“Our team shares a common goal of becoming New Zealand’s waterproofing market leaders because of our superior products and our stand out service, not because of our size,” says Allco Waterproofing CEO, Dean Harper.
National Sales Manager, Kamil Krzyzynski, agrees. “We take customers through the whole waterproofing journey, not just ‘here’s the product, there you go’. We have a team that supports the architectural community with project-specific recommendations and CAD drawings details, as well as a geotechnical engineer who looks at projects from the conception stage, including tricky sites like reclaimed land, salt water and contaminated ground.”
Allco has been providing the New Zealand market with the best waterproofing solutions and support for more than two decades. In that time, they have assembled a group of affiliated global suppliers who are enabling them to meet any waterproofing challenge. “We have a tailored product range which is ideal for New Zealand’s unique and demanding climate conditions, and we offer comprehensive support through the whole specification and building process,” Dean says. “Our Technical Advising Team physically goes to site to provide guidance and training. That’s unique in the industry and its part of our commitment to our customers to provide the best service we can”
“Our motto is: one supplier, one applicator, one warranty,” Kamil adds. “We like to see ourselves as the good guys of the industry who make life easier for engineers, architects and specifiers. We provide the entire waterproofing of the building, from below ground to the roofing, and we have the best warranties in New Zealand for our products and the workmanship of our approved applicators.”
Building relationships with applicators is a key part of Allco’s strategy, Dean says. “We train and license them and build those relationships from the ground up. That helps us capture the market in areas where applicators have discretion about the products that they use. We also work closely with architectural companies, supplying them with technical information and writing bespoke specifications for projects. Additionally, we connect with contractors who want the best service, competitive pricing, and assurance of supply continuity and guarantees which fit what they want to pass on to their customers.”
Supply assurance has helped to cement Allco’s success during the recent pandemic period. As Kamil says, we saw disruption coming and acted fast. “We doubled our stock, which was a big move and a significant cost at the time. This has enabled us to carry on without shortages throughout COVID, while others have had to delay projects by months or change products, which can cause significant issues from a Council and consenting point of view.”
Building and maintaining relationships with Councils has been key, they say, in landing larger projects and keeping project momentum. “By offering site inspectors regular training, we’re able to maintain those relationships and minimise or prevent, any delays to projects that you might otherwise see when new personnel are trying to get up to speed.”
“Sustainability is really important to us,” Kamil says, “and we’re actively promoting membranes for green roofs which capture carbon dioxide, reduces energy consumption, extends roof’s lifespan and create habitats. We’re excited to work with visionary architects who are focused on life-cycle planning, sustainability and green building. We’re not scared of being pushed by them for solutions on the cutting edge which force us to rethink the details.” A pre-requisite for this work is a shift in mindset, Dean adds. “Historically, New Zealand has held a short-term view of cost-effective building, rather than focusing on longer-term investments that brings long term benefit. Green roofs are one way to do just that, but you have to spend a little more now to invest in infrastructure that will benefit us all for many decades.” Allco has been involved with the development of a few green roofs around New Zealand the most recent one being Auckland Library project, which started as a standard refurbishment before evolving into a living green roof with thousands of native plants.
The Allco team has significantly grown in the last three years, but they’re not looking to get much bigger, Dean says. “It’s taken us a long time to get to our desired team size, because special people don’t appear every day. Now that we’re just about at that sustained team number, we’re looking at ways that we can increase efficiencies, hone supply and really cement our niche from well-respected service.”
“We are proud to have great relationships with our international manufacturers who, in many cases, use us as their exclusive New Zealand supplier,” Kamil says. “They know of us as skilled importers who hold all the relevant technical data and pass this knowledge on to our customers. We know the products, the contractors and the projects. Our team looks after each other and our customers, at every stage of their waterproofing journey. We don’t expect architects and designers to be experts in every kind of product in the field. That’s where we come in with advice, training, support which creates that trusted relationship, that goes towards our goal of being the best in the industry.”
Dean and Kamil are excited about the future as Allco hits its stride. They’re continuously looking at new products, improving services and becoming increasingly specialised about what they do. They’re also excited to join the Teulo community and offer their expertise to a wider audience. “We’re supporting Auckland really well now,” Dean says, “and we’re eager to take our service and our exposure further.” Kamil adds, “We have offered CPD training in the past, but only to very limited audiences, so we’re really excited now to maximise Teulo’s platform to reach more of the industry. CPD training is a natural fit for us, because it’s just one more way to add value for Allco customers.”
To learn more, visit Allco Waterproofing on https://www.allco.co.nz/, follow them on LinkedIn and stay tuned for their exclusive, accredited Teulo events later this year.
