aggregates had been accumulating 40mm and 20mm minus material for years - a significant stockpile with very limited sales options. The question was what to do with it. “It’s a finite resource,” says Craig Lee, North and South Island Regional Manager for Winstone Aggregates. “How do we utilise that material as optimally as we can?”
The answer came partly by chance. Winstone had been brainstorming solutions when Craig and his team attended an Equip2 open day where a wash plant was being demonstrated. “We quickly thought that would be potentially a very good solution for our issue,” he says. Working together with the Equip2 team, they pulled together a business case. “Ran the numbers, and quickly came to the conclusion that it would be a really good business opportunity. It made a lot of sense.”
Understanding the Problem Before Picking Up a Pencil
Before any engineering begins, Equip2 spends time understanding the site, the material, and the commercial problem the client is trying to solve. For Winstone, the brief was clear: reprocess a growing liability stockpile through a wash plant to produce higher-value sand and chip. Getting that commercial logic established early meant the project never lost its purpose as the complexity grew.
Working Through the Detail
The high-level theory was relatively straightforward, as Craig puts it; “We have a wash plant. We can reprocess this material, take a lower value product into higher grade products.” But as always, the complexity was in the execution. Concrete foundations, water mains, electrical services, traffic flows, plant positioning - Craig describes it plainly as “quite a bit of devil in the detail.”
"That's where the Equip2 team did help - a lot of really good ideas," says Craig. "Having tilt slabs versus pouring concrete, good inputs around location for ease of traffic management, waterflows, electrical services."
Not just supplying equipment and stepping back - working through the site-specific decisions that determine whether a project runs smoothly or blows out.
“That’s where the Equip2 team really did help - a lot of really good ideas. Good inputs around where it could be located for ease of traffic management, water flows, electrical services."
“Within three weeks to a month from getting the purchase order - getting it in the ground and running. That’s a pretty good timeframe."
Owning It All the Way to the End
Craig is direct about where most quarry capital projects come unstuck. “You’ve always got lots of good opportunities, project ideas - but often the hard part is actually having the time and effort to solely focus on a key project. You have so many things coming at you: environmental, safety and normal business as usual.” Equip2’s Jeremy stepped in as dedicated project manager, handling subcontractors, suppliers, procurement, and the day-to-day admin - while keeping Winstones informed throughout.
“It just took a lot of the heavy lifting - the phone calls, the admin - off our plates,” Craig says. “Which allowed the project to get done, implemented a lot quicker than it would have if it was just us by ourselves.” Craig and his Quarry Manager stayed focused on day-to-day operations: fixed plant, extraction and processing - their actual job.
The result: from confirmed purchase order to an operational wash plant in under a month.
The Results
There are still a few things being optimised - water supply to the plant is chief among them - but Craig is clear on the early signs. “The trials we have run are looking really good. The sand quality is good. It’s a nice clean chip that we can reprocess through our fixed plant to shape up.” Full-time running is still being bedded in, but the fundamentals are sound.
For Winstone Aggregates, it’s a new revenue stream from material that had long been an operational footnote. For other operators sitting on similar problems, Craig’s take is practical: “Often companies are pretty thin and people are expected to wear lots of hats. If that’s the case, I’d highly encourage people to explore options - and if they think having someone else manage the whole process works, then yeah, I’d encourage people to explore that opportunity.”
That’s how Equip2 approaches processing plant projects - one team responsible for the whole job, from the initial conversation to a plant running in production.
Click here to watch the full interview
On the 22nd of May, the Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste sector gathered at Broken Hill Road, Porirua, for an exciting milestone: the official opening of a new C&D waste processing facility and a live Demo Day showcasing the full processing plant in action.
A Facility Built for the Future
The new facility, a partnership between Porirua City Council and WasteCo NZ, marks a significant step forward in tackling one of New Zealand's most pressing waste challenges. National landfill waste analysis shows that up to 70% of material sent to landfill comes from construction and demolition waste - a staggering figure with enormous potential for change.
By providing the industry with a practical alternative to landfill, the facility is designed to seed the development of a circular economy within the local construction sector. It will also create employment opportunities and open pathways for resource recovery that benefit the wider Wellington region. The project received support from the Waste Minimisation Fund, administered by the Ministry for the Environment, and counts Kāpiti Coast District Council and Hutt City Council among its regional partners - both councils committed to driving down C&D waste in their own communities.
The Plant in Full Flight
The Demo Day gave customers, and industry partners a rare opportunity to see the entire processing line running live. The Equip2 equipment on display represented a complete end-toend C&D processing solution:
• SHREDDER - primary size reduction of incoming construction and demolition material
• SCALPING SCREEN - separating material into coarse and fine fractions for further processing
• DENSITY SEPARATOR - dividing materials by weight to isolate recoverable resources
• PICKING STATION - enabling manual and assisted sorting of recovered materials
• KEESTRACK K5 WITH FLIP-FLOW SCREENhigh-performance screening of difficult, sticky, or wet materials.
Watching the full plant run together gave attendees a clear picture of just how much value can be recovered from what would otherwise end up in landfill.
What Comes Next
With the facility now open and operational, the focus turns to growing volumes, building industry relationships, and demonstrating the commercial and environmental case for C&D recycling at scale. For Equip2, this project is a strong
example of what's possible when the right equipment, the right partners, and the right ambition come together.
We look forward to seeing this facility grow and setting up more projects like it across New Zealand.
Click here to watch the Wrap up video.
THE RS15 WHEELED STACKER
A closer look at the features that make the RS15 one of the most versatile and cost-effective stacking solutions on the market today.
Click here to watch the Walkthrough
If you’re in the aggregates, mining, or bulk materials industry and you’re still relying on a loader to build your stockpiles, it might be time to reconsider. The RS15 wheeled stacker offers a smarter, more economical alternative - and the build quality speaks for itself.
Let’s walk through what makes this unit stand out.
Key specifications at a glance
Deep-trough feed boot
Standard across the range, the RS15 comes equipped with a deep-trough feed boot that significantly reduces material rollback during operation. It’s a small detail that makes a real difference in efficiency and clean-up time on site.
Electric or hydraulic - your choice
The RS15 is available in both electric drive and hydraulic drive configurations. The hydraulic version uses a cylinder to raise and lower the conveyor, with lift heights of up to 6.5 metres. The unit can also be run off an auxiliary plant - a screen or a crusher - making it a flexible addition to any existing setup.
A stacker is considerably cheaper to operate than a wheel loader for building stockpiles, offering meaningful savings on fuel and labour costs over time.
Radial stacking capability
One of the most useful features of the RS15 is its ability to convert into a radial stacker. The base remains static while the wheel hubs rotate, allowing the conveyor to arc around and create a fan-shaped stockpile. Once one pile is complete, you simply swing the unit around to start the next - no repositioning of the base required.
Robust frame design
The frame is constructed from 8mm thick steel with a design that actively minimises twisting along the conveyor length. Access to the rollers is straightforward, making routine maintenance and replacements quick and simple. Underneath the belt, a wiper blade keeps the belt’s underside cleanpreventing stone and debris from wrapping around the tail pulley, a common source of downtime on lesser-built units.
Designed for transport and export
When it comes to moving the RS15, the unit folds down to approximately 70% of its operating length - reducing to a transport length of 12 metres. In some regions, units can even be towed by truck directly to site.
For export, the shipping story is just as tidy: four units fit into a single container, rolling out as a cassette ready to unfold and commission. That’s exceptional value per container for distributors and resellers.
Interested in adding the RS15 to your Processing Site? Get in touch with the team at Equip2 to discuss pricing, availability, and dealer options.
EX-DEMO MCCLOSKEY S130 RINSER
Hours: 200 +/-
· 13’ x 5’ Triple-Deck Rinser Screenbox
· Integrated Spray Bars on all decks
· Diesel-Hydraulic Drive (CAT engine)
· Heavy-Duty Hopper with controlled feed
Asking Price:
$520,000 NZD + GST
KEESTRACK R5H
Hours: 7,000 +/-
· Punch plates topdeck prescreen
· Prescreen bottomdeck woven mesh
· Magnet overband
· Cummins engine
· 10 Function radio remote control
Asking Price:
$575,000 NZD + GST
KEESTRACK I4E
Hours: 2,800 +/-
· Reversable Impactor
· Post Screen
· Returns Belt
· Fully Electric
Asking Price:
$1,390,000 NZD + GST
BARFORD SM312 SCREENER
· Power unit: CAT 2.2 37kw
· Screen box on coil springs
· Head motor on conveyor 400cc
· 27CC Pump
Asking Price:
$97,000 NZD + GST
KEESTRACK B3
Hours: 1,880 +/-
· Punch plate top deck pre-screen 40mm
· 3-section folding side belt conveyor
· Toothed jaw plates 18Mn2Cr, reversible
· Radio remote control, 10 functions
Asking Price:
$530,000 NZD + GST
MWS CSP120
Hours: 6,500 +/-
· 660 Cyclone
· 12x5 Dewatering Screen
· 200/150 Pump
· Electrical Cabinet
Asking Price:
$159,000 NZD + GST