Commercial Money-making likely to change hands

Press, 13 April 1978, Page 20

Commercial Money-making likely to change hands

By

JOHN ROSS

in London

Thomas De La Rue and Sons, the world’s biggest bank-note printer, has reacted with extreme caution to the news that one of its main competitors, Bradbury Wilkinson and Company, Ltd, hopes to build a printing factory at Onerahi, Whangarei. Although it is well known that De La Rue has for many years printed New Zealand’s bank notes, a company spokesman was not even prepared to confirm that.

When the Government announced that Bradbury Wilkinson hoped to build the factory, it said that favourable consideration would be given' to placing future bank note orders with the firm, bearing in mind the advantages in local production and the large saving in foreign exchange.

Asked whether he was concerned that the New Zealand contract might be lost: by his firm, the De La Ruej spokesman declined to com-; ment. However, the loss of! I the contract in such a highly I competitive field would 'obviously be keenly felt.

The managing director and chief executive of Bradbury Wilkinson (Mr J. B. Field), who will visit New Zealand next month, said that New Zealand had not originally been on the list of possible sites for the factory. He had been looking at sites in Australia, but it had been suggested there that he should have a look at New Zealand. Before deciding on Whangarei, he had also considered sites at Auckland, Wanganui, Christchurch, and Dunedin. From a security point of view New Zealand was well placed. It had a wellregulated. well-organised stable society, with efficient police and good control at ports and airports.

Whangarei could provide adequate space for security controls such as fencing, I observation posts, and flood- | lighting. It had a good rei serve of labour, good housiing, and reasonable transport by road, rail, and sea. Mr Field said his firm, which specialised in security printing — bank notes, travellers’ -cheques, chequebooks, and lottery tickets — for 50 to 60 countries, would bring in one or two people from overseas, but the workforce, ultimately of 200, would be recruited locally. Many people would be trained up to craftsman status in skills which did not now exist in New Zealand. He wanted to reassure New Zealanders on two points, Mr Field said: Hie factory would not be 1

“another Stalag 17.” The security equipment would be installed and used discreetly, and would be similar to that used by any large bank; and Bradbury Wilkinson had no intention of taking business from other New Zealand: firms. It was not, for, example contemplating print-! ing cheques, because four! firms in New Zealand were: already involved in that field.!