A big year at Portacom is nearly finished so we have stopped for a moment, to take a collective breath and consider all we have done and achieved in 2024. Through all the achievements and initiatives, a theme emerged; Fast, Flexible, and Reliable. We often talk about our fast, flexible and reliable building services however it is fascinating to see how much these three qualities drive so much of what we do and so much of what our customers value from their relationship with us.
So rather than a long list of projects and shouts out, here is what Fast, Flexible and Reliable looks like during an exceptional year for Portacom New Zealand Limited.
Projects often start with short notice or change on a dime and when you deliver over 1,100 modules across the country each year, it is important to be fast (and flexible, but more to come on that). On average, we deliver 22 modules a week and our speed of response is an attribute most often mentioned by our customers in feedback.
“It was easy to coordinate. For a couple of projects, we had to do short-notice relocations and it’s been easy. Port are the only ones I use because it’s been all good from the start and pricing is reasonable.” Josh O’Callaghan, Greater Construction
It is not just our hire clients for whom we respond quickly. The new government put many major projects on hold pending review before greenlighting projects in the latter half of the year. Not wasting a second, Portacom New Zealand, through our education brand Interlink Modular, built and delivered 58 classrooms for the Ministry of Education in the last six months of 2024. We estimated that 1,682 students and teachers now have new, modern, light and airy spaces from which to learn and shape the future.
At the same time, other major infrastructure projects were ramping up, particularly switchrooms for electricity distribution and railway management. With a delivery timeframe of just 12 weeks, our team successfully built and configured two custom equipment shelters, completing the building delivery four weeks ahead of schedule! The modular switchrooms now house 11kV and 32kV electrical switchgear for PowerNet in the picturesque hills of Te Kuiti.
At the same time, Omexom and KiwiRail needed a rapid response, and the team did not disappoint in producing and delivering these oversized, high-engineered switchrooms. These specialist modules are elevated off the ground and have reinforced base frames to manage the 33 and 25 kVa lines which run through the building. The Portacom team responded quickly and efficiently to get this critical infrastructure in place in a manner which can easily be installed or even moved in the future if needed.
Fast is one thing but what happens when things change? The Portacom team were thrown more than a few curve balls this year and responded quickly, effectively to meet our customers’ needs.
“The Portacom team were flexible and agile, responding to every challenge with a solution-focused approach. They are very experienced at working with schools, understanding the requirements of a modern classroom. The buildings, while temporary, are of excellent quality, warm, large and light. Staff and students enjoy working in them.” Denise Johnson, Hutt Valley High School.
“We are loyal to Clinton and the team in Auckland. The support is always amazing and we have last-minute nightmares and they always help us.” Downer
Not only are we proud to be so responsive to our customers’ needs, but we are also pretty adept at getting into remote and challenging locations. Whether it is pilot accommodation on the Milford Sound or high above the Auckland Airport redevelopment, we have the know-how and flexibility to get a Portacom there.
The key to our flexibility is customer-centricity. We know our customers and anticipate their needs and wants creating services and products before they even know they need them. Unsurprisingly, the team launched four new hire products in 2024, Coverflex, Single Step, High-Level Alarm and Magnetic Signs, all of which deliver flexibility and adaptability to our customers. We are so proud that during the busyness of day-to-day, we were still able to develop and launch these hire products.
There was one other major product released in 2024 and that was the Tui Classroom. It is so new, we haven’t even got it on our website yet however, we do have 13 Tui classrooms on their way to schools. From inception to delivery, our team delivered Tui as a new modular classroom in seven short months whilst managing everything else. With increased width and height, there is a lot of internal room and light in these classroom modules and the fully carpeted classrooms are comfortable. Tui is another option for our education customers giving them flexibility of choice.
Ok, so in 2024 we were fast to respond and flexible in our products and delivery. We are happy to say that, with the best team in place, we were reliable. You called and we answered. This reliability is ingrained in the Portacom team and has been for a long time, as you are about to find out.
“Sarah and the team at Portacom have been great to work with here in Wynyard Quarter, always going above and beyond to get orders out to site which has proved crucial to our team here on site” HEB Construction.
“You deliver on time, and communication was good, to let us know when things were turning up. It was all pretty good and sailing.” Sunfruit
In 2024, we also added ISO9001, ISO14001 and ISO 45001 certifications to our many accreditations, certifications and processes. These three standards mean Portacom New Zealand is operating to the highest quality, safety and environmental standards so our customers can rely on the quality we produce.
Speaking of quality and reliability, we also lost our voices screaming for Emirates Team New Zealand as they successfully defended the America’s Cup. You might wonder what this has to do with Portacom (or quality or reliability for that matter) but for 30 years Portacom has been an official supplier (and massive supporter) of the Emirates Team New Zealand. We appreciate their Kiwi pluck, innovation and quality and have reliably supported them in good times and bad. Reliability means a lot to us, and we are beyond delighted the cup is coming home, once again.
Finally, we think reliability goes deep. We believe we are responsible for each other and those around us in the construction industry. We believe that our colleagues and mates should be able to rely on us when they need it the most and so in 2024, we partnered with Mates in Construction to raise awareness about mental well-being and suicide prevention in construction and to train Portacom members on responding to a mental health first aid situation.
There is so much more that we could say about 2024 and none of it would have been possible without our team who embody our values of Stronger Together, Agility, Fairness and Excellence. We would also like to thank our customers for their support and we look forward to working with you in 2025.
