Busy Times at AW Fraser

Since I last wrote a blog, we have been experiencing the full weight of the global recovery and we are now scrambling to increase capacity while keeping costs under control and utilizing the base efficiencies we created when we were quiet last year. There are plenty of quotes floating around in world media and in our customers' own press releases about how the recession has actually been good for companies in that it allowed us all to trim waste and develop systems. Personally, I think we could all have done without it, but it is worth reporting on some of the advances we have made.

In this blog, I am focusing on our engineering expertise, particularly one of our skilled technical staff, Jody Tuckwell who is from the UK. This story is an allegory for the success of New Zealand. We are mostly an immigrant country and we are lucky that the beauty of our country, combined with a strong innovative spirit and good breweries keeps people like Jody coming here. He is an innovative engineer and has been instrumental in improving our capabilities, most recently with internal grooving on large bearings. This is keeping us competitive with low wage economies and helping us to expand the types of products we can offer our clients and also allowing us to access more clients. He is also a humorous individual and has been prompting me to write this blog! It is worth noting that the Machine Shop Technical Manager Steve Moss is an excellent UK import as well, while we have a kaleidoscope of nationals working throughout our plant, most of whom improve the national gene pool.

Whenever I am out meeting people on behalf of the company,  I always tell them that AW Fraser is a bloody good place to work. Staff receive the support to make decisions and most staff members are good people which makes for a positive environment. The CEO and CFO (or the sales manager for that matter) are not afraid to get on the overalls and help get product out the door and we are all focused on company objectives with minimal politics. I think this contributes to the very long relationships we tend to have with most of our key customers.

It is good to be sitting here blogging about being busy and our strengths. Long may it continue.

Matt Toohey