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Thrown in the deep end
PARTNERSHIP
ITM has been an Exclusive Supplier to Emirates Team New Zealand since 2018, providing materials for remodelling the Viaduct Events Centre, and the North Shore base where the team is building the boats in preparation for the defence of the 36th America’s Cup. Here’s what’s been happening behind the scenes.
North Shore, so I had to support their timeline,” says Lorraine. “As it turned out, the schedule gave me five days to get in the product they required, much of it being specialty products that we don’t typically stock. It was a major challenge to source what they required from multiple suppliers, but we made it happen on time."
Thrown in the deep end Lorraine didn't know one end of a boat from the other when a group of boat builders and sailors turned up at Albany ITM in 2018. “I told them, I’m not a boatie person, never have been. I get seasick looking at a postcard of rough water.” So when she took on the central role in the ITM supply channel supporting Emirates Team New Zealand for the America’s Cup defence, it was, well a challenge. “My General Manager said, 'Hey, you’re it, you’re in charge, make sure you see them right'.”
Building the base “The team had a two-month time frame to establish their boat-building facility in a warehouse on the
“A lot of it was specific to the actual boat building, not just the building of the base. It was really specialist product that you don’t get from a timber merchant. And they were large quantities. It was a big learning curve for me.”
