Grant Brady is looking to market in Europe next. Picture / Dean Purcell
Grant Brady is looking to market in Europe next. Picture / Dean Purcell
KEY POINTS:
Seven months after gaining regulatory approval for its new Kiwi-built motorhome, Kea Campers has hit a century of exports of the vehicles to Australia.
But the company says expansion could force it to relocate its Auckland assembly line.
In April, the Kea Manufacturing subsidiary met Australian regulations forthe export of its 6.8m-long, 3.5-tonne motorhomes.
Managing director Grant Brady said it was a challenge meeting specific requirements on items, including seatbelts and the position of tail-lights.
The firm had to re-engineer and re-design the motorhome to get the approval.
"One of the main reasons we kept driving it was we want to be able to market Kea Campers in Europe," Brady said
"The advantage of being able to market the same vehicles for both sides of the Tasman is huge."
Kea has rental businesses in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, with most customers being Europeans.
Kea Manufacturing, which now accounts for about 25 per cent of the group's business, employs about 135 staff at an assembly facility in Albany, a fibreglass business in Henderson and a coach builder in Mangere, plus a further 10 people in Sydney.
One of the hardest challenges has been finding the right staff, with in-house training used to fill skilled roles.
Ironically, a side-effect of growth is that the main Albany site may be forced to move to west or south Auckland, risking the loss of skilled staff. "The value of the property in this part of Auckland has moved well past being able to base a manufacturing business here."
Glenfield-based Kea Campers started its rental business across the Tasman in 2000 using vehicles bought from Australian manufacturers but found it could get neither the quality nor quantity it wanted.
In the same year, Kea started manufacturing motorhomes, having begun making smaller campervans in 1998.
Brady said: "It's vitally important for a company like ours to be positioned on quality at the top end of the market."
