6 | RJ’s New Zealand REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT RJ’s enjoys sweet taste of success RJ’s continues local production in Levin and enjoys global popularity. T T Kelly Deeks Packaging Central ˏȫˏcasectrlȲ+&%"/Ȑ +) Proudly Supplying Quality Corrugated Packaging to RJ's Licorice ojifs.com QUALITY PRODUCTS, SUPERIOR SERVICE. Proudly Supporting RJ’s New Zealand General Engineering | Food Grade Manufacturing | Industrial Insulation & Cladding CUSTOM ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS 06 368 5141 www.washeetmetal.co.nz RJ’s, the beloved Kiwi confectionery brand, continues to make significant strides in various areas by placing a strong emphasis on its people and ensuring their training, support, and overall success. Founded in Levin in 1995 by Roger Halliwell, a passionate licorice enthusiast, and his son, Regan James, RJ’s emerged as a quintessential success story from a small New Zealand town. Their mission was clear—to create the finest licorice money could buy, infused with the classic Kiwi can-do spirit. And they accomplished just that. Today, RJ’s continues local production in Levin and enjoys global popularity, with over 10,000,000 units sold annually outside of New Zealand. The product range has grown significantly, with the business innovating constantly in the confectionery category and now including Kiwi favourites such as Fabulicious, Heards, Mackintoshes, Oddfellows, and Jaffas. “Our recent marketing efforts and the prioritisation of this within the business means our products have experienced an unprecedented surge in popularity, and we’re excited to look at ways we can meet the demand and rise to the opportunity in market,” says RJ’s HR manager Paula Bracefield. “That’s why we are dedicated to our production floor team. They are the ones responsible for crafting these highly sought-after products, and with their passion for confectionery, we’re looking after lolly lovers globally.” With a team of more than 120 individuals in Levin, RJ’s employs people across a diverse range of positions, from warehousing and production roles to high-level engineering positions, ensuring the smooth operation of numerous hardworking machines that run 24 hours a day, five days a week. Given Levin’s small population of less than 20,000, getting the skills needed to ensure operations continue to run smoothly often means team members are commuting from communities like Palmerston North and Wellington – a hurdle that requires strategic thinking for the business to overcome. In response, RJ’s has taken a creative approach to its employment package, offering a structured career progression plan to those seeking professional advancement. “To recruit talent for our positions we have introduced a new initiative on our production floor, with plans to extend it to our warehouse and engineering teams,” Paula elaborates. “Our novel production classification system is tied to training, allowing our people to progress through five different levels as they gain experience – and are financially rewarded for their loyalty over time as their skillset evolves.” After six months with RJ’s, acquiring knowledge of manufacturing processes, health and safety protocols, as well as food safety and quality standards, new employees automatically transition to level two, which comes with a pay rise. “We want to enable our people to grow and develop as much as they desire. As they continue to expand their skills, they have the opportunity to advance all the way to level five, with further pay rises to incentivise this growth within the business, and retain the skills needed internally to ‘Make It Better’ for our fans and consumers.” In addition to prioritising its people, RJ’s continues to invest into capital improvements to ensure machines operate at peak efficiency, matching the dedication of the production team. Paula affirms that RJ’s executive have a genuine commitment to continual improvement, which is evident in their capital investment strategy as well as their people-centric approach. “Caring for our team is at the forefront of our priorities, and as the HR manager, I truly appreciate that. Making things better is our company motto – and we’re proud to be doing that for our people.”
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