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NZ Dairy
Left and right: Reid & Harrison has established a fabrication department at Matamata. Centre: A Yardmaster® press separator (one of Reid & Harrison’s acquired products) alongside one of the Matanatabased company’s floating frame with pump and stirrer.
Acquisiton broadens pumping product range Liquid and solid slurry pumping specialists Reid & Harrison have undergone dramatic growth over the last few months. The Matamata firm recently acquired Whangarei-based Industrial Stainless & Design (ISD), which has added a comprehensive range of quality separation and stainless steel products to its well-regarded Yardmaster range of pumps, stirrers and associated products. “The acquisition is allowing us to provide a complete solution for our customers’ effluent or slurry needs. We already have a great pump and stirrer range, now we can offer separators designed and built with the same level of quality and reliability as our Yardmaster products. The entire range is fully supported by our team’s expert backup and service,” says chief executive Keith Cooke, who joined the management team in February in a newly created position. Also in February the firm and its sister company Reid & Harrison Engineering moved into new manufacturing facilities in Waihou Street which are ten times the size of its old
plant. ”The growth of the company was always planned to happen both organically, and through acquisition,” he says. Reid & Harrison’s separator range now includes the original Yardmaster YS200 and YS300 models along with the newly acquired Press, Rotary Drum, Static Screen and Centrifier separators from ISD. Cooke says the ISD operation is being fully integrated into Reid & Harrison’s Matamata site, with five of its staff taking up permanent or temporary contracts. “We’re lucky to have four manufacturing staff and one Christchurch-based salesperson join the team from ISD. Their specialist knowledge about these innovative products is extremely valuable.” For more than 50 years Reid & Harrison has designed and manufactured quality pumping solutions for liquid and solid slurries. Bob Dalley took over directorship of the company in 1980 after working for it for 20 years and having significant input into the development of the
original Yardmaster pump. His son Seaton Dalley joined as co-director in 1993 and with Cooke’s appointment has been able to refocus his efforts on customer contact and product development. All of Reid & Harrison products are sold through a nationwide dealer network. “We support the dealers with supply chain management, customisation of products or any core issues. In October we had our first dealers’ conference and are moving towards a Certified Dealer model, where the majority of representatives of the Yardmaster products are fully trained to sell and support the brand.” Cooke says the agricultural sector currently accounts for around 90 percent of Reid & Harrison’s business, with the new effluent regulations driving a significant amount of new business. “Effluent is a hot topic in all the dairy magazines and there is a lot of interest at specialist events such as shows and field days. Managing and recycling water is becoming
another big issue. It makes sense for us to grow our capability to meet the current market demands.” However the firm’s products are not limited to the agricultural sector. They are used in a range of other applications by industries including food processing, chemical plants, quarries and mines, sawmills, wool scourers, and sewage treatment plants. Reid & Harrison has recently picked up a Fonterra food products contract through the acquisition of ISD. “We hope other opportunities with come out of the stainless steel business, particularly in the food industry.” Cooke says Reid & Harrison has lots of new developments in the pipeline. “We have several new ideas and products to introduce under the Yardmaster brand. However effluent is our core business at the moment, and we will make sure we are doing everything we can to service this market before expanding too much into other areas.”