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Callaghan Innovation Chief Executive Dr Mary Quin officially opened the new PowerShield factory in Auckland, New Zealand at a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday, 1 October 2015.
PowerShield is an Auckland-based specialist battery monitoring company and has formed a joint venture with an experienced local manufacturer rather than moving its production offshore.
The new manufacturing company, PowerShield Solutions, draws on the expertise of its Managing Director David Todd.
Mr Todd said the goal of PowerShield Solutions was pretty simple. “We want to make quality product, we want to be internationally competitive and we want to be profitable.”
Dr Quin said it was an honour to be invited to celebrate today’s opening and very exciting for Callaghan Innovation.
“We exist to help high value manufacturing companies to grow bigger, faster. The opening of a new manufacturing site is a testament to the success and growth of PowerShield,” said Dr Quin.
“We consider today to be a great success in terms of Callaghan Innovation and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise mission.”
PowerShield Chief Executive Len Thomas said he was delighted that both Dr Quin and NZTE Customer Director Sanchia Yonge could officiate at the ceremony as both organisations have supported the company’s development programmes.
“In 2013 we received an NZTE International Growth Fund grant which helped us to set up our UK Office,” said Mr Thomas.
“We were fortunate to receive a Callaghan grant in 2005 to help to fund the development of a smart sensor which became a critical component in our stand-by battery monitoring solution. That innovation was the catalyst for PowerShield to achieve international sales growth of 25% p.a. for four successive years.”
Mr Thomas said the company was half-way through a programme to develop new products that will keep PowerShield at the forefront of battery monitoring technology. The programme is partly funded by a second Callaghan Innovation grant awarded in 2014.
By keeping its manufacturing onshore the company expects to achieve savings of around 15 to 20 percent on its previous contract manufacturing bill.
PowerShield stand-by battery monitoring solutions are used around the world by customers such as NASA, Bank of America, Bloomberg, Sainsbury, Microsoft and Huawei, and locally by Meridian, Genesis Energy, Watercare, the Department of Internal Affairs, and SkyCity's casinos.
