Auckland Takes Home Oak Tree's Pride Cup

by Press Release on 2010-11-19

The Pride Cup - It’s Oak Tree Labour Hire’s version of the Ranfurly Shield.  With branches of Oak Tree in Auckland and Christchurch, there is healthy competition particularly between the Top Devanners from each region nominated each year for the number of containers devanned along with attitude and work ethic.

The North vs South Pride Cup Devanning Competition lives up to it’s name.   Auckland’s top devanners Pai Vilitama and Puna Makiiti went head-to-head with defending Christchurch champions Phil Minhinnick and Isaac Toombs competing not only for the Pride Cup, but for 12 months of bragging rights! Held at the Oak Tree offices in Christchurch as part of an Open Day in September, a large crowd attended to watch one of the most impressive displays of unloading, stacking, shrink wrapping... and muscle.

Each team had 400 x 25kg bags to hand unload, stack onto empty pallets with precision and speed, wrap and then move to a warehouse location.  John Chick from Move Logistics judged the teams on criteria based around quality.  John was looking for errors such as stock overhanging, non vertical stacking, under shrink wrapping and other related mistakes that would be unacceptable on our customers sites. Time penalties were added to each teams finishing time for each mistake identified. 

The competition was close but it came down to penalties in the end.  Auckland completed the 400 bags in 29 min 44 seconds with 11 x 8 second penalties taking their final time to 31 min 12 seconds.  Christchurch started out with very few penalties but as fatigue set in, picked up 20 x 8 second penalties leaving their final time at 33 mins 11 seconds.

Operations Manager Randal Jordan says “It’s a great thing for our guys.  They’re motivated and it really is a matter of pride to take home the cup to their local teams.  Our workers aren’t general labourers, they’re specifically trained devanners, and are paid contract rates per container so their motivation’s around speed and accuracy, the two things demonstrated at a high level in this devanning competition.”
So, Christchurch - 1, Auckland - 1.  Who will it be next year?  Watch this space! 

To view footage of the pride cup go to http://www.oaktreelabour.co.nz/news.

Nina Campbell
Marketing Co-ordinator
Pathway Charitable Group
incorporating Alloyfold, Oak Tree Labour Hire & Pathway Trust
PH + 64 3 349 4065
DDI +64 3 349 4065
Unit 1, 89 Vickerys Road
Wigram, Christchurch, NZ 8042
www.oaktreelabour.co.nz