Ten years is a lifetime for some businesses, but Brother is still growing strong after making a major move from Wellington to Tauranga in 2014 – a gamble that has paid off.
Overall, the company has evolved since becoming a Tauranga-based enterprise, expanding into new markets and product categories, Brother NZ’s managing director, Warwick Beban, confirms.
“We’ve developed a huge ecosystem of partners, resellers, distributors and retailers who take our products into the market and we have developed great resilience and diversity. I believe we have shown that the Bay provides an excellent environment for both businesses and the people in those businesses to grow and thrive,” he says.
“Above all, we are focused on delivering an outstanding experience to the tens of thousands of individuals and businesses using our products. We see a very bright and positive future for our business.”
Since becoming one of just a few businesses at the Tauriko Business Estate a decade ago, the company’s team has witnessed much growth, as Brother’s COO, Manuel Efaraimo, recalls.
“When we first moved in, there were no food outlets – there was a caravan that sold pies and sausage rolls, a Caltex up the hill and that was it,” he says.
“Maybe some other businesses saw us relocate and saw a benefit to it as well. I don’t know if that is the case or not, but we’ve shared with other businesses how we did it, answered some of their questions, and they’ve subsequently moved in too.”
Relocating was no easy task, however moving closer to customers and transport links, including the Port of Tauranga, proved a major attraction for the company.
The cost factor helped tip the scales in favour of Bay of Plenty, Efaraimo says. Tauranga was 30 per cent cheaper than staying in Wellington and 60% cheaper than moving to Auckland.
“At the time we could see the beginning of the Golden Triangle developing. Transport companies were increasing their focus on the general area,” he confirms.
“Tauranga gave us proximity to connective infrastructure, as it was still close enough to Auckland, the advantage of being cheaper and [it was] also a city that we thought our staff would want to live in.”
Losing staff was a major concern as the Brother team considered relocating. And yet, all but one of Brother’s 39 people invited to move with the company embraced the opportunity.
“It was about bringing everyone with us on the journey. There was a real family feel to [local] culture and so that was how it was managed. It’s a great place to live and work and it’s been good for our business.”
The move also proved beneficial in meeting sustainability goals – Brother’s emissions have been reduced substantially, in no small part due to a decrease in freight emissions.
