With over 95% of componentry sourced locally, Powerglide has followed lean manufacturing protocols from its inception in 2005 when its first high-quality residential and commercial elevators rolled out the doors of the Tauranga-based factory.

Almost 20 years on, with increasingly disrupted global supply chains, the decision to ‘keep it local’ is paying dividends, both for them and their customers.

“Over the years we’ve built up robust supply partnerships with local manufacturers, with multiple suppliers for key products to further reduce risk of disruption,” explains Co-Founder / Design Engineer, Allan Fullerton.

Powerglide has also invested in advanced manufacturing principles such as lean, just-in-time and process automation, streamlining the system to make individual lifts very quickly and efficiently.

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As a result, they can custom manufacture lifts to suit each site, avoiding the problems inherent in the more common practice of designing the lift shaft to suit an imported lift which can take upward of 30 weeks to arrive.

“There are plenty of stories about imported lifts turning up well after the building is complete, only to discover that the lift shaft has been built to the wrong dimensions,” comments Fullerton. “That’s when the finger-pointing starts and relationships deteriorate very quickly.”

Powerglide’s local, 10-week build and installation process gives them the flexibility to alter the design should circumstances change. They also manage the entire process of design, manufacture, and installation themselves, dealing directly with the client, architect, and builder to avoid mistakes and eliminate costs associated with middlemen.

Their process begins with the design team working with the architect and client to design the lift layout, size, and desired finish. Clients can opt for one of Powerglide’s pre-designed decors (which feature in the A and S-Series elevators) or create a fully bespoke experience with the E-Series package.

As the project progresses, Powerglide’s Site Coordination team takes responsibility for ensuring that project requirements are met and desired delivery times are achieved by communicating regularly with the site. This includes taking pre-build measurements of the framed lift shaft to ensure all details are accurate and reduce the likelihood of miscommunication.

Another key benefit for clients is that after-sales service is provided directly from the factory. All installers and technicians are factory trained on Powerglide’s proprietary system which means any issues can be resolved quickly. A full complement of spares is carried at the Tauranga factory to supply technical teams around the country without delay.