GRAND OPENING: Gerry Brownlee and Scarlett Hydraulics managing director Paul Bowman celebrate the opening of the new Washdyke site.
Timaru business Scarlett Hydraulics has secured a lucrative $1 million deal with a Chinese group.
Chief executive Shane Brookland announced the one-off sale at the opening of the firm's new Washdyke site
yesterday.
Mr Brookland said the deal, which included the shipment of a 12-metre container of hydraulic equipment to a
Chinese tanning industry, was finalised late last year.
"It has certainly been very hectic," he said. "I think the novelty of this deal is that we are shipping innovative, top-ofthe-
line equipment to China.
"We are offering them a level of expertise and experience that they cannot get from anywhere else in the world.
"We built up a relationship with this buyer through a previous consultant and it is an example of what can be done
through hard work, even from a business based in Canterbury."
Mr Brookland said the company had "done a lot of planning" going into the recession.
"We have invested in the new building and kept our staff at the same levels ... It has been difficult for some of our
Timaru customers, but we will continue to stay committed to them."
Scarlett Hydraulics was opened in 1984 in Timaru, and now employs more than 20 people.
The company also has a branch in Christchurch. Paul Bowman, who started the business, remains its general
manager. He said he had been delighted with the way it had grown.
He employed Mr Brookland as a "store-boy" in 1993, and had watched him come up through the ranks ever since.
"Apparently he got here on a cold-call. To this day, I still don't know how he got a hold of us."
Economic Development Minister Gerry Brownlee said he was hugely impressed with the company's achievements.
"The recent sale speaks volumes. The Government has stated that we will aim to catch up with Australia in GDP by
2025, and in order to achieve this, we need a lot more success stories like this throughout the country. While the
business has already been around for 25 years, I think we are only seeing the beginning of its growth."
Original article provided at
www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/3568530/Scarletts-China-deal-crowns-success-run
