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With several years’ experience in Australia working for Boral Asphalt under his belt, Alex Caulfield returned home to New Zealand in 2019 to take over the family business.

While the years since held plenty of challenges for Alex, who was just 25 when he established Bay Civil Solutions (formerly BW Caulfield Ltd), today the business employs 17 staff and is the only asphalt paving company in Whakatāne.

There has been plenty of growth, although the key to that, says Alex, has been a willingness to diversify.

“On the civil side, our bread-and-butter projects are maintenance and emergency work. But we also do earthworks, chip sealing and general transportation. And a big part of what we’re also doing now is waste minimisation – turning waste into byproducts,” he says.

“Our tagline is ‘Waste to Infrastructure’, meaning we’re taking material like glass or shredded tyres and creating byproducts we can use elsewhere. Anything that can’t be recycled can be used to power the plant through the boiler.

“I also have my B-Grade quarry ticket, so you could say I’m a greenie on one side, but I love my diesel machines on the other.”

One of those diesel machines is Bay Civil Solutions’ new BOMAG BF 300 P Tier 3 asphalt paver.

Part of the seven-model line-up of BF series pavers, the BOMAG BF 300 is Alex’s first from the brand.

And in researching what he needed from the new asset, Alex says he had some very specific criteria.

“Simplified operating – that was key for me,” he explains. “Some pavers have all the bells and whistles, but they’re geared towards continuous paving. We primarily do maintenance work, not continuous paving, so this machine gives us the latest technology but in line with what we do.

“I’ve also been training new team members on the paver and when you’re training people, you need consistency more than all the functions. You still have to understand the fundamentals of paving regardless of the machine.

“When I was in Aussie, I learnt a lot from the old boys who each had their one job they do. But increasingly, that’s not how crews operate these days. You’ve got to be versatile, and part of that is knowing how the various machine assets work in order to get the best result on the road.”

Alex says the BOMAG BF 300 is designed to be user-friendly from the ground up, meaning new employees can get to grips with the machine’s functionality quickly.

BOMAG manufactures its machines for practicality, with all functions clearly assigned on a main control panel. Every function can be selected directly via switch, ensuring safe, fast and smooth workflow.

The BOMAG BF 300’s operating size comes into its own when manoeuvring on narrow, demanding construction sites.

If, for example, asphalt needs to be laid close to a wall or other obstacle, the side-mounted operator stands can be rotated so that no scratches occur to either infrastructure or the control stands themselves.

The machine’s control station and driver seat can be moved to 15 different positions, meaning the operator always has a comprehensive view of the hopper and auger, the direction of travel, as well as the screed operator and other team members nearby.

“Together with the ease of operation, the 10-tonne weight class the machine sits in also works best for us,” continues Alex. “If you know how to pave, these small machines are really nimble to use. And we’re able to get extensions for a wider pave if we really need to.”

With a maximum paving width of 4.4m and a 4.8m³ hopper, the BOMAG BF 300 features optimal weight distribution on the high-performance screed and rigid self-supporting capabilities.

This means even at maximum width, the machine will pave without supports.

If extensions were needed, the German manufacturer’s Quick Coupling smart attachment system means they can be fitted without any fiddly screw fastenings.

While simplicity is at the heart of why Alex opted for the BOMAG BF 300, the multifaceted support BOMAG distributor Porter Equipment is what he values above all else.

“Porter Group are amazing to deal with. They offer it all – purchasing, finance, hire machines and servicing. One phone call can fix pretty much everything, and in my experience their entire organisation is filled with ‘can do’ sorts of people with a real work ethic,” he says.

“As a young Kiwi business owner, I think something that is lacking in New Zealand is support for people starting out. But with Porter Group, they’ve been around so long and have so much experience that nothing’s a problem and they’ll always have a solution. From the initial machine selection, to helping finance me into it, and the tech support we get – I honestly don’t think I’d be in business doing what I’m doing without their help.”

With no in-house diesel mechanic on staff at present, Alex says the aftersales mechanical support he receives from Porter Mechanical is also top-notch.

“They ring and check how the machine is going and make sure there’s nothing we’re scratching our heads over. We actually had it serviced recently, and they made sure it was at a time that suited us.

“We got it back to the depot for them, although they’d have been happy to come to wherever we were working and service it on the side of the road if that’s what we’d have preferred.

“But their machine knowledge is second-to-none; it’s good to have their expertise on hand. Machines used to be purely mechanical, but these days with all the electronics onboard, I wouldn’t touch it myself. I have enough trouble connecting my printer to my laptop!” he laughs.

Similarly, Alex says his experience with Porter Hire has also been exemplary.

Bay Civil Solutions is currently utilising a Porter Hire BOMAG drum roller in its fleet; this wasn’t an asset Alex wanted to buy secondhand at present, so a hire machine became the easiest solution.

“When you need a hire machine, you need it pretty quickly. The Porter Hire guys sourced one in Nelson and had it here within the week. That was hugely helpful, and again, they just made the whole process so easy,” he says.

“With everything we have going on, I can take a deep breath because I know I have the back-up support of Porter Equipment, as well as knowing I’ve invested in a reliable asset in the BOMAG paver. I genuinely wouldn’t want it any other way.”

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