Garage innovation opens market doors globally

By Rod Oram

Why the world's most sophisticated remote control garage door opener is made in Christchurch (and the doors to go with it) is a story typical of successful niche New Zealand manufacturers.

Advanced Door Systems, well-known in Australasia for its Dominator brand, was established by Trevor Bills 11 years ago.

He took the plunge because he was frustrated by the lack of innovation in the large corporate he worked for, which was then a leading garage door maker.

He contracted a young electronics engineer in Christchurch, who took 15 months to develop the world's first fully electronic remote door opener.

Together they have kept up the pace of innovation, offering products which are not even available in the United States, such as remotes wired to car headlights.

Flashing the lights activates the remote in a sequence of up to four actions. One flash might open, say, the gate and two open the garage door.

One particular quirk has allowed them to prosper as a niche manufacturer: garage doors are needed in an infinite range of sizes thanks to the whims of architects and builders.

The company has invested heavily in machinery to enable it to assemble a custom-ordered, coated metal, multi-panel door in six minutes.

This efficiency and sophistication allows it to compete in Australia, its main export market. Other markets are as far afield as South Africa, Ireland, Israel and Saudi Arabia.

"I'd like to export to more countries but it's a big cost going there to develop them," says Mr Bills. Moreover, he is up against Australian competitors who get financial assistance from their Government.

"The whole key is being world-competitive. We're smart enough to be able to do it."

But the biggest constraint on his business is the sheer competitiveness of the New Zealand and Australian markets. As a result, the company has insufficient cashflow to develop all its ideas. The problem was compounded by a period of a high kiwi dollar which caused sales to plateau for a couple of years. With the dollar's fall, growth has resumed.

The company's success encapsulates the contrast between the closed and open New Zealand economy.

The plant in which 70 people make thousands of garage doors for export is the same place where once 400 people made Healing bicycles behind tariff walls.