Enatel, a manufacturer of electric chargers for material handling gear like forklifts and airport ground support equipment, opened its 8,000+ square metre plant in Christchurch on Wednesday.
US firm Ideal Industries has owned the company since 2018.
“We export 95% of what we make, and we’re the only manufacturer of our kind in Australasia,” Enatel general manager Mike Clifford said.
“It gives us plenty of capacity for the next 15-20 years – we built it with that in mind,” he said.
“Also, from an engineering perspective – because we do all our design here – we have a facility that is structured and set up for us to continue to develop products into the future.”
Enatel’s main export market has been the United States, but Clifford noted the company is eyeing further expansion into Europe while maintaining a foothold in the Asia-Pacific region.
Enatel described the new factory—located beside Christchurch Airport—as a strong vote of confidence from Ideal.
“We’re one of only a handful of employers doing high-tech engineering like this locally, so we invest heavily in developing our people and keeping talent in New Zealand,” Clifford said.
Ideal Industries CEO Chris Baldwin stated that Enatel is well-positioned to capitalise on rising demand for renewable power through its battery-charging technology.
“It’s been built with future growth in mind,” Baldwin said.