Jens-Thomas Pietralla believes New Zealand is the best place for his firm's research and development. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

Jens-Thomas Pietralla believes New Zealand is the best place for his firm's research and development. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

Norwegian company Navico has chosen to make Auckland its international hub for research and development.

Navico, headquartered in Oslo's Lysaker, has made the North Shore division of its international business its largest innovation division, going on a global recruiting drive to employ 50 more staff in manufacturing and support in the past year.

Last March, Navico bought the marine division of the internationally renowned Navman, the electronics business started in Auckland by Peter Maire.

Maire sold the company he formed in his garage in 1986 to American marine and leisure products giant Brunswick in 2004 for $108 million.

When Navico bought the electronics marine business from Brunswick the division was suffering from low morale and a staff exodus.

Maire told the Business Herald that Brunswick had grown sales to about $450 million but got cold feet and stopped spending.

"I guess that's a real lesson to me ... don't believe in big corporate America." .

But the Norwegians saw big prospects in Auckland and have since turned the business around.

While several meat companies and manufacturers have announced closures throughout New Zealand this year, the Norwegians have picked this country as a relatively low-cost world leader in innovation, product design and manufacturing.

Jens-Thomas Pietralla, Navico's chief executive and president from Lysaker, was in Auckland yesterday and he said the Albany-based research and development division was now bigger than equivalent arms Navico runs in Norway, Britain, the United States or Mexico.

Navico has not only expanded its staff with 240 at its Northcote manufacturing plant and 60 people in Omega St at Albany, but it has also just reached a sales milestone.

Pietralla came here to present staff with awards for making US$1 million a day of product which is then exported worldwide from the factory in Northcote's Kawana St.

Renee Mead, Navico's PR executive, said each of the three months to May were a record for Navico in New Zealand, with the marine business exporting the highest number of goods in that period.

That milestone was the best achieved for any period, whether the division was branded Navman, Brunswick or Navico, she said.

Pietralla worked on the Northcote production line yesterday to find out more about the New Zealand manufacturing business. He praised the company's Auckland staff, saying they were world leaders in their fields.