New expertise at Lyttelton Engineering after ownership changes

Saturday, 21 October 2017

Up to 30 major surveys and dry dockings are carried out each year. Lyttelton Engineering's premises are located to the left of the dock.

Lyttelton Engineering has a new general manager, Richard York, following management and ownership changes at the company after 25 years.

He has taken over from Doug Cockerell, who held the position for 20 years before becoming managing director following the death of Rob Gendall, 60, after a short battle with cancer last year.

Lyttelton Engineering boiler makers and engineers working on a ship.

Gendall was previously the majority owner of the business and now ownership is spread evenly between the company managers with his estate still holding a minority interest.

It was a tribute to Gendall's good governance that the effect of such an unexpected event was minimised and business continued as usual for the 85 staff, Cockerell said.

* Let the business roll in for Lyttelton firm**

During the period the company's workload remained steady with the workshop currently building a 4-megawatt wet wood waste boiler for a Canterbury sawmill.

Another team is on site at the Christchurch waste water plant carrying out a major overhaul and refurbishment of the second of two sludge de-watering presses.

It is also the start of the busy season of ship repairs in the dry dock where work is continuous for the boiler servicing and industrial maintenance teams.

The site immediately to the north of the workshop is being transformed as construction of the new Te Ana marina takes place, which will enhance the area.

Lyttelton Engineering carries out ship repairs, heavy steel fabrication, plus machining and industrial work.

It specialises in boiler manufacture and servicing but also supplies ski lifts as agent for US company Leitner Poma to the Mt Hutt, Cardona and Remarkables skifields.

It also makes modular aluminium stairs and walkways at its smaller aluminium workshop at London St, Lyttelton.

Cockerell said he was pleased to have obtained a person of York's Richard's calibre to take the company forward.

York came from SGS, an inspection, verification, testing and certification company, where he was an engineering surveyor of ships for the past 12 years becoming the Christchurch branch supervisor in 2010.

He previously worked on cruise liners and ferries in the UK starting out as a cadet engineer officer, then from fourth engineer up to chief engineer over 13 years.

'Richard has extensive knowledge and experience of ship repair, boiler manufacture and the technical aspects welding that will add support to these areas of our business and he is already well known and respected by many of our customers,' Cotterell said.