Page 14 - HW MARCH 2020

hard news
Under one roof – Jaeco and Drake & Wrigley
Jaeco and Drake & Wrigley have been under the same roof in East Tamaki for a bit over a year now and, according to Jaeco Industries GM, James Seabright, it’s a marriage made in heaven.
Not only do the experienced Drake & Wrigley staff now get to do what they’re best at – manufacturing – but their proximity also makes for simple management.
It was “a massive breath of fresh air,” says James. “Ever since we’ve moved into our new premises in East Tamaki and got the two businesses under one roof, Drake & Wrigley has just gone through the roof.”
As a result, customers are “just starting to really lean on us again, which is really good. And we’re able to deliver. So it’s been a very good 12 months with Drake & Wrigley being over here and us being able to fine tune the business.”
For example? “Because we saw an opportunity, we’re bringing back some of the older products that Drake & Wrigley had been making for 20 years – traditional stuff, like casement stays and quadrant stays,” he says.
On top of which, when we spoke in February, James was hoping to add a new staff member which would lead to increased capacity and quicker turnaround times.
www.jaeco.co.nz and www.drakeandwrigley.co.nz
MSL now also
at Steel & Tube
MSL Fortress products are now available at the Steel & Tube sites in Rotorua, Napier, Timaru and Dunedin.
AFTER ALMOST 75 years’ manufacturing and having battled the inevitable for some time, Steelfort confirms it will stop making LAWNMASTER lawnmowers in Palmerston North and instead source production from China from July.
John McOviney, Steelfort MD
and son of company founder Frank, admits candidly: “Moving Lawnmaster production to China is a decision that we as a company probably should have been made 5+ years ago.
“Whilst we have tried to make efficiencies over the last few years such as streamlining production systems, working a 4-day week etc, we have found it increasingly more difficult to reign in the costs.
“Under this administration with minimum rates of pay, business compliance requirements, further health and safety legislation, we don’t see costs
Bits & pieces
CLICK YOUR CARBON footprint – PlaceMaker has partnered with CarbonClick to help customers
offset their carbon emissions. When customers buy online, a big green button at checkout allows them to offset their purchases’ carbon emissions. CarbonClick’s offset projects are split 50/50 between New Zealand permanent or native forestry projects, and “high- quality” certified international projects.
coming down, and to be realistic, it probably won’t change under any future Government.
“Lawnmaster products have been manufactured in New Zealand since 1946 and were the only remaining lawnmowers manufactured domestically, so this decision was not made lightly and I personally have wrestled with this for quite some
time, however manufacturing in New Zealand, apart from service type industries, has struggled for 25 years, so we are just indicative of the problem.”
Having worked hard to assist all affected personal to find employment either within the company or with other organisations, John McOviney says the consumer will see no difference in the Lawnmaster range of mowers except for their country of origin.
www.steelfort.co.nz
Toolware Sales’ half century –
Toolware Sales is celebrating its 50th birthday in 2020. Toolware began operations in a tiny Parnell warehouse with a staff of three and today is still going strong in South Auckland. The company says: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff, customers, suppliers, friends and family that have supported us as we couldn’t do it without you.”
12 NZHJ | MARCH 2020
MORE AT www.hardwarejournal.co.nz
Steelfort shifts production to China