-Rebecca Reed

What started as a small operation out of a shipping container up the back of Kiwi Point Quarry in Ngauranga Gorge, Wellington, has turned into quite the success story for manufacturer Real Steel.

Fast forward twenty years later, the company employs more than 100 people and proudly operates out of a 8500 square metre factory site in Upper Hutt.

The manufacturing business imports steel out of Sweden and other countries to make steel parts for road transport, forestry, and recycling industries. It also produces a lot of steel for building truck trailers, wear parts, and materials for processing machines.

This growth experienced by the company, a family run business, comes down to high employee satisfaction, innovation, and quality service for the customers it serves nationwide, according to owner and Managing Director Luke Mathieson.

“We’ve put a lot of effort into focusing on our systems, the traceability of our parts and the way we work with our customers because at the end of the day it all boils down to getting parts out to the customer on time, and being a good, solid trusted supplier.”

Real Steel’s efforts were recognised recently at the Wellington Regional Business Awards where they were presented with the Hall of Fame Award, a unique award which recognises and celebrates those enduring businesses that have made significant contributions to the economic and social fabric of Hutt Valley. The awards are given to business who have consistently exhibited excellence in a resilient and sustainable manner over a proven length of time.

Investing in innovations

With an eye to the future, Mathieson says the company has invested in several innovations including developing and building their own systems and machinery to manage the volume of parts in the factory as a result of rapid growth.

“We have thousands of parts a week moving through our factory which are all going in different directions, so part identification was a big issue for us because even though some parts are very similar, they are all unique.”

After failing to find a machine that ticked all the boxes, they decided to build one themselves with an automation engineer.

“The machine has cameras inside which scans the parts and matches them to our ERP system printing all relevant information on the part including a barcode. We can then track these parts around the factory and at dispatch using software designed inhouse run on mobile scanners. The software is aptly named “MUM” as Mum knows where everything is and is very organised.

Mathieson says the machine, which is in the final stages of refining, has been a game charger and something the business will be able to leverage off for future growth because it gives the team the ability to track and control a high volume of parts accurately.

“It reduces the human element and makes it easier for our guys to do their job properly because we can scan the parts, see their whereabouts in the factory and we’re more confident we have it right when dispatching to our customers. It’s an attractive offering for our clients because it gives them certainty, we have our orders under control and of course it reduces risk.”

A Great Place to Work

Mathieson believes the company’s people determine ultimately whether they succeed or fail in business and staff retention is Real Steel is high.

“It comes down to the quality of our team, it doesn’t matter how good our machinery is, how good our product is, if you don’t have the people to make it all happen, you are never going to make it happen.”

A few years ago, the company was able to expand their premises and machinery with help from a business development grant from Upper Hutt City Council.

“Upper Hutt is a great place to run a business, there is a lot of manufacturing history out here and a good work force. There’s also a lot of growth in the region and it’s an attractive place to work and live. The grant offered by the council a few years ago definitely helped our business expand and we are grateful for their support,” says Mathieson.

When it comes to jobs, Real Steel employs a wide range of staff from factory workers to software developers, industrial designers, engineers, and apprentices right through to experienced tradespeople.

“Aside from the fact the location is ideal for a lot of our staff who live locally, there is a good business community out here as well as lots of employment development and growth opportunities.

We outsource some of our work to local businesses which means we are close to them, and we are supplying a range of employment opportunities which can only be good for the local economy.”

Bridging the gap between young talent and the industry

As Real Steel continues to grow it is looking to invest in its future workforce, partnering up with two local high schools to give them opportunities in the industry.

“We as a reasonable size employer have a responsibility to help young people into the workforce. Currently we have employers struggling to find workers, and students unsure of their future path – we want to bridge that gap by adding value to them and potential employee opportunities for us.”

Real Steel will work with students from St Patrick’s College and Upper Hutt College through their technology NCEA Curriculum. The programme, which gets underway in February 2023, sees Real Steel work alongside the schools in delivering real world manufacturing experience to complement the curriculum. The design and production teams will work alongside the students between year 11 and year 13 in delivering projects such as a tool box and custom pit bike, focussing on design for manufacture principles.

For more information visit https://www.realsteel.co.nz/