Fisher & Paykel Appliances staff in Dunedin are producing world leading technology for cookware and dishwashers.
Staff numbers are rising and increasingly, overseas people come looking for work. Product design manager Richard Butler takes business editor Dene Mackenzie and photographer Gregor Richardson on a tour.
Stepping into the Fisher & Paykel Appliances design centre above the Wall Street mall, in Dunedin, is somewhat disconcerting.
While shoppers happily go about their browsing, about 150 people above them are glued to their computer screens designing products which will be seen in houses and gardens around the world.
Not only do the design staff and engineers design kitchen products and dishwashers in Dunedin, they also design outdoor kitchens destined for the very lucrative American market.
The outdoor kitchens, which include a barbecue, grill, cupboards, a dishwasher and many other features, were popular in California, Nevada, Arizona and Texas - dry climates, F&P product design manager Richard Butler said.
The day the Otago Daily Times visited the design facility, it was raining in F&P's outdoor facility. But the products were still on display and Mr Butler said they were becoming more popular in New Zealand and Australia.
''In the dry climates, it is standard to have an outdoor kitchen. The market is very competitive and we send designers, engineers and managers to understand the market and customers.''
F&P bought a California company DCS and brought the brand and design back to Dunedin, he said.
F&P has expanded its once cramped operation to encompass the former Penroses Building. But the squeeze could be on again soon as Mr Butler seeks to increase staff numbers to about 200.
''We have had tangible growth and we had to grow our premises to fit more people in so we can do more work.''
Recent recruits had included people from Australia. A few years ago, no one was coming from Australia, but now there were steady inquiries.
Mostly, designers and engineers were recruited and about 80% of those people came from out of Dunedin.
It used to be a challenge to attract people to Dunedin but now they came to New Zealand and Dunedin for a variety of reasons, depending on their stage of life.
Young people were attracted to job opportunities offered by the company and people with families were attracted to the job, schools and the lifestyle of living in Dunedin.
''People come to New Zealand, they look at Auckland and say 'we don't want to live there as it is too close to what we left'. We are an option.''
Graduates mainly came from Canterbury and Auckland. Every year, F&P targeted graduates from Canterbury University, Mr Butler said.
''It's not a Dunedin thing but a South Island thing. We really value Canterbury graduates. And Auckland graduates - I am one,'' he quickly added.
When recruits came from the United States and India, they had usually looked up F&P online. When they did, they liked what they saw, he said.
In Australia, designers knew the company and were drawn by what they knew F&P could do.
''Our approach to design is recognised as desirable. People are interested in our design centre. We make real products for real people.
''I am thrilled we are meeting our aggressive recruitment targets. Some years we go for 25 recruits and stop. I am pleased how we attract people here; it's something of a surprise.''
Asked if the wage and salary rates paid by F&P were part of the attraction, Mr Butler said they were only part of the equation. Most recruits were attracted to the work.
However, the company faced its challenges. It wanted to grow as a business and grow its existing work and take on more work. But F&P, in Dunedin, always got more work than it could do.
''We are always asked: 'Can you do it quickly and can you do more?'
''Growth can be sustained and we have a five year plan to increase design staff by 40% by 2018.''
There was capacity in the expanded premises to have 200 design staff.
The workforce was stable. Attrition was expected from some of the mobile young graduates, but compared with the Auckland centre, Dunedin had a ''very stable workforce''.
Many employees engaged for the long term, giving the company a stable knowledge base, a base that was hard to replace, Mr Butler said.
When Chinese whiteware giant Haier bought F&P Appliances, there was concern in the Dunedin community the link between the city and the company would be lost.
Mr Butler said Haier was committed to growing the resource in the city but F&P had to pay its own way and meet ambitious goals. Nothing came for free.
''Visitors from China often say: 'Wow, can you do that for us?' But often, the reply is 'we are too busy doing this for us'.''
The Butler file
Richard Butler (50)
• An Auckland graduate who moved to Dunedin in 1989 to work for F&P Appliances. Apart from a short break, he has worked for the company since then.
• Got married and stayed in Dunedin. Proud to have raised two children (both at the University of Otago) in Dunedin.
• Loves Auckland but could never live there.
Hobbies: A fanatical fly fisherman. Has booked a trip fishing in October, two in November and is trying to organise one in December. The ease of leaving the city to get to his favourite, and secret, fishing spots is a major plus to living in Dunedin.
At a glance
• Chinese whiteware manufacturer Haier, the owner of Fisher & Paykel Appliances, has five global centres of excellence, including Dunedin and Auckland.
• Designers in Dunedin are recognised as experts in their field for cooking products and dishwashers.
• Commitment from Haier to grow the resources in New Zealand but F&P has to pay its way and deliver on goals.
• Five year plan to increase staff numbers by at least 50 people by 2018.
