Cold call to US opens lucrative door

By ELLEN READ

A cold call to Harley-Davidson in the United States has helped an Albany firm more than double its annual turnover.

Acting on the off-chance, Mascot Diecasters boss Max Wagner got the direct dial phone number for a Harley-Davidson staffer and placed a call.

He was a little surprised to find the "staffer" was in fact one of the company's directors, but his nerve paid off and he was put through to the correct person.

The result - a US$4 million to US$5 million ($7 million to $9 million) a year supply contract to manufacture after-market engine parts for the US motorcycle manufacturer.

"People in the industry are extremely impressed when they hear we're working with Harley-Davidson, as the company's known for its exacting standards," Wagner said.

In particular, he said, attaining QS9000 certification - with the help of an Industry New Zealand grant - means Mascot is considered an approved supplier by multinational companies involved in the automotive and other industries.

"It has assisted us in opening up new markets and we plan to substantially expand our business in Europe and North America as a result," he says.

"Already, we are working on two additional contracts for North America and Europe and expect these to materialise by the third quarter".

One contract safely signed already is supplying automotive parts to Hitachi Remy Automotive, a new partnership between major United States and Japanese multinational corporations.

This means Mascot products will be part of every Nissan car made in Europe and North America - a total of around 1.25 million cars a year.

Mascot's workforce will rise from 70 to over 100.

Prime Minister Helen Clark opened the company's new, larger premises on Friday.