For A & G Price there has been no exception, 2021 has been a challenging year for businesses and families alike.
“Being a critical supplier to many of New Zealand’s core businesses, councils and government owned infrastructure operations… maintaining that continuous supply of components while keeping our staff and families safe has met with its challenges,” says Barry Ingle, sales manager at A & G Price.
He says that Covid-19 has changed the world and the way we all do business, with lockdown restrictions limiting the flow on skilled immigrants, fewer face-to-face and more internet-based meetings, videos and photos of broken equipment, long delays obtaining material and the seemingly never-ending price increases.
“These are some of the challenges the team at A & G Price has faced for the past 18 months. On the flip side, in engineering, the economy is very buoyant with a steady flow of orders and projects with more companies buying New Zealand-made.”
To meet these challenges and continue the company’s philosophy of efficient sustainability, A & G Price has installed a 1,000kg capacity induction furnace with one of the latest power efficient control units to complement our solar power generation. This investment will reduce melting times by 20% and electricity usage by 18%.
“This new furnace bridges the gap between our 500kg and 2,000kg furnaces and allows us to be efficient in this weight range and better able to react to urgent small jobs in a timely manner,” says Ingle.
“To support this improved capacity we have invested heavily in the pre purchase of foundry consumables, metal and alloys from around the world to help avoid the inevitable shipping delays everyone has been experiencing.”
While the decision was being made for the additional furnace, looking after the environment and staff wellbeing was also considered says Ingle.
“This came in the form of custom-made scrap metal bins which have significantly reduced the manual handling of scrap steel, a more efficient garnet recovery and dust extraction unit for the blast booth and another dust / fume extraction bag house with double the capacity of the existing units.”
Along with this rapid increase in orders, staff numbers have increased across all departments to 72 and with a training programme with six apprentices signed up to date and another one starting at the end of the year.
“A & G Price is committed to the ongoing development of versatile highly skilled trades people.
“Adapting to our client’s needs will no doubt see future upgrades to the plant but our core philosophy of being New Zealand’s premier one-stop shop for castings, fabrications, machining, assembly and painting will stay at the forefront of our decision making.”
To talk with the team at A & G Price about your future requirements contact Barry Ingle on +64 027 544 6780, Chevy de Bes on +64 027 303 1459 or A&G Price office direct 07 868 6060, alternatively Email: sales@agprice.co.nz or visit our Website: