THIS is a true story, as recounted by Nufab Equipment principal Peter Nunn to Torque during a visit last week to Peter’s new Geraldton factory.
After pleasantries, Torque was introduced to company welder Julie Lymon, standing next to a re-furbished Nufab four-screen grain cleaner, which is waiting to be picked up by its owner.
Julie helped build the machine in 2000, which subsequently was delivered to a South Australian contractor.
It finished up being on-sold to a corporate group who used it for about 10 years before group policy changed and it was left to “die” in an unsheltered lay-down yard.
Six weeks ago Peter received a phone call from a South Australian farmer who had bought it off the corporate group in very poor condition.
“He rang us to see what parts would be needed to re-build it,” Peter said.
“In the end he decided to send it across to us to re-build.
“He put the cleaner on a low loader with a car and drove over.
“Having dropped off the seeder, he flew back to South Australia and said he would come back after seeding to pick it up.
“His low loader is in our yard so he will fly back to Perth, jump in his car left in Perth and come up here to put the cleaner and his car on the low loader and drive back to his farm in South Australia.”
The re-furbished unit is looking as-new having been totally stripped, sandblasted and repainted with a distinctive two-pack paint, replacing the original enamel paint.
Ironically, Julie, a former Corrigin girl, left Nufab in about 2008 on a sabbatical.
This year she turned up in January, put on her welder’s mask and got back on the job.
And yes, she did have a hand in re-furbishing the 2000-made cleaner.
According to Peter, the major market for his grain cleaner models these days is “in the East”, with a number ordered for Emerald, Queensland, as the chickpea industry gets bigger over there.
“They want our cleaners because they do the best job in grading the chickpeas for human consumption for the export market,” Peter said.
And speaking of humans, Peter said the company was kicking goals with the staff.
“We’re a pretty family-friendly company,” he said.
“For example, when there’s a lull in our work schedule, we introduce flexible rostering.”
It paid off recently when one staffer knocked off early to go fishing.
The next day the staff were feasting on Blue Bone at smoko.
If you can fish, you’ll fit right in at Nufab.
