| 37 FromNZ to hundreds of countries Richard Loader The New Zealand Pump Company team. BUSINESS New Zealand Pump Company From small beginnings in a home garage and the development of a single product branded as Ezi-action® Drumpump, the New Zealand Pump Company (NZPC) is a showcase of Kiwi success and resilience through adversity. Over three decades NZPC has expanded significantly with the Ezi-action® range of products now being sold into 111 countries around the world. The story began when founder David Johns recognised the ability to create a drum pump by utilising design elements from the manual Shallow Well Pump. Admired for its operational simplicity, efficiency and durability the newly designed pump went on to win the Innovation of the Year award at the New Zealand Fieldays. Remaining the only fully serviceable drum pump in the market, its polypropylene construction means the pump can be used with almost any types of liquids and chemicals. Today NZPC has full production sites in Hamilton, and in California in the United States with a sales office in Staffordshire, England. Following successful careers in commercial banking and recognising the potential of NZPC, in 2019 Jeff Hitchcock, Greg Flower, and Martin Koers took the plunge and purchased the business. “Moving into a manufacturing environment and a product we knew little about was definitely a step into the deep-end,” says Jeff. “However we were attracted to the simplicity and quality of the products and their ability to be used across so many industries.” Less than 12 months into their ownership the spread of COVID-19 began to take impact on their business. As countries around the world began to lockdown with different rules enforced for each location, a dynamic and agile approach was required. “Originally we weren’t even sure if we were allowed to operate and we shut for a week while working with MBIE to seek clarification. However we continued to receive numerous requests from customers deemed Essential, seeking confirmation that our products would be available through lockdown,” explains Jeff. As Ezi-action® Drumpumps are compatible with Ethanol, NZPC saw a spike in orders for workplaces that were purchasing hand sanitiser and cleaning chemicals in bulk including a number of district health boards and healthcare providers. NZPC’s US site doubled its staffing to cope with the increased demand which brought additional complications as the owners worked to ensure the staff were kept as safe as possible. Get 10% OFF any office chair until May 31st, 2022 www.acta.nz Proudly supporting NZ Pump Company Order online and use the promo code: NZPUMP at the checkout Specialists in Accounting, Tax, Audit, Xero, Business Valuations and more 1026 Victoria Street, Hamilton 3200 PO Box 187, Waikato Mail Centre, Hamilton 3240 Phone: 07 839 2106 Email: Jamie.powell@pkfh.co.nz Proud to be associated with New Zealand Pump Company While a number of NZPC staff have been impacted with COVID-19 throughout the pandemic, strict safety protocols meant only two days of production were lost. “Working through the pandemic you awoke each day never sure what you were going to be walking into. But we knew we were one of the lucky ones to still be operating and as new owners it was a great way to test our supply chain and systems and processes. As a result, we’ve changed a few key suppliers and continue to hold higher stock levels so we can continue to support our customers going forward. Having operations across New Zealand, UK and the US has provided a competitive advantage. Being closer to customers means being able to deliver pumps to local customers faster than Chinese based competitors.” NZPC is in the process of completing a rebranding exercise that will be launched later in 2022 along with a suite of new sales tools to help both customers and distributors continue to grow around the world.
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