RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE
A lifetime of innovative thinking Maurice Wooster received two pieces of advice from the legendary Sir Len Southward, of Southward
Robertson Engineering factory in Upper Hutt and they’re part of the reason Strainrite was formed in the first place.
Then one day, while fencing his own
Engineering years ago.
Innovation wasn’t the buzzword it is now during his farming childhood, but he says it was a highly innovative and creative environment to grow up in, where finding ways to improve something and make it easier to use was part and parcel of everyday life.
– robust, reliable fencing essentials
Such an approach has not only underpinned Strainrite’s growth, but continues to drive the success of NZ’s primary sector as a whole, “We need to value our know-how and innovation,” Maurice says.
wire strainer is still going strong,
Maurice and his team had already cemented their reputation nationwide, manufacturing high quality running gear for meat processors and spring steel blades for agricultural machinery.
the 1980s, is internationally known
“He said you need to concentrate on making the hinge, not the door. He also said if you can manufacture something a little bit better than someone else, you won’t spend a fortune trying to market it.” Maurice was a former schoolboy fencer, raised to turn his hand to anything on mid—Canterbury farms. He was a production engineering cadet and became the head of his own manufacturing workshop by his early 20s and he remains guided by this lifetime of knowledge and experience to this day. They’re behind every piece of Strainrite fencing equipment that comes out of the
farm, he realised the company’s next diversification was right in front of him designed to work better and make the job easier for farmers and contractors in any way possible. “We started with a wire strainer and went from there,” Maurice says. Fast forward to 2021 and the but is just one of hundreds of products in the Strainrite range. The company remains among the few New Zealand manufacturers to survive import deregulation in and has just invested over $1 million in new plant and equipment to keep up with demand. Maurice did briefly dip a toe into offshore manufacturing for one line of products many years ago. However, the result was so inconsistent with Strainrite’s quality reputation that it only confirmed what he believed all along – that reliable New Zealand-made equipment, designed in collaboration with Kiwi fencers and farmers is the only way to go. Today more than 60 people, including six designers and product developers, work at Strainrite, focusing on continual improvement of its fencing equipment range. For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.
| Maurice Wooster places a lot of emphasis on valuing the know-how and innovation of his team.
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