G J Sole Logging has consolidated its business to offer clients even more efficient cost-effective services. This has partly been in response to challenges around finding enough staff.
“We are able to offer a complete service, doing everything ourselves, which makes jobs easier to manage and ensures everything goes smoothly,” explains company harvest manager and director Allan Sole.
Based in Bell Block, New Plymouth, parent company G J Sole Transport was started by Allan’s father Graeme in 1965 with a bulldozer and transporter, developing land for farmers and Land Survey blocks in the Taranaki, King Country areas. Graeme was also involved with the first shipment of export logs from Westgate in 1967.
In 1992, Allan started the logging side of G J Sole Transport – Sole Logging Ltd – with a small logging crew purchasing and harvesting woodlots. In 2002, the first hauler was bought to harvest logs in the Te Wera forest. At its peak, five haulers were working within Taranaki and lower King Country areas employing around 50 people.
“Without our staff we couldn’t do what we do. We have a lot of experience in our team who are committed to and passionate about the industry.”
The company now employs a tight-knit team of around 30 including his wife Liz who does a lot of the administration, organising, harvest planning and compliance. G J Sole Logging can take care of the entire process of forest harvesting including harvest planning, log marketing, forest roading and ground-based and cable harvesting.
Technology plays a big part in investment in plant helping to fill the gaps in staffing. This includes processors for trimming and cutting the logs, motorised grapple carriages for haulers and a purpose-built falling machine – all of which are good for health and safety too, says Allan.
He says the strength of G J Sole Logging is its team: “Without our staff, we couldn’t do what we do. We have a lot of experience in our team who are committed to and passionate about the industry.”
Around 90% of Sole Logging’s training is on the job with staff paired up with or under the supervision of experienced crew members. Internal and external assessors then assess them for tasks in conjunction with service training provider Competenz.
Because G J Sole Transport offers general transport and heavy haulage services this works well with G J Sole Logging transporting equipment to sites. Since 2004, GJ Sole Transport has been heavily involved with carting drilling equipment, casing pipe and the other paraphernalia of drilling rigs, which includes moving complete drilling rigs from location to location.
Transportation for the logging industry is an important part of this business, and G J Sole offers some 30 logging trucks in its plant. Allan says that having a transport side to the business gives G J Sole Logging greater control over the quality and timing of projects.
Allan adds that because G J Sole Logging is a family-owned company this means a more personal service for clients. “At G J Sole Logging, we constantly strive to deliver good value for money and a personalised service. We are proud that we have worked for some clients for many years.”
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