Early mover PBT is the first occupier at Ruakura Superhub to open for business. The express freight specialist opened the doors on its shiny new facility in late October last year, and team leader Manny Newton says the team of around 50 working out of the new facility is thriving in the new premises.
“The new space is working really well – with a loading canopy around two thirds of the size of the main cargo area and separate office area, it’s a much nicer footprint than where we were before and we love having the room and clean, dedicated spaces to work in,” Manny says.
The new 2,800sqm building comes with a 1,890sqm loading canopy and 250sqm office and is future proofed for future expansion and the addition of solar generation. As part of the move into the Green Star 4 certified building, PBT has also upgraded its previous diesel-powered forklifts to electricity.
“We’re not missing the diesel dust, and it’s created a much nicer environment for our team to work in,” he says.
Manny, (Te Arawa and Ngaapuhi) has worked for PBT for 20 years and “loves the place.” He oversees a fleet of eight trucks and 15 vans servicing a region that stretches from Hamilton across to Tokoroa, Coromandel, Taumaranui, Hampton Downs, and Raglan.
“Obviously being so close to the new Waikato Expressway helps our runs get out on the road in a really efficient way, and accessing our site is easy for our line haul fleet that comes down from Auckland each night as part of our feeder network,” he says.
“The site and location has also given us opportunities to access and service other areas of the Waikato, which we would have not considered at our previous location and we’re looking forward to many positive years of service from Ruakura,” Manny says.