HP Contractors has been a trusted name in the earthmoving industry for more than 25 years. At age 14, founder Ron Potter presented himself at what was then PNT, lied about his age and asked for a job. Later it was discovered he was not yet 15, but his excellent work ethic kept him on. 

HP Contractors came about 24 years later, after Ron was made redundant. Ironically he was re-employed by the then Telecom.

"When I started the business I was lucky enough to have some mentoring from a very respected and experienced contractor, Ted Ramsbottom. He was a real inspiration," says Ron.

Following the Telecom contracts, HP Contractors went on to contract for local government and was heavily involved in large earthmoving projects, particularly in the Wellington area. 

At this time, Joe, Ron's son, was still in school but had developed a passion for contracting and shadowed Ron wherever he went. "We sent Joe to Te Aute College to ensure he received a good education before deciding on a career. We soon realised you could take the boy away from the industry but not the industry from the boy when he picked up weekend work for an earthmoving contractor who was working at his school."

Joe came back and worked for his Dad during school holidays and earned enough money to pay his fees. After completing seventh form, Joe went and worked full time for HP Contracting, where he remained for six years. 

"I remember Ted coming to me one day, stating he was one man short for a job, so I lent him Joe. He ended up staying for two years and learnt a variety of skills and experiences. I think this was quite an invaluable time in the industry for him."

HP Contractors then got involved with one of Wellington's biggest roading contracts, the Newlands Interchange. This work won a number of awards, and Joe's talents became known within the industry.

Joe was then employed by John Ray Ltd, where he gained valuable experience in the forestry industry. He was involved with the construction of forestry roading, loading log boats with loaders and placing diggers on the ship in order to correctly stack the logs.

Joe then changed tack and spent some time working in forestry, mainly in fleeting and loading which was high pressure with strict daily targets. He gained a real passion for forestry but knew it was volatile so also worked as a sub contractor for large earthmoving contracts, vineyard development, and Southern Valleys Irrigation Scheme in Marlborough.

At the same time, Ron was busy setting up a Concrete Batching Plant in Rarotonga, complete with pumps, trucks and loaders.

For the past four years, this experienced father/son team has been working together and are now focusing their efforts on forestry.

 "Although it's extremely volatile, we believe if we keep striving to complete each contract to the same high standard we have become known for, then the results will speak for themselves and we'll continue to be successful," says Ron.

HP Contractors is currently running two ground-based crews on two separate forestry sites in the Wairarapa.
At the Palliser Bay site, they have been contracted to roadline through the forest and establish skid sites to enable a cable hauler to come in and clear fell the rest of the forest. They have been on site for six months and have six months to go.

Following this they have another large forestry contract in Pauatahanui, just north of Wellington City.

Both Ron and Joe agree that forestry offers a great working environment for roading contracts simply because they don't have to worry about traffic, noise, pollution or hitting expensive cables. 

Over the years, HP Contractors has invested in a lot of machinery using a variety of brands of earthmoving equipment. Their most recent purchase was the brand new Sumitomo SH300-5 (30-tonne) Forester excavator through AB Equipment.

It has an Ensign 1700 grapple and tree pusher, which is perfect for fleeting, loading trucks and shovelling, with a number of factory fitted extras;  perfect for their line of work.

The chassis has been re-engineered to what is known as "high and wide", which simply means it's higher and wider. When the excavator is moving through steep faces it now has the capability to go over stumps, saving time and money.

The hydraulic hoses have all been covered by a casing to protect them from possible damage from logs, and the cab door has a reinforced metal grill for increased operator protection.

The cab is spacious and very comfortable, complete with automatic air conditioning, radio and an LCD screen and switch panel.

Sumitomo (SHI) is a Japanese construction machinery manufacturing company specialising in maxi-excavators. The newly released ‘dash 5' was introduced in 2006; it has a space five engine system and offers 20 per cent better fuel economy. The digging speeds and cycle times have also been improved compared with the earlier models.

HP Contracting is so impressed with this machine, it has ordered another, due to arrive in February 2008. 
"It's a fantastic excavator. It has plenty of grunt and we love the safety features.

The service from AB Equipment has been fantastic, too. You have to be particular when you invest in large machinery for this industry because it is so specific that if it breaks down you can't just go and hire a replacement like you can when you are doing roading and civil work. A breakdown means big time and big money."

HP Contractors plan to continue in the forestry industry with aspirations of making it more of a family business. As it is, Tangi Potter, Ron's wife, and Tui Barber, his daughter, take care of administration and accounts and Joe's brother-in-law, Shaun Allen, is an invaluable part of the ground-based/road lining crew. There is also a strong possibility that two other brother-in-laws may join the company.

"That is definitely the plan; it would be great to turn this into a big family business so we can all enjoy in its success".

Source: www.dealsonwheels.co.nz

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