The Dunedin-based gas fire manufacturing company has received a Haco Q5 CNC turret punching machine, worth more than $500,000.
The machine, which cuts, folds and manipulates sheet metal using a high-speed hydraulic punching head, can process large-scale sheets up to 3000mm by 1500mm and 6.5mm in thickness.
It would be a key component in improving efficiency and providing enhanced capacity within the Escea factory, chief executive Nigel Bamford said.
''The Q5 was a significant investment for the company but it is the best machine on the market, with functionality that is unparalleled,'' Mr Bamford said.
It would contribute significantly to efficiency in the factory, through its flexibility and speed of operation which would greatly simplify scheduling for Escea's just-in-time manufacturing, he said.
Last year, the company's DX series gas fireplace was rated the most efficient in Europe by the British Standards Institution.
It achieved a 94.1% energy efficiency rating from the institution as part of its CE certification process, allowing Escea to sell products to most European countries.
That certification had boosted overseas product sales and the company's product development schedule was already full of new designs, he said.