PM Sees High Tech Neighbour's Enterprise

Prime Minister sees how her high-tech neighbour takes products to the world

Prime Minister Helen Clark will today (3pm Friday, August 1) officially open the new $2.2million Auckland design headquarters of Adept Limited, New Zealand's leading high-tech plastic injection moulding specialists.

Components designed, tooled and manufactured at the company's Morningside plant - in the Prime Minister's Mt Albert electorate - are found around the world in products ranging from Benetton and Sea Ray boats, life-saving Fisher & Paykel Healthcare equipment, Compaq IPAQ GPS units to animal healthcare products.

While most of the products are made for New Zealand-based clients, 95 per cent of items produced are eventually sold overseas.

Specialising in providing an integrated service from design to manufacture of groundbreaking inventions, the privately owned company employs 75 people. It is the only operation of its kind in Australasia to see products through from "back of an envelope" idea to finished high-tech article via design, tooling and manufacture all under one roof.

Adept Limited was started over 30 years ago under the entrepreneurial guidance of Murray Fenton. Benefiting from the growing global recognition of New Zealand's technology innovators, it has doubled its sales in four years.

Clients who rely on Adept's ability to produce world-beating designs include Navman, BEP Marine and Automotive and The Fred Hollows Foundation. It is Fisher & Paykel Healthcare's largest supplier of plastic components.

Managing director Murray Fenton says that a large part of his company's success is an ability to manage an assignment from start to finish without having to outsource any services. "This enables us to condense production times for clients, which is important in dealing with international markets."

It has meant that the company has had to invest heavily in people and equipment to cover all aspects of production. "But this is now paying off and is recognised by clients as our major competitive advantage," says Mr Fenton.

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