“After 25 years as a draughtsman on the other side of the meeting table, I couldn’t believe it when I joined a product supplier that provides full, free-of-charge support for their products,” says Chris Ross, Product Specialist for Allco Waterproofing. “It’s basically unheard-of in the New Zealand industry.”
Senior Technical Advisor, Adrian Crow, agrees. “There isn’t another company that provides products with this level of back-up support. You usually just buy something off the shelf and use it as per the spec sheet, but that’s about it. With Allco, our Technical Advising (TA) team is with you from the word go.”
For more than 20 years, Allco has been offering quality waterproofing solutions to the New Zealand market with end-to-end technical support that they say is second-to-none. “We want to support our product from its selection all the way through to implementation,” Chris says. “Typically, the process starts with a phone call from an architect who needs some form of waterproofing and then sends us a package of drawings. From there, we work together all the way, starting with the Geotech report, detail drawings and master specifications, to the building consent and the RFI [Request for Information] process with their local council, all the way to the warranties.”
Indeed, Allco works closely with local and regional councils to smooth the building consent process and to educate council members about products and installations. Their website includes a dedicated area for legislators to review best practice and check installation details which, they say, provides an added layer of confidence and peace-of-mind for stakeholders across the building process. “Often, architects who are familiar with our products won’t even bother reaching out about consenting because they know that their local council will just tick us off,” Adrian says.
“When the time comes to start building, implementing and installing, our Product Specialist team hands the project over to the TA team. We try to pick up any outstanding questions at the time of drawings approval. For larger or trickier projects, we’ll produce a custom TA manual which will elaborate on the specs that we’ve provided. We then work closely with the contractors on site to oversee water control – both during construction and post-construction – to ensure its robustness. We also watch closely for any potential implications of changes to the programme, as plans can always change once you arrive on site. This could include any warranty considerations, potential remedial work required by the change in programme, and full support for any adjustments needed to fulfil the original installation plan.”
The products, themselves, are also more versatile than others in the market, they say. “Historically, our waterproofing solutions have been in below-ground tanking, but we’ve since moved into above-ground solutions as well,” Chris says. “We can service a wider range of substrates where other products might have difficulty in certain circumstances, including bad weather or unique application, ground or wall conditions.” The result is a smoother, more cost-effective, and more efficient installation, with fewer issues or site stoppages.
Another significant asset that Allco brings to the building process is its use of approved applicators, whom Allco trains and licenses directly. “This approach ensures the best results on the ground, but also enables our full-circle support to continue beyond the build,” Adrian says. “Because we can monitor the quality of the installation, we are able to offer a one-of-a-kind, 20-year system warranty for the product and the workmanship of our applicators, which sits alongside our standard 20-year product warranty. We really believe in our processes and training for the industry, and this is a tangible way that we are standing behind everything that we do. This also feeds into our single-source approach of one supplier, one applicator, one warranty, and it supports our mission to be the trusted waterproofing specialists for Kiwi communities.”
“This approach ensures the best results on the ground, but also enables our full-circle support to continue beyond the build,” Adrian says.
The company is built on three key values – ‘Take Action’, ‘Communicate with Intent’ and ‘Have Your Back’ – which the team says are woven into every aspect of the work. “These values perfectly align with everything we do,” Chris says. “Through the contact I have with architects, and because of my ability to communicate in their language, I’m able to empathise with their needs, create tailored solutions and actively support them in a landscape that’s always changing. They need so much more information now than they used to. Building companies are being forced to incorporate a full week into their project pricing just for documentation. We are proud to offer an unparalleled level of document support that really helps architects meet the ever-increasing requirements of the New Zealand Building Code. If we can provide them with a complete package of documents that wipes out even one of the, say, 20 sections of documentation they must provide, that’s huge.”
“We’re also working really hard internally to build our knowledge base,” Adrian says. “Our team has massive technical expertise that’s been developed through decades of experience, but we’re also working to bring in new talent to add a diversity of perspectives and continually improve our on-the-job performance. With team members of all ages and backgrounds from all over the world, we’re really getting the best talent out there and working collaboratively to deliver the right solutions for Kiwis.”
Both Chris and Adrian are excited about the road ahead and looking forward to a bit of balance in the new year. “I’ll be 70 years old next year,” Adrian says, “and I really want to stay connected but on the right level. I’ve loved watching this company grow from its small beginnings and seeing all this new talent join us on the journey.”
“I’ve been here for about 4 years,” Chris says, “and I realized when I arrived that we were going to grow quickly. Now there are 3 of us on the Product Specialist team and I’m excited to see the expertise both Jim and Olga bring to it. It’s not about more people; it’s about the right people.”
To learn more and to connect with Chris and Adrian, visit https://www.allco.co.nz/, follow Allco on LinkedIn and check out their accredited Teulo Talks events.
