Business Development | TwinNeedle Outdoor Equipment
Threading their own path We all love a good story, especially tales of triumph in the face of adversity. This is probably because life has a way of ensuring nobody gets a smooth ride; if success was easy we’d all be on the bandwagon. So the stories of those who do triumph over the challenges presented to them usually makes good reading.
Master Valet Drycleaners We offer a Professional, Experienced and Full Dry Cleaning service for all garments. We also specialise in • Wedding Gowns • Evening Wear • Duvets, Bedding • Sleeping Bags, Down Jackets • Drapes Master Valet provides a high quality result and high customer satisfaction.
Ph 338 3312 330 Lincoln Road, Addington Email: drycleaning@mastervalet.co.nz
Economic, Reliable, Easy Locally owned and operated, we offer a comprehensive local and national delivery network, and highly competitive prices.
Ph 03 365 2174 Proud to be associated with Twin Needle www.fastway.co.nz
TwinNeedle Outdoor Equipment is a classic illustration of triumph in the face of adversity. Its survival a feat that could not, and was not, taken for granted, and its victory a testimony to human effort. Because at the very heart of the TwinNeedle story are three people who lost their jobs. When new owners purchased outdoor equipment company Macpac in 2008, it meant job losses for some of the 50 Macpac staff. Trina McLeod was the senior technician and trainer, Steve Haase ran the repair team and Matt Hobbs handled technical product support enquiries, among other things. With some 30 years experience in the outdoor industry and more than 20 years experience in the repair, manufacture and customisation of outdoor equipment, the loss was potentially a big one for the New Zealand industry. Recognising their combined talent, the three joined forces to become TwinNeedle Outdoor Equipment Repairs in 2008 to service the country with outdoor gear repairs. “Most repairs cost a small fraction of what a new piece of clothing or equipment does, so there really is no point buying new when your old gear only needs a small repair,” Hobbs says. “Keeping your outdoor gear functioning even for one more trip keeps it out of the landfill,” he adds.
Hours Monday – Friday 7.30am – 5.30pm Saturday 9.30am – 12.30pm Closed public holidays and long weekends.
As a strategy it has been a success, with the company moving to new premises later this year to accommodate growth. “It’s just been a massive boom over the past two years,” Hobbs says. “We’ve kept growing and growing. We have just been appointed the official warranty repair agents for GoreTex products — that’s huge.” Two years on, TwinNeedle doesn’t look set to slow down any time soon. The past six months have seen the company develop its own line of backpacks soon to hit the New Zealand market. “With years of experience selling new
Bringing ‘simple’ and ‘robust’ back to your outdoor world.
products and repairing old products, we know what works and what doesn’t. “We’ve spent the past six months out in the field testing these backpacks — we expect them to be the strongest New Zealand made backpack on the market.” It’s a simple and robust design, Hobbs says, but the beauty of the pack will be its customdesigned nature. “Customers will take the basic design and add as many additional features as they want; a side pocket here, a roll top there — the choices will be endless.” What’s more, the innovative group are utilising all the technology at their disposal to design what’s possibly the world’s first backpack designing website. Customers will be able to log on to the website and — taking the standard base pack — choose colours and accessories to design the pack which will suit their needs. “It’s been an amazing journey,” Hobbs says. “We could have taken the easy road and got another job, but how boring would that have been,” he laughs. Luckily for the outdoor industry in New Zealand, it was the latter choice the three chose and it is to the betterment of the industry as a whole. “There are very few scenarios where we have to say no. We have the ability to fix almost anything. “With 60 years of experience in manufacturing, designing, marketing and sales in the outdoor industry, we are keeping New Zealanders in their much loved gear, sustainably.” TwinNeedle Outdoor Equipment 161 Ferry Road Christchurch T (03) 943 4444 E info@twinneedle.co.nz www.twinneedle.co.nz — Advertising Feature
The masters of Outdoor Equipment Repair and Customisation present the new, fully configurable TwinNeedle ‘‘Bombproof’’ Sack. You design your custom sack from our range of options, and we build it…
Simple as that.
03 943 4444 | 161 Ferry Road, Christchurch 8011 | info@twinneedle.co.nz | www.twinneedle.co.nz 82 | Canterbury Today | June/July 2010