When Gareth Evans first walked into Farra Engineering’s workshop in Dunedin, he could not believe what was being made in New Zealand, let alone "a little city at the bottom of the earth".
That was why the chief executive of the country’s oldest engineering firm decided to open its doors for an open day yesterday.
It was a two-fold celebration; not only is Farra marking its 160th anniversary this year but it was also showing off the largest building maintenance unit (BMU) it has created to maintain a high-rise building in downtown Sydney.
Destined for the "civic heart" of the city, the machinery weighed 50tonnes.
With a total length of 50m, it would reach 34m out over the edge of the building to allow for cleaning, glass replacement and maintenance and it would be mounted 170m above street level, he said.
A consultant had commented that it was possibly the biggest linkage machinery ever built in the world, Mr Evans said.
When not in use, the BMU had to be kept out of sight and it collapsed to park in a garage at roof level so it was totally invisible from the ground.
"It’s a pretty amazing piece of engineering," he said.
Usually, Farra would ship two or three BMUs a year but this year it would ship about seven, all to Australia, which was another great way to mark the anniversary.
BMUs had previously been shipped to the likes of Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and the United Kingdom.
The machinery was testament to the "really, really talented" team at the firm, from those that came up with the concept through to the welders and fitters who put them together.
"It’s a pretty special effort," he said.
Farra, which has a team of 120 including 17 apprentices, specialises in three key areas — safer access machines, maintenance repair and overhaul and contract manufacturing.
Further events were planned during the year to mark the anniversary.
