Fisher and Paykel move is the way ahead - union

Fisher and Paykel’s $83.3 million purchase of an American appliance maker is a sign that New Zealand manufacturers can foot it in the face of global competition, says the country’s largest union.

Auckland-based white manufacturer Fisher and Paykel today announced it had purchased Dynamic Cooking Systems, the leading United States manufacturer and distributor of premium cooking appliances.

Andrew Little, national secretary of the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union which represents Fisher and Paykel employees in New Zealand, says that the move is heartening for manufacturing workers across the country.

“Workers in the manufacturing sector are well aware of the potential threat that globalisation poses to their jobs,” he said.

“China is gearing up to take on the West at manufacturing; that doesn’t mean the end of manufacturing in New Zealand, but we’ve got to change the way in which we think and operate. We’ve got to be able to foot it internationally, and that’s exactly what Fisher and Paykel is doing. It’s showing that it’s got global reach.”

Mr Little said that the fact that an appliance manufacturer in New Zealand had the skills and resources to go out and buy a major American manufacturer was a tribute to the skills and dedication of Fisher and Paykel workers and managers.

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