W O R K S H O P
FAMILY
BUSINESS
PHILOSOPHY
PREVAILS
There is an inimitable and special
alchemy in the mix with a familyowned
company. Like the DNA of its
A
owners, the blueprint of the business
is completely distinct, and when it inherits the
founders’ characteristics of resilience, hard-work,
integrity and efficiency, it stands to mature into a
competitive entity.
This summation certainly speaks to the nature
and experience of Rex Industrial Equipment
Ltd. With a long and illustrious history, dating
back to its original formation in 1932 as Rex
Manufacturing, this is a commercial entreprise
with healthy roots that have been well cared for by
father and son duo, Peter and Bruce Blackett, the
latter of whom purchased the business in 1986.
The first generation of the business under
Bruce’s leadership was Rex Wheels & Castors
Ltd before it was later rebranded to Rex Industrial
Equipment (Rex, for short) in 2006. While the name
and services may have evolved over time, the
business’ strong family mentality and philosophies
have endured.
“For us, unequivocally, it has always been about
the people in our business and our customers. We
don’t purport to be the cheapest; for us it is about
striking a competitive balance between excellent
customer service, cost and quality. We don’t
compromise on any of these propositions and we
never will,” ceo Peter Blackett says.
Offering equitable price points for its services,
rather than chasing unrealistic, unsustainable
bottom-of-the-barrel prices, has resulted in
Rex being able to continually innovate with the
corollary of this position being great products.
A comprehensive range of wheels, castors,
conveyors and trolleys are supplied to a
nationwide network of business clients through
four branches located throughout New Zealand.
With its very own manufacturing facilities,
Rex has been able to remain a competitive
contender in a saturated industry where the
presence of offshore influence also looms large.
Headquartered in Auckland, Rex assembles
about 70 different castors for light to heavy duty
applications, including those with polyurethane
tyres, and imports a similar number for ‘special
34 July 2019