NEWS RELEASE 19 August 2011 Fire security business poised for Taranaki growth
FSS aims to triple revenues and boost employment
Fire Security Services (FSS), the largest privately-owned fire protection, inspection and security company in New
Zealand, today opened a new $500,000 branch office in the Rifle Range Road industrial estate in New Plymouth. The
facility replaces the city centre office the company has operated since 1998 and supports its plans to triple the size
of its Taranaki business over the next three years.
The company services over 300 local (Taranaki) businesses of every size, as well as the regional offices of national
players like Fonterra, Telecom and global methanol production and marketing giant Methanex. It has doubled its revenues
from the Taranaki region over the past five years.
FSS employs 13 staff in the region and chief executive officer Bruce McKinnon expects this number to double over the
next three years.
“The current global economic situation means plans can change in an instant, but the outlook is currently fairly
optimistic”, McKinnon said. “We see scope for tremendous growth across the region. We’re established here and we have
local knowledge. But we also have national scale and that gives us a real edge.”
McKinnon believes growth will come not only from new business but also from organic growth.
“Businesses are obliged by law to invest a certain amount in fire prevention and protection. But, as corporate
discretionary spend starts to free up, we’re seeing businesses start to replace and upgrade their systems,” he said.
FSS is also seeing increased business resulting from the hike in New Zealand insurance premiums following the Canterbury
earthquakes. The cost of commercial fire insurance has risen by as much as 25 percent since the earthquakes in some
cases, an increase which can be at least partially mitigated by upgraded fire prevention and protection systems.
McKinnon said customer service was also an area of significant opportunity, not just for FSS but for service industries
across the region.
“It’s an area of operation in which the business-to-business market could be doing a lot better,” he said. “Consumer
service industries do it fairly well, on the whole, but companies catering to the business sector typically aren’t too
flash at customer service. This means it’s a tremendous opportunity to differentiate your business and compete in an
area other than price.”
National Party MP for New Plymouth Jonathan Young congratulated FSS on its growth and said it was good to see growth in
business confidence. “It’s even better to hear of (FSS’) plans to expand services and staff in the region,” Young said.
“This will not only add to the safety of the region’s infrastructure and the people who use it, but will create more
jobs.”
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