Beckhoff Automation has strengthened its commitment in the Asian-Pacific region with the establishment of a new subsidiary in New Zealand.
The new Beckhoff office is located in Albany, the new technology center of Auckland.
Neil Pearce, an experienced automation expert, has taken on the job of managing the new branch office.
Fifty-six percent of the total turnover from the Germany-based Beckhoff Automation was accounted for by exports in 2011.
“This positive result bears out our strategy of continually expanding our international presence through the establishment of strong subsidiary companies,” says Kai Ristau, Head of International Sales and Business Development at Beckhoff.
The Economist recently profiled Germany's economic prowess and singled out Beckhoff as as case in point. This is what the report had to say: "Omnipresent but obscure, family owned but by no means puny, Beckhoff is among thousands of “hidden champions” that account for much of Germany’s prowess as a manufacturer and exporter.
"Its sales leapt 34% to €465 million (A$560million) last year. It is aiming for €2 billion (A$2.4 billion) by 2020. Beckhoff exports more than half its output. But its manufacturing is mainly in high-wage, rule-bound Germany.
"Largely thanks to its Beckhoffs, Germany looks like a bright exception to the dispiriting rule among developed economies." [Ref – The Economist: What Germany offers the world.]
“Although New Zealand is primarily known for tourism and agriculture, there is an interesting industrial structure that is ideal for our products, such as food processing, the timber and paper industry, the textile industry, machine building as well as means of transport, logistics, mining etc.,” Kai Ristau adds.
“New Zealand’s dynamic economic growth, particularly in the automation market, has prompted Beckhoff to increase its local commitment in order to gain new customers and tap into new fields of business.”
(L-R): Kai Ristau, Head of International Sales and Business Development at Beckhoff Automation; Neil Pearce, Country Manager of Beckhoff New Zealand; Steven Sischy, Managing Director of Beckhoff Australia and Hans Beckhoff, Managing Director and Owner of Beckhoff Automation.
Beckhoff automation technology has been represented in New Zealand since 2000 by the distributor CSE W. Arthur Fisher.
“With the opening of our own Beckhoff New Zealand branch office in January 2012, we aim to intensify our business activities and improve sales support to our customers as well as technical support and service,” says Neil Pearce, Country Manager of Beckhoff New Zealand.
Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand in terms of population, is home to mechanical engineering companies from the most diverse branches of industry as well as to system integrators and OEM customers.