Factories largely unscathed by Christchurch earthquake

The Skellerup factory in Christchurch. Photo / Simon Baker

Christchurch's manufacturing sector appears to have made it through the earthquake mostly unscathed.

Skellerup Holdings, which has two factory locations in Woolston, just south of the city, had a shift working at the site when the 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck early on Saturday.

"It is incredible that not only have there been no injuries to staff - it appears that there is little or no significant damage to buildings or machinery," said acting Skellerup chief executive David Mair.

Christchurch electronics manufacturer Tait Radio Communications had its production lines running at 80 per cent yesterday and expects the situation to return to normal today.

The earthquake brought ceiling tiles to the floor but Tait's buildings did not suffer any significant structural damage.

Frank Owen, managing director of Tait, said he was confident the region would recover swiftly.

"That's certainly been the case at Tait," he said. "We have business continuity plans in place and so we were able to hit the ground running on Saturday afternoon and into Sunday."

Food producer Goodman Fielder says only its Christchurch flour mill received limited damage in the quake.

Fresh milk and bread would continue to be available in the South Island, the company says, although a limited range of products may be available for the next few days.

Christchurch-based Manufacturers and Exporters Association chief executive John Walley said his organisation's member-businesses got through the quake relatively unscathed.