While many industries have defaulted to purchase of manufactured products from overseas, APL and its parent company, Profile Group, based in the Waikato, have adopted a policy of funding and building all key elements of their business in a vertically integrated structure. It begins with purchasing aluminium made at Tiwai Smelter, near Bluff, and ends with custom windows and doors delivered to building sites by APL’s nationwide network of nearly 80 manufacturers.

In between, Profile Group uses its integrated supply chain to extrude window profiles, powdercoat or anodise them in specialised factories, make the plastic seals to weatherproof them, manufacture double glazed units to ensure glass to the highest standards, and then deliver these building blocks to the branded network around New Zealand in 51 company trucks via APL Direct.

Profile Group is one of the largest employers in the Waikato with over 900 staff. It supports employment of another 2,000, approximately, through the window manufacturer network

“Our commitment to Kiwi-made has evolved over the company’s 50-year operation,” said APL CEO, Dave Downey. “The expansion of the group has been a gradual process, with the whole group strategically assembled over time. The reason for bringing all parts of the process under company control has been a strong desire to ensure high levels of service and continuity of supply, and this has applied to our back-up, training and resourcing of our New Zealand outlets as well.”

Downey said that much was owed to loyal and talented staff of thousands of employees and manufacturers over time, most of them Waikato-based, though the company maintains offices in Auckland and Christchurch.

“Each step of the way in setting up the diversified Profile Group operation has involved taking big risks with big challenges to onboard the required talent and expertise to make good the investments involved,” he said. “It would have been easier in many instances to source components offshore rather than take the leap of faith involved in local manufacture.”

A notable recent example of Profile Group’s commitment to local manufacture and quality control was the decision to establish glass subsidiary, AGP, at Hautapu, near Cambridge, to make double-glazed units for window manufacturers. This was a major commitment and involved construction of one of the largest industrial buildings in the country, with a roof dimension of 440m x 116m, and state of the art, automated machinery from overseas.

“You do all the numbers to ensure the best chance of success, but investments of this scale are, to some extent, a gamble,” said Downey. “So far, Profile Group’s punts on expansion and advancing ‘Kiwi-made’ have paid off.”

APL believes kiwis deserve the best when it comes to their homes and buildings, which means designing and manufacturing products made specifically for New Zealand conditions. From sustainable manufacturing to energy-efficient design, APL have set themselves up with the in-house capacity and expertise to constantly innovate, ensuring windows and doors meet the needs of today, and tomorrow.