Business Central September 2021

80 | Buy NZ: Ali Arc Industries Ongoing demand for bullbar products T T Sue Russell The design and manufacture of Bullbars for light commercial vehicles is the core business for Ali Arc Industries. A s general manager of Whanganui busi- ness Ali Arc Industries, Haig Elgar says his chief responsibility is to look after his team of 30 staff. Ali Arc Industries was established in 1988 initially concentrating on the design and manufacture of Bullbars for light commercial vehicles (LCV’s). Over ensuing years, the com- pany expanded and contracted and dabbled briefly with fabricating truck trailers, alloy pallets and completing sheet metal engineer- ing tasks. However, the design, manufacture, warehousing and selling of Nudge Bars and Bullbars has remained the core of what Ali Arc Industries does. The bulk of their products are sold through- out New Zealand in support of the truck and LCV motor industry sector. “We sell direct to the end-user customer, to OEM regional dealerships, to national LCV accessory providers, and in a few instances supply directly into National OEM warehouses. The aim being to make our accessories readily available so our customers can achieve a one stop shop experience”, says Haig. Keeping up with demand for their products can prove a logistical challenge. Often these days, people want a product immediately, and Haig says Ali Arc Industries usually can meet these demands through their relatively large ‘stock holdings’ of their most often requested products. However, he says given they can fabricate over 2500 different LCV accessories it is un - derstandable on occasions the customer may need to wait 4-5 days. Like many business operators Haig expect- ed demand for products to slow down post Covid last year, however quite the reverse has happened. “I certainly didn’t think the demand for our LCV accessories would grow at the rate it has over the last nine months – definitely not what we planned for.” Haig says a three-pronged strategic ap- proach is the way the company will continue to thrive and cope with increasing demands. “First we have and continue to employ good people. Secondly, we invest in our people, train them, and look after them and then by extension – their families. Thirdly, we are committed to increasing capacity by using technology. Haig sites his production manager as an example of what real investment results in. “He started at an entry level position and is now production manager, with all the techni- cal skills needed to succeed at that level and add real value to this company.” Since Covid, Haig says he’s shifted his focus for the next three years on ‘wellness’ in the holistic sense for his staff; acknowledging that wellness has other dimensions to it, rather than just physical. While effective commu - nication with all staff, having robust Health & Safety practices and continually assessing risks have been a strength within Ali Arc In- dustries, Haig believes focussing on ’wellness’ will assist future-proofing the company. “None of us know for sure what the im- mediate and near future will bring with the uncertainties that Covid has caused globally. So we just have to have in place, robust pro- cedures and processes, and then be flexible enough to adapt these, as conditions change.” Haig’s also proud of the company’s track-re- cord helping transition young people into work. They are part of a network of busi- nesses that support the Work Ready Passport programme. “The businesses in Whanganui are real- ly proactive about helping form pathways toward skilled employment across the whole raft of disciplines and we certainly play our part with this.” He is also all for New Zealanders making products in this country; getting back to a time before global economic realities forced New Zealand businesses to buy off-shore. “I think there’s a good future ahead for our country, but it will be dependent on having people, good people, prepared to work. Man- ufacturers, the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social Development, City and Regional councils will have a key role in making this happen. Here at Ali Arc Industries, having good people is seen as being central and critical to the future of our business.” Talk to us today, the feature profile experts Phone: 03 983 5500 waterfordpress.co.nz PROFILE YOUR PROJECT...  SUPPLIERS OF STAINLESS STEEL, ALUMINIUM, GALVANISED  MILD STEEL AND ZINCALUME SHEET  SHEET METAL WORKSHOP  FOR ANY STRUCTURAL SHEET METAL & FABRICATION  250 TON 4.1 MTR LONG DYE BRAKE PRESS WATER JET CUTTING MECHANICAL & ENGINEERING SERVICES LTD Call us 06 344 4108 or drop into ELITE at 437 Heads Rd, Wanganui enquiries@eliteengineering.co.nz | eliteengineering.co.nz MANUFACTURING