Grass roots engineering is one of our biggest strengths, and it’s something we’re proud of.
It’s the tricky stuff that has got us where we are today, because no one in our team would ever say ‘sorry, that’s outside of our capabilities’. We may not always be in the newspapers, because we don’t do the glamorous jobs, but we know that the work we do assists some of the biggest industries in New Zealand to continue doing what they do. And that’s important.
Our people are our biggest asset – and while we all have job titles, we prefer to just all muck in and get the job done. No matter what it takes.
Hutec is named after founder Jason Hughes (as in Hughes Technical) and began in 2012.
From there we’ve grown significantly, and now have two ‘base camps’ here in New Zealand – Kawerau and Whakatane.
But that doesn’t define us, as we can (and do) work nationwide, throughout Australia and into South East Asia.
Our core clients come from pulp & paper, energy (geothermal & hydro), wood products and processing, dairy and large industrial organisations. However no job is too small for our team, whose favourite past times include tinkering with machinery in their own sheds at home.
“At Hutec, our people do what they love, and our customers love what we do.
We take customers’ opportunities, problems, challenges and crises, and we sort them; we make difficult things simple and we do it all transparently.
There isn’t a secret formula for what we do: it’s that we have a talented and motivated team, backed by good planning, health and safety excellence and an appetite for plenty of hard work.
This isn’t a sales pitch, it’s the truth – plain and simple.”
I have a background in maintenance management, manufacturing and major refurbishment of mechanical machinery in industries throughout New Zealand, Australia and further abroad. I specialise in shut management, project and construction management and technical refurbishment, as well as providing technical support and strategic vision to the company. I have over 25 years’ experience in pulp and paper, geothermal and hydroelectric generation, wood products and processing.
Paul has over 40 years in the Maintenance industry and at Hutec is responsible for the Projects / Shuts, Design and Site Maintenance Teams. Paul has experience at all levels of industry from Apprentice Fitter and Turner to Maintenance Manager of a mid-sized Mechanical Pulp Mill. This career has given him many opportunities to work with some very talented maintenance professionals.
My focus is to ensure Hutec’s projects are delivered safely and to customers’ expectations. My passion is in critical-path technical work, including major shuts and projects. I have a background in machining, with over 20 years’ experience in industrial manufacturing, including seven years in workshop management. I also have experience in power generation, pulp and paper, wood products and processing and steam turbine inspection and refurbishment.
I am the New Business Development Manager. I investigate and develop new business opportunities, alongside liaising with new clients and maintaining relationships with our current clients.
I am an experienced Health and Safety Manager supporting our skilled Hutec team to maintain the highest standard of safety and compliance. With a background across supply chain and production management alongside post-graduate Health and Safety training, the practical aspects of maintaining a safe workplace are met with a thorough understanding of Occupational Safety and Health legislation. Practically problem solving alongside our team members and focusing on leading measures for Health and Safety is a key part of my role.
I am responsible for the process measurement, control systems, instrumentation and electrical services for Hutec’s customers, including the commissioning of various geothermal power plants and wood processing mills. I am a indentured Instrument Technician as well as a registered Electrician and have 30 years’ experience Honeywell, Rockwell, Bailey HMI, DCS and PLCs amongst others, and have industrial control experience in the pulp and paper and geothermal energy industries.
I am responsible for the planning and resource management of the day to day work as well as larger projects and shuts. I have over 10 years’ experience as a planner; in pulp and paper, power generation, mining and heavy industry (both in New Zealand and internationally) and am motivated by working within a highly skilled team to accomplish the successful completion of jobs and projects for Hutec’s customers.
Ngā mihi manahau ki a tātou katoa
Loyal, practical and supportive are some of the adjectives that describe my personality, and with 25+ years of administration experience, it was a natural fit for me to undertake the position of Project Administrator for Hutec. Primarily tasked with supporting the Project Manager’s, Planner and Health & Safety Manager with project administration, I am also passionate about Quality and technical documentation. My early work goals are the achievement of IANZ and ISO 9001 Quality accreditations for Hutec.
I am passionate about getting the best out of people, through careful planning and leading by example, to deliver on the client’s requirements. My focus is on site supervision and management of machining components; I am adept at developing innovative job methodologies, to produce quality and cost-effective solutions. I am trade qualified and has 25 years’ experience in manufacturing, including valve components, turbine components and rotating equipment manufacturing, and 10 years’ in supervision and management roles.
I am passionate about quality assurance, in particular non-destructive testing and welding inspection, and am qualified through the Certification Body for Inspection Personnel (CBIP). I’m also qualified in most of the welding techniques and codes and have over 20 years’ experience in power generation, pulp and paper, wood process and steel manufacturing.
I have background in heavy mechanical and fabrication and have worked in this area for the past 12 years. I support the Kawerau Hutec Team focusing on Project Management in the Mechanical sector of the business.
I am a shut and project planner, supervisor and manager. My projects cover all the industries Hutec are involved with including pulp, paper, timber processing and power generation.
I design new equipment or reverse engineer existing items for manufacture – with or without improvements. Additionally there may be site layout drawings or other more generalised drawing jobs required. I also do finite element analysis on 3D models to ensure items are strong enough. I project manage or oversee jobs that I design, through the quoting and the final installation of the item. Provide guidance and advice for others who also do drawing work for Hutec.
I have over 20 years’ experience in the repair, maintenance, servicing and diagnostics of valves and actuators. This includes general valves, control valves and safety-critical valves. For the last 10 years I have worked in nickel and gold processing plants, oil, gas and LPG, both onshore and offshore. Prior to that I spent 10 years in the dairy, food and pharmaceutical industries.
I am Hutec’s first point of contact for turbine and rotating equipment services. I am an accredited HPC (Turbo Care affiliated) turbine technician and have successfully managed over 20 turbine shuts and refurbishments. I also have over 16 years’ experience with gearbox manufacture and overhauls, from gear cutting and casing manufacture, to gearbox inspection and root cause analysis. My industry knowledge extends to pulp and paper, power generation, food and wood processing, and complex overhauls of outlet device gearboxes and dewatering presses.
I work closely with the Group Manager to assist with Board Reports and meetings. I take care of Hutec Groups accounts, employment agreements, sponsorship and assist the management team. I have 25 years experience as a Personal Assistant and have worked predominately in Finance and HR sectors.
I am Hutec’s Senior Payroll and Accounts Administrator and also work on special administration projects and financial analysis. I have had 25 years administration experience and have worked previously in Finance and Engineering sectors.