Business Rural / Autumn 2014
RURAL SERVICES: Southern Trenching & Excavating
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Ben and Melissa Brunell have diversified and developed the trenching and excavating business they established in 2010. Ben Brunell spends time with and son Harry (below).
Water seen as catalyst Sue Russell Ben and Melissa Brunell have enjoyed a busy few years as they have developed grown and diversified the trenching and excavating business they established in 2010. The company, based near Winton in Southland, has grown as opportunities have been seized to expand its services. The decision to buy SAS Contractors has seen staff numbers increase to 12 and life to busier than ever. “There have been challenges jumping from four staff to 12,� says Ben Brunell. “It has really helped that the staff from SAS came with me, so really very little changed for them. They carry a wealth of experience.� When Southern Trenching and Excavating was formed, there was a period when things were tight because of a drop in the dairy pay-out from $8 to $5 that year. Work was booked for two or three weeks in advance. Now the firm has projects booked for several months. While traditionally the company’s core rural work involved putting in stock water and effluent systems, of late it has done some significant irrigation projects over the summer. “The irrigation work has been great to get into,�
says Burnell. “We put in irrigation at Southland Federated Farmers president Russell McPherson’s farm at Hillend. Another job, installing a big k-Line system at Clydevale, took us five weeks to do.� Brunell can sense that water is going to become more and more important, not only when farms convert to dairy but also for the traditional beefand-sheep farms. Given this, he’s starting to weigh up whether it’s the right time to extend his fleet of diggers. At a cost of $150,000, it is a big financial commitment. For the first time Southern Trenching and Excavating exhibited at the South Island Field Days, based in early February. SAS Contractors had a history of exhibiting and he decided it was prudent to continue. It’s a decision he didn’t regret. “We got 35 good enquiries and, if half of them end up being jobs, that will be great.� Employing casual and on-call staff has also gone really well. Brunell used Recruitment Enterprises to handled the process, take care of ACC and employer obligations, and vet potential workers for him to interview. “I certainly think that’s the way to get skilled staff to use when we’re very busy. It’s the nature of our business that skilled labour units are needed at short notice.� Melissa and Ben married two years ago, but have been together for 11 years. Their son, Harry,
is a year old in late March and Brunell is careful to make sure he puts aside space for family time. “Since the end of last summer, I haven’t really been on the machinery. I’ve become a bit of a floater and I always go on to the site when a job begins. It means I’m travelling 1500–2000 kilometres a week getting around all the sites.� He is keen to extend the company’s services to include all the processes involved with installing centre-pivot systems. He also has a GPS systems development company, Trimble, assessing the idea of mounting GPS units that will give him and clients precise and detailed information as to where the buried joiners are located. “It’s a hand-held machine, and using it will make a huge difference for us, especially when it comes to returning to a farm to extend the irrigation system,� he says
TCT AG TRENCHER
PARTS
TPL TRENCHER
WaterForce and Southern Trenching & Excavation A great locally-owned partnership working together to provide you with a system that works
Irrigation Systems | Pumping & Filtration Effluent Dispersal | Water Management Winton 03 236 9805 | www.waterforce.co.nz | 0800 436 723
Proud to be associated with Southern Trenching & Excavating Ltd Steven McDowall Phone
Mobile
03 236 8065
027 220 1609
Address
workshopwinton@xtra.co.nz
290 Great North Rd, Winton
TCT AG has been designed specifically for land drainage & irrigation. It is used by farmers, orchardist and contractors in drainage & irrigation.
We are suppliers of trenching units, components and parts for most makes and models.
TPL – Built for contractors, easily attached and removed. Strong and powerful trencher.
trenchitnz@xtra.co.nz
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TylerJohnston Engineering
Mobile Engineer and a work Shop in Winton Mobile 027 4 TYLER 1 After Hours 03 236 1012 13 Montgomery Street Winton O ers 24/7 services Ticketed Welder 4711