Orica Deliver Powder Coated Promise

Pioneers in a highly specialist industry, Orica Powder and Industrial Coatings have lived up to their motto “Deliver the Promise” and been presented with the Westpac Supreme Award in the 11^th annual Westpac Enterprise North Shore Business Excellence Awards.

 

And fitting with the three strands of their Promise, they also collected both the Smales Farm Excellence in Environmental Management Award and the Eco Insulation Excellence in Design, Research and Development Award.

 

Glenfield-based Orica Powder & Industrial Coatings is a manufacturer of a wide range of powder coatings which are under the Dulux brand in Australia and New Zealand. It has taken this impressive company just six years to attain a 50% market share by dealing with a superior products and innovative marketing.

 

Sounds good – but how does it affect the average New Zealander? A question Orica Sales Manager, Gary Seddon, has a ready answer to; “Most people have heard of powder coating but don’t really understand how ubiquitous it is. I can walk into any-one’s house and pretty much guarantee to find something powder coated. For example, aluminium windows, steel furniture, letter boxes, taps, appliances, BBQs, bikes, lawnmowers – the list is endless. Every single metal manufacturing industry in some way has their products powder coated.”

 

The very common application of powder coating is one of the key reasons that Orica stands out – through customer choice. They have the most extensive range of colours of any powder coater; important when you’re trying to match things perfectly around the house!

 

The Orica Promise starts with “No injury to any-one, ever” – and with the enviable and impressive record of more than four and a half years without a recordable injury it’s not all together surprising that they were also placed as a finalist in the ACC Workplace Safety category.

 

The company commitment to the second strand of the promise - “Value people and the environment” - was clearly recognised with judge Coral Ingley saying “Orica has a thorough and comprehensive approach to environmental commitment on an organisation-wide basis, with formal processes in place to ensure this is ongoing. The company uses recognised national and international-equivalent standards for benchmarking and compliance and is impressively innovative in seeking new uses for otherwise waste products”.

 

From humble beginnings with just 3 employees in 1990, General Manager Graeme Squire says “We now employ 67 people in NZ, more than 60 of whom live on the North Shore. Since 50% of our business is exporting – half to Australia and half to Asia – we also have a permanent sales person in Singapore”. 

 

Mr Squire says “the real turning point for Orica came ten years ago when we purchased our major competitor; they were based on the North Shore and that’s how we came to be a proud Shore based business ourselves. Since then our major success and growth can be attributed to significant research and development”

 

An opinion the Judging team wholeheartedly share as they selected Orica Powder and Industrial Coatings for the Eco Insulation Design, Research and Development Award – a new category for 2008 sponsored by the Westpac Supreme Winner from 2007. This fits completely with the third strand of the Orica promise; “Think differently, deliver swiftly and capture the value”. 

 

After five years of research and development using in-house chemists - along with support from students provided by Auckland University - Orica has patented a process they call “RPP”. RPP enables waste paint, waste powder coating and chipped waste construction and demolition timber to be converted into a commercially saleable board with some very special properties.

 

A fully operational RPP manufacturing plant will eliminate more than 16,000 tones of these waste products going to landfill per year – a significant combination of innovation, research and development and contribution to our future environment.

 

Mr Squire says that the Orica culture is team initiated and staff owned. With a motto “Run the business as though it’s your own”, it’s not surprising to hear they celebrate success as a team and success as individuals.

 

Convenor of the Judges, Matthew Bellingham, summed up “Orica epitomises what it means to be a business of excellence.  They are a well capitalised, strongly governed company with a real commitment to the North Shore.  The company has invested heavily in plant, people and technology. Orica is truly an excellent company and a deserving winner of the Westpac Supreme Award.”

Congratulating Orica and the other category award winners, Westpac General Manager Business Banking Ian Blair, said the class of 2008 was unique in two ways. 

“In eleven years of these Awards, this year's entries are absolutely outstanding for their calibre and quality - and they come from a wide range of businesses.  We are delighted as joint principal sponsor with the well deserved recognition for Orica” says Mr Blair.  

“These Awards clearly illustrate that the environmental and economic future of the North Shore is in excellent hands.”

Enterprise North Shore Chief Executive Terry Hoskins paid tribute to all businesses who took part and helped to make the 2008 Awards the largest and most successful yet.

Mr Hoskins acknowledged the investment in both time and effort required to enter the Awards and while only a few can win, feedback from entrants in 2008 shows there are significant benefits to everyone who enters.

“The simple entry process offers an opportunity for business owners to focus on, rather than in, their business, often providing clarity on existing strengths and enabling the entire team to celebrate achievement.” he says.

“The record number of entries proves that North Shore businesses are actively striving for excellence boosting our economy as they create employment opportunities and wealth for the community. We will be watching the 2008 winners with interest over the next few years.”

 

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