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Blake Noble is launching a quarterly networking event, After-5s with Transcon.
Jane Warren says freight availability and a lack of skilled labour are the two biggest challenges to local industry.
Warkworth has been an incubator for growing large businesses and despite challenges, local firms say the town is well poised to overtake Silverdale and rival South Auckland.
Dixon Manufacturing has grown from being a small ladder business at the Cement Works to a production powerhouse based in the former cheese factory on Woodcocks Road.
Since the business was taken over by Jane Warren and Andrew Wilkes in 2006, it has transformed from a $300,000 a year business to $3 million in 2020.
They have gone from employing a team of two to 22.
Jane says Warkworth’s strategic location between Auckland, Whangarei and Maungaturoto has been key to growth.
“Our advantage over China’s low-cost manufacturing industry is lower shipping costs and skilled workers producing a higher quality product,” she says.
“If there are any problems we can also go on site and fix them because we are not far away.”
Although Dixon’s ladders are still a flagship product because of their reputation for quality in the marine world, it is now only a small part of the business.
Dixon’s produces articles for everything from marinas to milk sheds and playgrounds.
It recently completed a giant swing in Queenstown and an art installation by Michael Parakowhai at Te Papa in Wellington.
The company is about to invest in a third water jet cutter that will allow it to cut faster and from bigger materials.
Jane says one of the major challenges is a lack of a trained workforce, and the company has had to bring in workers from Turkey, Bangladesh and India.
But in recent times, Dixon has taken on four new apprentices, thanks in part to money from the Government’s 2020 budget.
Meanwhile, Warkworth freight company Transcon is celebrating its 50th year in business.
It started as a rural carrier moving items such as feed and fertiliser, but now thrives on the area’s manufacturing and agricultural industry.
Transcon operates a fleet of 15 trucks, including four that have dedicated customer branding.
Managing director Blake Noble says the business has been built entirely on the growth of the area, servicing local businesses.
“If it comes out of Warkworth, we want to touch it. Our service helps customers get their product to market, whether that’s in Auckland or Azerbaijan,” Blake says.
“We are local, so if the proverbial hits the fan then you can call the actual business owner and find a solution.”
This year, Blake is prototyping a new service called Transcon Direct which will allow customers to track where their goods are on the road.
He is reluctant to provide too much detail, but says it may also allow customers to synchronise their deliveries to enable them to share space on a truck, thereby reducing costs.
Looking at the future, Blake says the big challenge in Warkworth to industrial growth is land availability, but he sees Wellsford as an opportunity.
“Wellsford is crying out for a large employer for it to kick off as a manufacturing hub,” he says.
“It could be similar to Pokeno, south of Auckland, where dairy factories and large manufacturers have created more than 1000 jobs.”
Starting this week, Transcon is hosting a new quarterly networking event to help businesses share information and opportunities in the post-Covid world.
The first After-5s with Transcon event is this Thursday, July 2, at Matakana Botanicals at 5.30pm.
