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Kiwi Point Quarry, to the left of Wellington’s steep Ngauranga Gorge, is very much out of sight and out of mind to most passersby, lying tucked into its hillside quarry site that’s largely unknown to most New Zealanders who are not part of the construction industry.
The hum and roar of processing machines are somewhat mitigated by the steady flow of traffic along State Highway One, the major arterial route in and out of the capital city. It’s here, between the suburbs of Johnsonville and Khandallah, that Peter Fredricsen has found a home for his business Rotomara Holdings Ltd and is in his element. Kiwi Point Quarry is owned by the Wellington City Council and is operated by Leach & Co Ltd, which Rotomara Holdings Ltd subcontracts to.
Peter is an authoritative industry figure on rock processing and aggregate production, with decades of experience crushing aggregates as well as concrete recycling since 1996. His subcontracting work has given him perspective, insight, learnings, and plenty to ponder on. And he’s far from done.
In the near future, he’s hoping to open a new site on the Kāpiti Coast that will continue to recycle and process aggregate.
Machinery fleet
While Peter’s team consists of three valued staff members, it’s the other three members on his team — the yellow machines in his arsenal — that give him the ability to produce a wide array of quality products and the flexibility to meet client-specific needs.
All are Keestrack-built: a B3 jaw crusher, an R3 impactor, and a K3 screen. But it wasn’t always this way.
“I had used other crushers when I was up in the Waikato, but it was talking to Bert Hart [Equip2 CEO] that led to getting my first Keestrack in 2016 — the B3 jaw,” says Peter. “Bert really knew what work we were doing and offered me a trade-in. I took some convincing, but it worked very well, and now I have the R3 and K3, too, because they are well-suited to our work.”
Ongoing service
Equip2’s service has cemented Peter’s ongoing relationship with the company. It started right from his first purchase when a transporter incident damaged the B3 crusher and led to its delayed arrival.
“Many people offered to help us get back up and running, but Equip2 really stood up and was the most helpful when I really needed it. The support they gave me at that time was the clincher that made me quite loyal to them,” says Peter. “It was well beyond what anyone else was offering me.”
Beyond service, Peter says it’s the value that Equip2 brings to the client relationship that means the most to him. “Their understanding of an operator’s business and the needs of that business are quite exceptional,” he says. “The after-sales support and service are very good. Their sales and parts people have all been associated with a business like mine in one way or another, so they already understand the needs of a contractor. That’s extremely helpful for me. Their people are great to deal with and they understand my urgency.”
The value of Equip2 ultimately extends into the machines that Peter’s team engages with on a day-to-day basis, and Equip2 takes great care to marry them to the right end user. Getting this right so the machine’s performance can match an owner’s expectations is crucial and something Equip2 prides itself on.
Peter notices it, too. “Machines are horses for courses,” says Peter. “You apply them in the right instance. I was hesitant to get an impactor because they can be high wear, but we ultimately needed more capacity. “Equip2 helped answer my concerns and gave me the assurance to know that I was making the right decision.”
While the B3 jaw crusher enabled large rocks to be broken down three times their initial size — a reduction ratio of 1:3 — Peter decided an R3 impactor would be able to shape material and get it even smaller — a 1:10 reduction ratio. Again, Peter turned to Equip2 who were able to source a used but well-maintained R3 impact crusher.
“It was a game-changer for us and gave the business a whole new level in performance outputs. We could make more products and add them to the recycling operation as well as our quarry work. It more than doubled our output, so it essentially gave us more production capability and versatility in what we could produce.”
"The role Equip2 has played in my business, whether it be in advice or supply of products or parts, to aid me to get to this point has been great"
Expanding operations
Peter replaced his Portafill MR-5 screen, upgrading to the K3 screen, which works well with both his impactor and jaw crusher. The mix of machines allows Peter to make and sell a range of products, and with the K3, he has surety of grading sizes.
“We used to just process concrete, but now we can also recycle asphalt, waste concretes from ready mix plants, and leftover sludge from concrete plants and batch mix it to make premium spec aggregates,” says Peter. “We do all GAPs — 65, 40, and 20. We make three or four sizes of drainage products — some sand and some builders mix products.” Seeing concrete get recycled and given a new life gives Peter huge satisfaction. “The role Equip2 has played in my business, whether it be in advice or supply of products or parts, to aid me to get to this point has been great. They have excellent product knowledge and are very good at listening.”
