Based in Wodonga, Victoria, JC Butko Engineering has experienced continual expansion since it was established in 1976, particularly over the last 10 years. Having just built a new second factory to help it service ever-increasing customer demand, the company recently invested in a new Yawei fibre laser from Applied Machinery, allowing it to bring more of its operations in-house.
JC Butko was set up 44 years ago by John and Carolyn Butko. Born to Ukrainian immigrant parents, John Butko serves his apprenticeship as a fitter and turner in Melbourne before returning to Wodonga and joining Milos Metrol & Sons. In 1972, he was named as Albury & Wodonga’s top apprentice. Soon afterwards, John rented a small shed in Kendall Street, Wodonga, and began investing heavily in machinery, including a lathe, guillotine and a set of rollers. The rest is history.
Now employing 128 tradespersons and 30 contractors, the team at JC Butko consists of boilermakers, sheet metal workers, pipe welders, fitter/machinists and apprentices. The management team comprises project managers, mechanical engineers, certifying engineers, project supervisors, estimators, drafting personnel, quality assurance, health, safety & wellness, and administration.
A significant part of JC Butko’s recent growth has come about as a result of working on larger projects throughout Australia (mostly the East Coast) and overseas (including the USA, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea). The company undertakes a diverse range of projects, including large structural steel, tanks, pipe spooling, conveyor systems, food/materials handling systems and pressure vessel work, in either mild steel or stainless steel.
The company’s work is a 50/50 split between mild and stainless steel, as well as a 50/50 split between fabrication and site installation. JC Butko prides itself on its one-stop-shop service, covering the entire process from design, through 3D modeling to installation, and then ongoing maintenance.
“This is our bread and butter,” says JC Butko’s Commercial Manager, Paul Butko. “We work with clients from the beginning to end of a project, providing a sense of reassurance.”
Investing in capacity
Due to a growing need for additional space and the desire to separate its mild and stainless steel operations, the company has recently built a new factory dedicated to its mild steel production. Combined with the existing factory which now focuses entirely on stainless steel production, the entire facility now covers an impressive 7,000 square metres – maintaining its status as the region’s largest general engineering company.
“The new factory has been a big investment for us,” Paul adds. “But splitting the steel operations was something the industry demanded and will ensure we maintain the highest quality and service levels.”
This additional space allowed the company to look at purchasing a new Yawei fibre laser, joining the company’s existing line-up of Yawei pressbrakes. The ability to perform plate cutting operations in-house, which had previously been outsourced, was a key reason for JC Butko to look at a fibre laser. Crucially it now allows the company greater control over the production process.
“In conjunction with our Yawei pressbrakes, the new fibre laser allows us to have total quality control of the entire process from start to finish – especially important with our stainless division,” says Paul.
While Yawei’s competitive price and advanced features were factors, it was the excellent relationship that JC Butko has established with Applied Machinery during the pressbrake purchase that was an important consideration in the company opting for the Yawei.
“We received excellent back-up and support from Applied throughout the purchase and installation process of the pressbrakes,” Paul explains. “It was this experience that provided us with a high degree of comfort and reassurance that we would be fully supported with the new Yawei fibre laser and why we ultimately chose the Yawei brand.
Installed back in May, the fibre laser is an 8kW HLF model featuring a high cutting speed, extreme accuracy and a large-format cutting bed measuring 2m x 6m. The quality components fitted standard to the HLF include a Siemens 840D controller that is powerful yet user-friendly, as well as a Precitec Pro Cutter auto-focus cutting head. Another attractive feature is the machine’s ability to cut using filtered, high-pressure compressed air, which is more economical in the long term due to its lower cost compared with ‘traditional’ assist gases.
“The other major benefit with the new fibre laser is that we can now turn things around very quickly, meaning we’re not reliant on other people,” Paul adds. “If something urgent develops we can stop what we’re doing and cut immediately. That’s the kind of flexibility we now have.”
Building a strong reputation
The company’s list of clients is a who’s who of leading companies in a diverse range of industries. These include Thales, Skog, Fulton Hogan, John Holland, CPB Contractors, MARS, Lend Lease, GrainCorp, Visy, Nestle and Orora Paper – as well as government work such as Transport for NSW.
The company was recently awarded with the Thales Australia Supplier HSE Award, in recognition for the outstanding achievements of the JC Butko Thales Team and their collaborative and proactive approach towards improving HSE culture at the Mulwala Facility. In addition, founder John Butko was named 2016 Albury Northside and Wodonga Chambers of Commerce hall of fame recipient.
Paul is optimistic about the future of JC Butko and what it holds: “With significant investment in both our facilities and new, high-tech machinery, we are well set for continued growth into the future.”