Twenty-two years later, it provides 80% of the line-marking market in New Zealand, produces robots, and has expanded into horticulture.
At the awards, run by Business Whanganui Chamber of Commerce, Fleet Line Markers NZ took home the supreme award, as well as the gold award for innovation, and manufacturing and engineering.
Fleet Line Markers NZ’s most recent ventures have been moving into robotics and horticulture.
In March 2024, the Fleet Line Marking Robot was revealed in collaboration with Wrybill Robotics in Palmerston North and Metalform in Dannevirke.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon visiting Whanganui Collegiate School to look at robotic line machine created by Fleet Line Markers. Johan Potgieter (left, director of Wrybill Robotics) shows Luxon how to control it while John Carr (right) owner of FLM looks on.
“It’s a real cool regional New Zealand story,” Carr said.
Full production of the robots is planned to start in March 2025.
Fleet Horticulture is currently working with a Hawke’s Bay orchard with 470km of trees.
In the horticulture sector, orchards will use white plastic sheets to help reflect sunlight on to the fruit to allow faster ripening, but placing 470km of plastic is time-consuming.
According to Carr, Fleet came up with an alternative, to spray white paint, which is faster and cuts labour costs by up to 50%.
“Our core values are ‘dream, believe, create, succeed’, and that’s the vision of everything we’re trying to create.”
After a period of research, innovation and product development, Carr is ready to focus on delivering their new products to the market.
The growth from sales representative to CEO has been a jump for Carr: “Coming from me being the guy who did sales and mixed the paint, to now driving the ship and having a whole team with marketing, accounts and manufacturing and sales reps, it’s been one hell of a journey.”
Fleet Line Makers NZ now exports to the Pacific Islands and South America, with manufacturing in the United States and China.
“All of the hard work and all the hours in the background [have] been recognised by the Whanganui business community. It’s pretty special.
“I’m just super-proud of what my team has achieved and it’s such an awesome recognition for them, for all the hard work and passion they’ve put in to it,” he said.
The Whanganui Business Awards ceremony was held in the War Memorial Hall, with the pre-event at the newly reopened Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery.
The ceremony was hosted by journalist Mike McRoberts.
Journalist and Whanganui Business Awards emcee Mike McRoberts with Business Whanganui – Chamber of Commerce chief executive Helen Garner. Photo / Alanah Brown Photography
“The Whanganui Business Awards are a celebration of the extraordinary talent, resilience, and innovation within our community,” Business Whanganui chief executive Helen Garner said.
