Three prominent companies have committed to establishing bases at Portlink Industrial Park, joining existing tenants such as Kathmandu at the 30 hectare development adjacent to the Lyttelton Tunnel road.

The three companies are Christchurch-based NZ Express Transport, Elastomer Products Limited (EPL), and Cla-Val Pacific, a leading manufacturer of automatic control valves.

David Mortimer, CEO of Arcus Developments Ltd, which is managing the development of Portlink, said that having three well-known companies confirm contracts within days of each other was ‘quite a coup’.

“Each of the companies had its own reasons for choosing the Portlink site,” Mortimer said.

“NZ Express Transport first made their interest known to us when we had the land rezoned back in 2009. The location is perfect for them as their core business is container transport. Other lease commitments meant it has been a four-year process for them, but time has only reinforced their confidence in Portlink’s advantages”.

Mortimer said that for EPL, which designs and manufactures innovative polymer (plastics and rubber) products, one of the key attractions of the Portlink site was its proximity to the company’s existing earthquake-damaged site and to the majority of its labour force.

“EPL was concerned that if they relocated out to the west they could risk losing some of their highly skilled workers, who mostly live in the east of Christchurch,” Mortimer said.

“Cla-Val Pacific’s Asia-Pacific operations extend north to Mongolia, west to Pakistan and east to the Philippines,” Mortimer said. “So for them, the decision to situate their Asia-Pacific sales and manufacturing base in Christchurch, specifically Portlink, was due to its ease of access for exporting to clients across the region”.

The construction of EPL’s 5,500 m2 warehouse and manufacturing area and 500m2 office is due to commence in the next two or three weeks. NZ Express Transport and Cla-Val are awaiting consents for their new premises and hope to start their projects in May.

Mortimer said that Arcus Developments, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of construction and project management company Arrow International Ltd, and the development arm of the Arrow Group, was thrilled with progress at Portlink and was actively looking for new development opportunities.

Arcus is currently involved in a number of other activities, including launching a development equity fund in conjunction with investment banking firm Murray & Co and undertaking a joint venture project (‘Creating Communities Limited’) to redevelop 156 Housing New Zealand properties in the Auckland suburb of Glen Innes.