Office of Hon Jim Sutton
Speech Notes
A&G Price Engineering and Foundry export award, Thames

Good afternoon, my colleague Graham Kelly, Donald Stewart, John Hillery, directors and staff of A & G Price and Viking Pacific Holdings, ladies and gentlemen: I am delighted to be here today to present A & G Price Ltd with a Trade New Zealand Export Award.

A & G Price has won this award in recognition of its outstanding export success.

Foreign exchange earnings topped $6 million last year, accounting for a large portion of turnover.

Exporting is a fairly new activity for A & G Price. You have an incredible 133-year history as a heavy engineering manufacturer, but have been exporting for only the past ten years.

The decision to go into exporting was one of necessity. The domestic market was not in good shape and the then-new General Manager John Hillery saw exporting as being essential for the company's continued survival.

He was right, and a steady and strategic approach to exporting has seen A & G Price develop a profitable and sustainable export business.

As well as generating valuable foreign exchange for the people of New Zealand, the company is also the largest employer in Thames ? providing jobs for 125 people, with several generations of some families working for the company.

A & G Price sources workers from the local college and offers staff a total career path within the company.

It's an excellent role model for regional New Zealand.

Over its long history, A & G Price has operated at the heavy end of the engineering market, building everything from steam engines to industrial presses.

Today it specialises in high quality machine casting and repair and the maintenance and building of heavy machinery.

Products manufactured in its plan are used across numerous industries and range from components for Singapore Army Personnel Carriers to keels for America's Cup Yachts.

A & G Price has devised a successful formula for developing its international business ? it spreads the risk by supplying different products and services for different niche markets?

And it actively seeks customers who have the ability to deliver repeat business ? in return A & GP Price delivers top quality products and services on time.

Owing or sharing intellectual property with its clients is also helping to stimulate A & G Price's export growth.

Despite the demands and rewards of exporting, A & G Price has remained committed to its New Zealand customer base ? I know John Hillery cites a sound, loyal domestic customer base as being critical to the company's export success.

A & G Price is equally committed to keeping its workforce fully employed and works extremely hard to have work scheduled several years ahead.

A & G Price is no stranger to winning awards and to being an industry leader.

It was New Zealand's first heavy engineering business to achieve ISO9002 accreditation. Last year it became the first New Zealand company to receive a quality award from Singapore. That award was for delivering thousands of military vehicle parts to Singapore, worth millions of dollars without a single fault.

John Hillery and all the staff at A & G Price should be extraordinarily proud of their export achievements.

You are successfully competing in the international market. You have built a reputation for quality and consistency of delivery, for outstanding customer service and innovation.

Congratulations to all of you.

It now gives me great pleasure to present the Trade New Zealand Export Award to A & G Price Ltd (to be collected by John Hillery).

I also have several Certificates of Appreciation to present in recognition of an outstanding contribution to A & G Price's export success. John will introduce the recipients (Hauraki Herald; MS Ltd; New Zealand Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union)

Office of Hon Jim Sutton

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