Eltham business supplies worldwide
Thirty years ago John Burling would create one coupling at a time, selling each piece and using the money to create more.
Today, his engineering business, which creates more than 3000 products and services the world, has been recognised.
In October Eltham-based Carac Group won the monthly New Zealand Made Hero Award, which highlights companies who not only do a good job promoting the New Zealand Made status but have excelled in other commercial areas.
Throughout the year companies like Swazi and Resene also won a hero award, and now the 12 nominees will be in the running to win the New Zealand Made Ultimate Hero Award.
Sonia Kiser, Burling’s daughter who does marketing and HR for Carac Group, said she hoped they were in with a shot.
‘‘We export to the world, and we still make everything here,’’ Kiser said.’’It’s the only place in New Zealand that you can come here, you can draw up something, and you can even have it zinc plated at the end of it - so whatever steel, rock, plastic, you name it, we can make it.’’
Carac Group is best known for its trailer couplings - which Burling created nearly 30 years ago and track grips.
‘‘The world is our market.’’
John Burling
‘‘The trailer couplings are now in the USA, Europe, South America, Australia, New Zealand,’’ Kiser said.’’Then we’ve got a track grip now which you put on tractor vehicles for extra traction, so in the snow and the mud people just park their diggers up and now they can put these on.
‘‘We sell those into the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand.
‘‘And in America we’re well known for our quality here in New Zealand, especially with our no.8 wire, we’ve got a fix it, can do attitude.’’
Burling said the hero award was the first nation award they had received, and he hoped they could take out the ultimate award due to their international interest.
‘‘Taranaki is very small for us, the world is our market,’’ he said. Kiser agreed.
‘‘To win the hero award was awesome and to win the next one would be amazing,’’ she said. ‘‘You’ve got the big brands that everyone knows about, and everyone uses, but here we’ve got the innovation and a bit of difference.’’
To vote for Carac Group to win the New Zealand Made Ultimate Hero Award go to www.carac.nz