McKechnie Bros. plans $1.4M expansion

Press, 23 February 1977, Page 22

McKechnie Bros. plans $1.4M expansion

PA New Plymouth;! M c K e c h n i e Brothers! i (N.Z.), Ltd, plans to expand’ its copper tube manufacturing facilities in New Ply-9 mouth at a cost of SI.4M. The new development will’i double manufacturing capacity, and will introduce some of the most modern equipment available. Some major items of plant are being imported from the United Kingdom and the United States, but a substan-j tial portion will .be manufactured in New Zealand. i The central item of new: equipment will be a machine capable of drawing copper, tube in continuous lengths!' of several thousand feet, be-.-fore conversion into specified straight lengths or coils as required. Four buildings covering Iz.OOO sq. ft will be erected to house new equipment. Total manufacturing capacity at New Plymouth will greatly exceed New Zealand demand, and a substantial volume of tube made will be exported. The company has already; had significant success in! exporting copper tube, and' the new plant will provide

for substantial expansion of, its overseas markets. Work on the development: programme will start immediately, and will be com-’ missioned in a number of district stages. Planning will ensure that there is no disruption of' existing tube manufacturing facilities, and plant capacity’ will increase progressively as the various stages are completed. The whole development will be completed at the end of 1978. As announced. McKechnie Brothers more than doubled group net profit from ; $504,805 to $1,106,465 in the! year to July 31.