Who is Pacific Helmets
Why Wanganui
How big is the company
What are the products manufactured
About Wanganui
The company is owned by family interests belonging to Chairman/CEO David and his wife Marion Bennett . They have been involved with the business since 1978 and owned the company since 1982. Initially the factory was built to manufacture motorcycle helmets during the time of the oil crises of the 1970’s. By the mid 1980’ s the company had won the tender to build fire helmets for the NZ Fire Service and now the product range is almost entirely focussed on safety helmets for emergency services.
In the last 20 years, an international distribution network has been built up in most countries, and in excess of 90% of production is exported. Very close relationships have been formed with both distributors and in many cases, the end users of the helmets for they are totally dependant on supplies for the safety of their crews.
The company HQ and production facilities are based in Wanganui because the original owners were Suzuki New Zealand who is also based in this city. The factory is completely self-sufficient with R & D and manufacturing facilities all under one roof. The vast majority of the components in the helmets are manufactured and assembled on-site from raw materials or special injection moulded plastic items made nearby.
Direct staff number vary between 60 – 80 depending on contracts, and some long serving staff are now just reaching 20 years employment. There is a real sense of team commitment to the products manufactured and because of the service of so many staff; a huge degree of product knowledge is contained in the experiences of these staff.
As a Privately owned business the company does not disclose turnover figures, but this year the company expects to manufacture around 70,000 helmets of all types rising in the next two years to possibly 100,000 units. Most years, deliveries are made to between 40 – 50 countries, with some distributors receiving consignments on a weekly basis, others only occasionally.
While Pacific Helmets has traditionally kept focussed only on the design and manufacture of safety helmets it does sell some other accessories that have a direct relationship to the helmet. Many of the distributors on the other hand, offer a range of equipment for emergency services, of which the helmet is only one item. For some key distributors the helmet sales constitute more than 50% of their turnover, so the relationship they have with the factory in New Zealand is pivotal to their business.
What are the products manufactured?
The company is probably best known for its PACIFIC structural fire helmets which appear regularly on TV news, but the range of helmets is extremely wide. By far the greater number of helmets go to ambulance, USAR, bushfire, other rescue and some high risk industrial applications.
The PACIFIC products have some unique features and the range of design is so diverse that it has become quite a complex that it becomes quite hard to keep up with the changes. Many services request special design, features or colours on helmets, and the customisation of product to individual requirements is a feature of the brand.
There are numerous safety Standards involved either with the performance of safety helmets or the designs thereof, (some 40 in all) and the successful applicant will need to become familiar with many of these.
The city and surrounding areas are one of New Zealand’s best-kept secrets and a lot of residents want to keep it that way. It was once a standing joke that 3 cars in a row was a traffic jam, but its actually recently got worse than that – its now about 8 cars! It’s a city where many people still go home for lunch and because it’s one of New Zealand’s oldest European settlements has a unique history, architecture and civic amenities. There are many families with 4 and 5 generations history living here.
The commercial side of Wanganui is sufficiently large to provide most of the support services an international company such as ours requires – materials supplies, engineering, injection moulding, consulting and professional advisors etc. It’s known as a centre with several important large businesses including a number known for their unique and innovative products. In terms of exports as a percentage of total sales, Pacific probably has the highest ratio of export sales of any, but there are many other leading companies based here.
Property prices have risen rapidly in recent years, but compared to other larger cites remain very reasonable. Recent average house selling prices are now around $185,000 although for modern executive housing this would be below realistic purchase prices in many instances depending on the suburb.
Wanganui has excellent schooling (both State, Private and Christian schools) and a branch of the Palmerston North UCOL. Massey University is 50 minutes drive away. The city has excellent sport facilities, cultural and other amenities including several daily direct air links to Auckland.
Regional recreational opportunities include Lake Taupo (2.5 hours drive) Tongiraro National Park (around 1.5 hours depending on which ski area) and the Wanganui River National Park is on the doorstep. Manfield race track is 40 minutes drive and Wellington is less than 2.5 hours drive making day trips both possible and easy driving.
Families moving from larger NZ cities or from large overseas centres are often fearful if the cultural shock of living in a provincial centre. The reality is often very different, and after a settling-in stage, it is hard to get people to move out because the pace of life becomes very congenial.
