Artifex were key to the leadership team for the recovery of Pan Pac following the Cyclone Gabrielle that took the entire Whiranaki operation out for approx.. 12 months.

The Whiranali site is a complex industrial plant and includes a sawmill, and a bleacedh thermal mechanical pulp mill, supported by large boilers, waste water treatment plant.

This was the most significant project in Pan Pac’s history since its original construction in the 1970’s.  

Our Involvement

Pan Pac engaged Artifex to take on key recovery management positions, initially to lead the recovery of the pulp mill and the utilisies but also to take over the recovery of the corporate facilities (buildings). This was no usual project where there is time to plan and develop an execution strategy ahead of breaking ground in a well organised fashion, because the entire site was out of operation and in disarray (no offices, running water, computer network, toilets or any operational infrastructure) a completely different approach was taken. We led the recovery with a highly collaborative approach, developing functional teams that included staff from Pan Pac, consultants and contractors from all around New Zealand because there simply wasn’t the capacity or depth within Hawke’s Bay.

Due to some of the plant having old electrical and control infrastructure, this wasn’t an entire like for like replacement recovery, for some of the plant, this meant a redesign to new standards and to provide a greater level of safety for the operational staff.

 For the buildings, of which there were 70+ that needed restoration or outright replacement we needed to work with local and out of town contractors and consultants to develop work scopes and oversee the implementation, many of which were critical to the restart of the plant, such as recovering electrical switch rooms.

 The Outcome

The mill was prioritised for re-start and the plant systematically rebuilt and recommissioned in the order Pan Pac needed them to become operational. Approved upgrades were included, construction and electrical safety was identified as critical risks that don’t usually apply to the BAU operations, and these were focussed on to minimise harm to all. Good documentation was procuced throughout the project meaning that Pan Pac now has up to date records of as-built information.

Ultimately Artifex won a Gold Award with ACE New Zealand on the back of this recovery and the Ravensdown recovery, with support from both Pan Pac and Ravensdown.