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From humble beginnings in a Titirangi garage, Apex Valves has grown into one of New Zealand’s standout manufacturing and export success stories. Built on precision engineering and commitment to quality, the company now supplies high performance water control valves to homes and farms around the globe. The EMA’s Nicholas Russell sat down with Apex General Manager Mark Gracie to talk about the competitive edge that comes from manufacturing excellence backed by decades of innovation. Q: How did Apex Valves’ journey begin, and what triggered your move into larger-scale manufacturing? Mark Gracie: Apex was founded in 1982 by my father, Alan Gracie, in a Titirangi garage. At that time, New Zealand had almost no domestic manufacturers of valves for home hot-water systems. If you needed one, you imported it, often at high cost and with long delays. That gap in the market sparked the idea: could a Kiwi manufacturer produce a reliable, locally made alternative? From that question, Apex grew steadily. We expanded from residential hot-water valves into broader plumbing fittings, and then into agriculture when a rural-supply customer asked if we could engineer a heavy-duty trough valve that would not break under high water pressure or daily farm use. That product became our breakout success. More than 40 years later, that trough valve remains one of our biggest sellers, used on farms across New Zealand and in multiple export markets. As demand grew, we shifted into proper manufacturing facilities, but over time those sites became limiting. Our last location served us for 28 years, but we were spread across four buildings, with production split into disconnected pockets. For a company that prides itself on quality and efficiency, the layout created unnecessary complications and increasing constraints. Q: What has changed now, after the move to your new facility at Rosebank Road? […]