SG Equipment delivers more than hot air
for Rinnai
Rinnai New Zealand has been importing gas heaters from its Japanese parent company since 1974. Due to import licence restrictions at the time, assistance was given to companies which commenced local manufacturing, and Rinnai started to assemble a range of cookers and domestic heating appliances.
In 1987, the company moved from its original factory in Onehunga, Auckland, to new premises in Royal Oak, but outgrew there in 2003 and decided to lease a warehouse in Mangere. All finished products were moved into the Mangere premises for storage and distribution, whilst manufacturing continued at Royal Oak.
 In 2005, the decision was made to purchase a 1.6 hectare piece of land at Pavilion Drive in the Airpark II development (adjacent to Auckland Airport). Construction of a purpose-built manufacturing/distribution centre began on the land in 2007, and in April 2008 the company finally moved into its new state-of-the-art premises where for the first time since its inception, all parts of the business were once again under one roof.
A key ingredient in the smooth operation of the new facility is the ability to store and move all the materials and stock safely and efficiently. This is where the SG Equipment team come in. SG Equipment provides a full service and support backup for the four 10.3 m Yale reach trucks and counterbalance forklifts used in the warehouse.
“The reach trucks are the right tools for the job when it comes to the high-stacked pallet shelving,” says Kevin Riestever, Rinnai’s warehouse and distribution manager.
“They have enabled us to limit the floor space, but increase the vertical storage space.”
Kevin is full of praise for the SG team. “They provide the right machinery for the job and a first-class backup service ensuring that there is no such thing as downtime through faulty or unserviced machinery.”
Rinnai’s forklift drivers are an experienced team, having driven a number of different forklifts over the many years they have been in the industry, and say they are impressed with the Yale reach trucks. “After a long day on the truck, there’s minimal fatigue,” Dean, one of the drivers, comments. “There are no aches and pains from the usual stretching and neck bending required to constantly look up at what is happening.”
 One of the features Dean attributes this to is the eye-level camera: “That works as my eyes during the stacking process – it works at any level and I can see what I’m moving at all times without neck strain.” The vehicle is very accurate and comfortable – it even has a fan for hot summer days – and the steering and seat are easily adjusted to suit the driver. “Keeping the trucks moving is straightforward – it only takes five minutes to top up the batteries in all the vehicles,” Dean says.
Considering the amount of bulk handling that is done – three truckloads of goods, three courier pickups daily, and containers to devann and load each week – Kevin says that the Yale trucks and the great service and support from the SG team are key ingredients in the continued smooth and efficient operation of their warehouse.
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