Sara and Steve Owen, co-owners of Independent Carbon Brush in Wanganui, with samples of their vital product. PHOTO/STUART MUNRO
Sick of the gridlock in Auckland, Sara and Steve Owen took a punt on Wanganui.
That was 14 years ago and with their unique business well - and successfully - established in Heads Rd, they have no intention of moving.
The couple set up Independent Carbon Brush, carrying on a trade Mr Owen had learned in Auckland.
In the time they've been here, two of their competitors back in Auckland have gone to the wall and the Owens remain as one of only two carbon brush makers in the country.
Carbon brushes are an essential part of electric motors, and are found inside motors that use direct current (DC), alternating current (AC) or a combination. The brushes conduct electricity from moving part to moving part, so if they malfunction, the motor won't work.
Upset with the gloom spread by the "zombie town" branding, the couple fired off emails to Whanganui MP Chester Borrows and Mayor Annette Main.
The upshot was they appeared on the Campbell Live programme about Wanganui, talking up the positives of doing business in the River City.
"We came to Wanganui by choice and it's the best decision we made. We have no intention of leaving and look forward to the city's continued growth and prosperity," Mrs Owen said.
Mr Owen said they used to visit family in Wanganui and then decided to look at housing.
"We thought, why not. It was a gamble because I'd never set up a business before. The first year was a worry but it's been picking up ever since," he said.
Among clients they service are most of the country's power stations and manufacturing giants such as NZ Steel and Pacific Steel.
Mr Owen said as industries shifted to AC power and other technological advances occurred, it meant theirs was a twilight industry.
"But a lot of power stations need new brushes for their turbines so there's still enough business around to keep us busy.
"There are brushes in things like electric window winders and wiper motors. We do brushes for locomotive motors and we've done brushes that ensure rotary cowsheds keep moving."
It can be fiddly work at times; some of the brushes are only a little larger than a pin-head while the biggest tend to be no bigger than a cigarette packet. But without those brushes things will literally grind to a stop.
Mr Owen machines all the brushes in their Heads Rd factory, cutting the carbon on a band-saw or a diamond wheel. It's then machined and shaped, holes drilled and wires inserted.
It involves highly accurate machining because the brushes can't be too tight or too loose.
"The other critical things is the grade selection of carbon. That's got to be exact because if it isn't, you can do some massive damage to machinery," he said.
There are various grades of carbon they work with. Some is impregnated with calcium and others have ash impregnated in them to scruff up surfaces. Others have copper included for low-voltage operations in parts such as starter motors.
"While some industries have changed to AC drivers, others prefer to stay with DC. We know AC has problems with motors burning out but DC motors, as long as you're changing the brushes when they wear out, will last for years and years," he said.
It's not only industries that keep the Owens in demand. They have even made brushes for a steam car that was in Wanganui when the world vintage-car rally was staged here.
"The owner wanted to keep his car absolutely authentic. He drove out here with the sample, dropped it off, buzzed around town for an hour and came back and took the new brushes home with him. He was chuffed," Mr Owen said.
They've had their share of emergencies too, with customers wanting a replacement part straight away.
"We got called in one Christmas Day to make brushes for the Palmerston North factory that produces plastic milk bottles. The guy slept outside in his car while we made brushes for him. If we hadn't done that there would have been nothing to put the milk in.
"Their machine produces 20,000 bottles and hour so they were desperate. They thought they had some brushes in stock but they didn't. If we weren't doing what we do here, that factory would have been stuffed," Mr Owen said.
They said setting up business in Wanganui was immaterial to the supply chain. They courier product overnight, from Kaitaia to Invercargill.
And their appearance on Campbell Live had an immediate impact for them. Within 10 minutes of that show finishing they got a phone call from KiwiRail.
Most of their customers don't require big quantities of brushes but that suits the Owens; they'll make lots of 100 or two.