...Public urged to buy N.Z.

Press, 6 May 1980, Page 25

...Public urged to buy N.Z.

Dr Chin Wong, from Batugajah, Malaysia, came to Canterbury University on the Colombo Plan and took a PhD in • electrical engineering in 1972. Because he was bonded to the Malaysian government, he returned to his

country to work for Malaysian Radio and TV. He went into industry in Malaysia for two years and a half, and in 1976 came back to Christchurch, partly for more suitable work, partly for family reasons — he had married a New Zealander while at university here and she wanted to return. He joined Wormaids as the manager of their controls division in 1976. “The division consisted of just one person, me effectively,” he says. Today there are 16 professional engineers and programmers in the section, called “Wormaid Vigilant,” and about 40 people working in the factory, making micro-processors for fire brigades, signalling and building services control — a system which monitors heating ventilation, air conditioning, and security. “It locks up in the evening and even decides whether a person should be admitted.”

The price of the system ranges from SlO,OOO to $200,000. A number of power boards in the country have bought it; two of the biggest systems have been bought by National Mutual in Auckland — six buildings round the cityare monitored from one office — and the Hutt Valley Electric Power Board — one system controls all the sub-stations in the Hutt Valley. The Building Services Control System, as it is called, has also been sold to Australia; one has been quoted for Singapore, and Dr Wong hopes to sell it in Britain — “anywhere.” he says. A system is being prepared for a Christchurch bank at present. It is not the only one of its type in the world but it is filling a gap in the market — “our range of equipment is targeted on the $20,000 - $30,000 mark*’ — and it is competitive on the world market.

When he started at Wormaids, Dr Wong says he had "no idea” of what he would do. “The first thing is to identify a market and then to obtain management support. Having done that, we began to develop the system and to engage new engineers and programmers interested in developing or applying engineering training — otherwise they go overseas. “The New Zealanders have the talent to do it, but often they don’t have the opportunity. Always the first few systems are more expensive — after that, not so much. We can be competitive on the world market. “There are lots of things we could get into. It’s just a matter of finding out what New Zealand organisations or customers will require in the next few years and try to meet their needs.” The Government could help, he believes, by convincing people that it is in New Zealanders’ own interests to buy New Zea-, land-designed systems and “generally to encourage it.” It would create employment, reduce the “brain drain,” and cut down on overseas spending. “The Government is trying to help local industry. The difficulty still is the attitude to buying New Zealand goods, whether in the Government or the commercial sector.” Despite the success the system already has, it is still “very tough going” trying to sell it to New Zealand customers, Dr Wong says. “They always think something’s better if it comes from overseas, We start with this disadvantage. If the price is really good — much lower than overseas prices — you have got a chance. So much more effort has to go into selling because of this.”