Strong workforce reason for Whanganui aluminium fabricators’ 50 years of longevity

Whanganui-based company Wight Aluminium (formerly Wight Construction Ltd) is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the production of its first set of windows.

A strong base of employees and knowledge has been key to the longevity of Whanganui-based aluminium fabricators Wight Aluminium.

The company is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the production of its first set of aluminium window frames.

Gavin Wight’s grandfather started the company in 1965 as a construction company, and his uncle made their first set of windows in their factory in Tower Crescent on Durie Hill in 1972.

In the 1990s, they pivoted to focus solely on aluminium joinery, and the company became one of the country’s leading manufacturers of commercial windows and wall facades.

“It grew from doing [...] residential and smaller scale buildings to now, the wide range of the work we do, including some pretty big stuff,” Wight said.

However, it still has a strong local presence, with around 30 per cent of its employees based at its factory on Mill Rd, with a second factory in Hamilton and offices in Wellington and Auckland.

Wight himself has been working at the business for eight years, and serves as its managing director.

He said the key to its success and longevity had been its strong base of workers.

“I think that’s a key part of it - that stability in our workforce and the commitment of the people.

“I think it’s absolutely one of the biggest key parts of the business.”

The company was able to specialise in aluminium due to many of its employees having already made the change, Wight said.

“By [the 1990s], we had a lot of people who had been with us from the early days. There [were] a number of people that had been carpenters and builders that had transitioned over to aluminium joiners, so we had a lot of craftspeople,” he said.

The employment base has also allowed the company to weather the issues currently faced by the construction industry, chief among those being a lack of labour.

The construction industry has heavily featured in liquidations this year, with Christchurch-based aluminium fabricators Alutech going into liquidation at the beginning of December.

But Wight had been able to avoid those issues due to its workforce, with plenty of knowledge to train up the next generation coming through.

“Like I said before, we’ve got a lot of people who have been with us a long, long time, so it’s really important to maintain that knowledge when you do bring in apprentices and things; to have the people to train them, which we do,” Wight said.

The sentiment behind the anniversary celebrating the workers was echoed by sales general manager Damon Wagstaff.

“For us, celebrating 50 years in business is in large part a celebration of our team, past and present - all those who have been with us along the way,” he said.

Their depth of skills and experience had “created an ecosystem of value” for other locals looking for opportunities in manufacturing and trades, Wagstaff said.