Nationwide Shipping Across NZ
Why Centaland”s Welders Won”t Go Back to Masks
Centaland, Blenheim ” Success Story
“At the end of the day, your lungs feel better, and there are no headaches at night, even after long welding days.”
Geoff, James, and Brendon from Centaland share how upgrading to the TECMEN TM1000 gave their team all-day comfort, clear visibility, and zero downtime.
TELL US A BIT ABOUT CENTALAND…
‘Centaland is a family business. Based here in Blenheim, started in 1990 by myself. My father came on board in 1992, he had an engineering background, and I had a building background. We constructed everything here in-house.
From there, we upgraded what we needed to, to provide solutions for fabrication, mechanical work, and new equipment.
We cover rural, civil and residential needs across a wide range of projects, which you can see on our website.’
Geoff Senior, Managing Director
WHAT RESPIRATORY PROTECTION WERE YOU USING BEFORE YOU TRIED THE TECMEN RESPIRATORY UNITS?
Geoff – ‘Before we got the Tecmen units, we had always used an extractor fan, mounted up on the wall behind me — a very powerful one. It was effective, and the guys were happy with it, just wearing normal respiratory masks.
It did remove about 90% of the toxins, but one day watching them I thought, there”s got to be a better way.‘
‘Before we had the TM1000, we were basically just relying on the normal flip-down helmets. We needed to go to some sort of filtered system.
Looking around at helmets, we thought we might as well get the flip-top one as well, so we”ve got the ability to do the grinding and flip it down to do the welding without having to take the helmet off and change back to safety glasses or a shield.’
Brendon King, Workshop Manager
‘We were using masks before, but they were cumbersome, bulky, and sometimes didn”t fit under your helmet. And how much protection were you really getting from it? It was nice to have, but I don”t think it really did much.’
James Tyson, Maintenance Manager
WHAT MADE YOU START LOOKING AT USING POWERED AIR RESPIRATOR UNITS?
Geoff – ‘We bought the TM1000, based on the guys’ preferences, here in engineering.
Euromarc gave us a trial, which was excellent, because they could try all the different types. It gave them a good cross-section of work to test — different temperatures, different days. It was summer, so it was hot. Out of that, they came back with 100% acceptance: let”s buy it.‘
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BUY THE TECMEN RESPIRAOTR UNITS?
Geoff – ‘Going to powered respiratory units was the best way, — something that”s effective all day. Plus, you can actually put your filter into a freezer at night to keep it cool. The boys really enjoyed that in the summertime.
We learnt a lot from networking with others who were using them. Some had run into odd issues with WorkSafe, and I didn”t want to go down that road. We had no need to. And that’s why we invested in these. And the guys are now very happy.’
WHAT DIFFERENCE HAS IT MADE TO YOUR STAFF IN HAVING THE PAPR UNITS?
James – ‘You can fit a pair of earmuffs under the helmet easily. For grinding with the flip visor, you”re not chopping and changing all the time. The respirator is easy to use — just push the button once for low fan, and you can change it on the fly if you”re getting too much air.
It’s pretty lightweight. You can wear it all day and hardly know it”s on, which is really good. I”ve even worn it for the whole day just because it”s that comfortable.
At the end of the day, your lungs feel better, and there are no headaches at night, even after long welding days.’
Brendon – ‘Specific features, I do really like the flip up screen. Especially when you”re setting up to weld, you can make sure everything”s in place. And definitely the side screens, which give you visibility. It”s been a game changer so you don”t potentially walk into something with your hat on.
The screen quality has been really good, the colour of the weld is clear. You can really see what you”re doing, without that green glare some helmets have.
I still have to remember to turn the fan on in the workshop because you”re pretty much in your own little bubble while everyone else is getting smoked out. It”s been really good.’
Geoff – ‘What’s impressed the guys, as well, is the battery life of these TM1000″s.
Often with battery-powered equipment, partway through the day it loses power and you”ve got to find another battery.
But these machines last the whole day with no change. That means higher production and no downtime.’
WOULD YOU RECOMMEND TECMEN RESPIRATOR UNITS TO OTHER ENGINEERS?
Geoff – ‘I would fully recommend the TM1000 based on, our results and track record here.
The price is competitive, and they guarantee backup service.’
Available to everyone
View stock levels & shipping times
Access to trade accounts, & order history