FPS designed and manufactured a gravel feeder powered and controlled by hydraulics for the $100 million upgrade to the Tekapo Hydro Canals.

The team of hydraulics and pneumatics engineers at FPS were approached by Brightwater Engineering to design and build a specialised gravel feeder. It was used to assist with the $100 million repair of the Tekapo Hydro Canals, currently owned by Genesis Energy.

The canals, which are located in the MacKenzie Basin in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island, were originally constructed in the early 1970s and had experienced leakage problems since they were built. Fixing the leaks required closing the canals to re-line and restore them to full working order.

In early 2015 FPS designed the hydraulic and control systems for the feeder that would help with precisely laying the ground whilst strategically holding the canal lining in place.

Due to the urgency of the job and the need to re-open the canals as quickly as possible, FPS provided the finished feeder within a tight timeframe and the canals project team successfully completed the repair works on time.