Two Taranaki timber mills went from competitors to colleagues overnight when a factory fire crippled Taranakipine’s planing mill in February. Sources: Stuff, Fairfax NZ News
The morning after the fire destroyed Taranakipine’s planer and stopped production chief executive Tom Boon received an unexpected phone call. It was neighbouring timber mill and direct competitor Clelands Timber Products managing director Alistair Dore offering Taranakipine the use of his factory and planer so it could continue business.
“I didn’t have to make the phone call and that was pretty special,” Boon said. Within five days of the fire, Taranakipine had caught up with its production orders and for the next seven weeks it was able to run at full capacity with night staff working in the Clelands factory.
“It’s amazing how well we actually got along,” Mr Boon said.
The only problem arose on the first night when Taranakipine staff drank all of Clelands’ milk during smoko, he said.
“We made sure we brought our own milk the next day.” Taranakipine paid Clelands for use of the factory, Boon said.
“It was very commercial, the arrangement between us, which was all very fair.” Dore said New Zealand’s timber industry was pretty small and competitors had to look out for each other.
Clelands Construction also carried out the factory repair work required at Taranakipine.
The ability to continue to operate meant Taranakipine customers did not notice any problems with orders, Boon said. The fire had had little financial impact on Taranakipine other than the cost of insurance excess.
Dore said he hoped the favour would be returned if Cleland’s found itself in a similar situation.
“Tom’s already assured me that they would be able to do that,” he said.
Boon said another bonus for Taranakipine was that its staff were able to familiarise themselves with Cleland’s 12-month-old planer, which had similar technology to the replacement planer arriving soon.
A planer damaged in the fire had been repaired and the destroyed planer would be replaced with a new one by the end of the year.
Taranakipine was fully back in action again by April 8.
