The Rimu Portable Sawmill is increasing in popularity and with interest building overseas as well, the business is relocating to bigger premises to cope with demand. Engineer Greg Surgenor says the move from the tight confines of the converted cow shed, to the purpose built 500sq meter industrial building on the Riverlands Industrial Estate was well overdue.
"One of our workers Richard, said the other day that it's like working in a russian submarine, you can hardly swing a cat with sawmills everywhere. We've taken on two new people at the beginning of the year, promising a move to new premises and everyone at work is really excited by this move," Greg said with a smile.
After a number of engineering jobs in Australia, Greg worked for Naiad in Picton building aluminum marine certified, rigid hull inflatables of up to 40ft. Eight years ago his father, Morrie Surgenor required a sawmill and rather than buy one, wanted to build one to suit his own specific purposes. "And that's when I built the first one," Greg said, "and it's just been really really popular, a lot of the ideas that we put into the first one have been very popular."
The sawmill has two blades cutting a 90 degree cut and Greg said that while there are others around that do the same, the large industrial sized models can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Rimu Sawmill has bought the same blade concept into a small, affordable and portable mill, using a stable box gussetted frame, hydraulic drive, breast bench attachment and adjustable tracks.
The new building and production line will allow for the comfortable manufacture of over 50 units per year, but the skys the limit having already exported to five different countries without any overseas marketing whatsoever. "Orders have come from South Africa, Australia, Indonesia, Tahiti and England, and they all came directly to us to buy."
"We haven't over expanded or done it too fast, spending the first five years ticking over real slow but steady. Now we are at a stages where it is only increasing - it's not a big gamble anymore," Greg explained.
