Gary & Sandra Walker are the proud owners of Flooring First Taupo and are looking to utilize our combined Business Management, Human Resources, Team building and natural enthusiastic experience for the business to expand on the current growth and success that we have experienced to date.Flooring First is New Zealand’s longest established national specialist flooring retailer and works with the markets leading brands for all floor coverings such as Amtico vinyls and planks, Torlys laminates and timbers, Luxe carpets and underlays as well as leading flooring brands such as Belgotex, Godfrey Hirst, Feltex, Cavalier Bremworth, Karndean and associated products, like trims and adhesives.The Taupo operation is a well established business that has focused on the new build market, dealing directly with building companies, renovation works and refurbishment of existing properties. Over the next few years our intention would be to grow this business further by targeting interior designers, commercial markets, looking at complimentary services and products and stocking new innovative products not readily available in the town.We hope that you will drop in and see us if you ever find yourself in need of expert flooring advice and innovative products. Remember, the reason we are called Flooring First is because we should be your First Choice for Flooring!Thanks

Within my current position I am responsible for managing the performance of all Pilbara Ports Authority owned assets at the UTAH Bulk Handling facility, which encompasses all maintenance, upgrade and repairs, project management, together with staff performance and infrastructure management. Through implementation of a variety of Safety improvements I have minimised LTIs, MTIs and FAIs across the maintenance function for all staff significantly reducing instances of harm. Current LTI rate for our team is zero for over 24 months. I also successfully recruited, trained and developed a highly experienced maintenance team who consistently deliver maintenance downtime of less than 2% (12 month rolling average of 1.7%) and who consistently achieve their set KPIs. This was achieved through following RCM processes and conducting detailed root cause analysis of our plant failures, initiating permanent improvements to eradicate these failures. I have also implemented a successful succession planning strategy which through mentoring, coaching and training has yielded multiple promotions of trade’s staff to supervisory positions including Mechanical and Electrical Supervisors, Shutdown Planner and Maintenance Scheduler whilst continuing to improve our performance. Through our team performance we have been instrumental in raising production levels to more than 24MTPA from a designed capacity of 14MTPA. Direct reports 6. Overall team size 27. Annual budget $21.6M AUD

While working in this busy and challenging role I managed the successful restructure of client’s initial plan to build and commission two wood pellet manufacturing plants worth in excess of $40 million and ensured production and output were achieved within agreed timescales. Throughout the commissioning phase of this project of over 20,000hrs I successfully delivered zero LTIs and promoted OHS culture and strategies across the project. Other achievements include gaining accreditation for the commissioning process from an independent Engineering Assessor (KEMA) who was commissioned by the client to carry out a fit for purpose review of the facility. I also directed the design of a SCADA control system for the material handling aspect of the plant, with integration of 3 different SCADA systems into one cohesive package.

Within this newly created role of Services Manager I held responsibility for the successful growth and delivery of a key strategy which enabled the organisation to capitalise on market opportunities for after sales service to clients. I delivered unprecedented growth from initial start-up to NZ$4 million with a net profit of 18% within the first 2 years, which established the services division as a key revenue contributor within the organisation.

During this time I held responsibility for effectively managing the initial stages of commercial production prior to client handover, and continued to provide ongoing support to the incumbent Operations Manager. One of my key achievements in this role was to attain full manufacturing capacity within only 3 months of commencing production. I also developed OH&S Policies and Procedures including an operator training and qualification program and a set of Standard Operating Procedures for the manufacturing plant as well as developing a Quality Assurance system to control all aspects of the pellet manufacture.

During my time working in this position I successfully managed all assets together with the mechanical and electrical maintenance program while controlling an annual budget of NZ$2 million. My role involved a strong focus on health and safety and I was instrumental in the setup of the plant safety committee. Other key achievements included;- Established and implemented a computer based planning and preventative maintenance system- Identified an alternative drive system for the business’ veneer grading line, gaining increases in production up time of over 400 hours whilst reducing Opex by upwards of $75k/year.- Project managed all shutdowns, overseeing a team of up to 40 mechanical trades staff from 3 different local engineering firms in addition to my own maintenance team.