S megasite opens in Otahuhu
Steel & Tube has unveiled its Auckland megasite to customers at an official opening by Prime Minister John Key.
John Key and CEO Dave Taylor at the Savill Drive opening
The Prime Minister joined S’s CEO Dave Taylor and Processing GM Roger O’Neill, to tour the purpose-built facility which houses S’s reinforcing and wire processing operations.
They viewed demonstrations of its latest reinforcing mesh, shearline and off-coil machines, along with the AWM fusion
welding machine used to manufacture 120,000 straight and radial reinforcing cages for the 24,000 concrete tunnel
segments used in Auckland’s iconic Waterview Connection project.
The 10,000 square-metre building at Savill Drive is roughly the size of two football fields. It has been designed to
ensure maximum use of floor space: plant and storage areas have been sited with careful consideration of the logistics
of the manufacturing process.
Dave Taylor told customers: “The effort required to bring these new ways of working to fruition at Savill Drive has been
significant. Planning and preparation began almost three years ago and the resulting site is tangible evidence of our
aims to realise a range of operational efficiencies that ultimately benefit our customers.”
Processing features at the site include the latest model EVG mesh welder, imported from Austria. “This is an exciting
addition to our North Island operations,” says Roger O’Neill. “It allows us to expand our present mesh range by
including the seismic and specialist construction meshes that could previously only be produced at our Christchurch
facility.”
Other features include:
• A new shearline system with advanced rebar shearing capability provides a faster cutting process while
generating less scrap
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• A new off-coil line with the ability to load processing instructions via bar code
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• Automatic double-ended hands-free bending line. Bar coding reduces processing and handling time making
operations safer, more streamlined and error-free
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Roger O’Neill adds: “All of these machines run on smart technology that allows daily production requirements to be
pre-programmed, enhancing our ability to meet a greater range of delivery commitments.”
Peter Anderson, S’s Manager Auckland Reinforcing and Northern Wire Processing, says layout of the site provides his team with
substantially enhanced processing capacity. “We have the ability to do so much more, so much faster than we have ever
done before. It’s among the most up-to-date facilities in the country.”
Ends