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Company Profile
CENTRAL GROUP LOOKING AT A BRIGHT FUTURE IN ELECTRIC MACHINERY
Over the last few years, we’ve been seeing an increasing number of companies looking to reduce their carbon footprint, reduce their operational costs and make efforts to improve working environments for their staff and employees.
THESE ARE THREE leading factors when it came to our choice to invest in lithium-ion and battery electric machinery technology. With customers in forklifts and material handling already in a position to choose from many options, we are looking forward to what the next generation of this means for the light commercial and construction industry. With Wacker Neuson and Takeuchi making some inroads with this gear and Heli forklifts already well established on their path to supply, providing parts, and sharing information to keep this gear well maintained, it’s an interesting space to keep an eye on. The team have been getting great feedback on the lithium-ion and electric options we have managed to get into our rental, owned, and managed fleets. The overwhelming benefit our customers are seeing off the bat is the improvement to workplace noise levels have been reduced dramatically with engine noise gone and zero fumes from lithium-ion machines. The following feedback we get is about the reduced operating costs with no need for these machines to have additional onsite fuel stores or gas supplies they are starting to see the long-term benefits of going electric. As Central Group has been growing and expanding our business groups and dealer networks, we have seen many of these benefits go from local to national as the 1 or 2 machine tests turn into fleet upgrades and replacement machines are increasingly becoming electric. This only helps to multiply the benefits of this new and evolving technology and helps it gain momentum. With growth and development comes knowledge and understanding – no one in our team knows this better than Dean Meyer. Dean has been with us since the first machines started arriving and have been hands-on with getting to know how electric technology/machinery is being put together. He is doing this so that in the long run we know how to keep it running and well maintained without having to rely on overseas experts. We’ve seen a range of small tweaks and changes coming though as the suppliers make changes to designs and adapt to real-world problems these machines encounter, improving with each new generation.
Concerned with the global supply shortages and shipping delays? Our Directors Steve Mackay, Des Walsh, and Wayne Ross have seen this hitting almost every supplier, so we’ve been proactively locking in and ordering ahead with suppliers to maintain reliable unit delivery of commonly needed machines. But realistically there have been some suppliers of suppliers who are starting to see raw material supply issues taking a toll. There has been a range of approaches we’ve seen from suppliers from simplifying standard specs and opening new production facilities. It looks like time will tell which strategy will be the best approach. HIANZ, the Central Group of companies and its’ connected businesses have been serving New Zealand and the hire and rental companies throughout NZ for many years. Most customers and suppliers will know us by our direct-to-customer and supplier businesses Central Group Forklifts and Trucks, NZEG (New Zealand Equipment Group), or Fowlers Machinery. These units have helped us secure strong relationships with our customers in delivering quality machinery and backing it up with great supply and knowledge for servicing and parts to keep the gear running. Behind the scenes, well not quite behind the scenes our team have been working with brands including Heli Forklifts, Takeuchi, Wacker Neuson, Hyundai Trucks, UD Trucks, Junghenrick, and TCM/Unicarrier. These brands are some of the best material handling machines. ■
Manufacturers of quality water tankers and aluminium vacuum tanks for the liquid waste industry
We manufacture from 1,000 litres to 20,000 litre tankers to your requirements.
For all inquiries please contact: Wayne 021575547 wayne@alloyindustries.co.nz
