Business View Oceania | March 2020

69 70 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA MARCH 2020 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA MARCH 2020 communities; the reason they pay for premium virgin sawdust to process and press into pellets, when the sawdust used to go to landfill. Jonathan McKeown, Business Development Manager for Azwood Energy, reports, “In our organisation, we’re always making decisions around suppliers and clients, even down to the machinery that we deal with. It’s all focussed back to why we’re in business, our belief in making the most of what we’ve been given. The organisation started over 40 years ago when the founder started being resourceful by backloading coal. The coal operation was a part of landscaping products that were being shipped down to the west coast of New Zealand. So he was moving something both ways and that’s how he got into coal distribution throughout most of the south island.” Back then, in the late ‘70s there wasn’t a focus on the rigours of coal use like there is today. But as the market began to shift and the climate and renewable energy came into focus, the company founder decided to move out of coal and into renewable energy for the future in the form of biomass wood energy. Today, the Azwood Energy territory is New Zealand wide and into Australia and some parts of southeast Asia and they are the only manufacturers of all the major specifications of wood fuel products. There are 35 employees and four facilities throughout the south islands, as well as distribution partnerships throughout the country. Ben Crawford, Azwood’s Supply Chain & Quality Manager, notes, “We aren’t the only people who do wood fuels, and not the only people who do wood pellets and landscaping materials. But we are the only people who do all. We’re able to take every single piece of wood residue waste from all those processes and industries and use it in this circular economy. That’s our strength – we’re able to take ALL those wastes, not just a bit here and there, and reuse them as something of value.” Azwood supplies large retail outlets with pellet fuel which is also sold through distribution networks direct to domestic customers for home heating. Larger fuels go to a variety of commercial operations for boilers for both process heat and space heat. The company also does wholesale manufacturing – supplying manufactured large-scale bulk landscaping materials and growing media to horticultural businesses, growers, vineyards, as well as domestic and commercial landscapers and retailers. It’s all part of a unique circular economy created by Azwood Energy for its partners and clients. Take, for example, slash- based product residue left behind from forestry. During that process, Azwood provides a cleanup service for the forestry company, reducing the amount of waste on their site. Helping to remove fuel for forest fires and prevent erosion during extreme weather events and basically helping the replanting process. That product is then manufactured into a renewable, low-emission energy source which can be used to displace Providing logistic solutions for food grade products. We achieve this efficiency through effort and passion for our customers business with no acceptance of failure. Find us on Facebook: Brenics Limited operations@brenicslimited.co.nz | +64 21 964 437 • NZGap and MPI approved transport of Fresh Produce. • RMP and MPI approved transport of Dairy Product. • Food grade Packaging and Supply Chain Platforms. • Wood Energy Biofuel. AZWOOD ENERGY