Locally assembled, locally owned. Now there’s a heartwarming phrase for customers who believe in supporting home town or regional businesses.
It’s refreshing, then, to see Whangarei tapware and shower fittings company Foreno make a splash about its 50th birthday — five decades of making it in a competitive global manufacturing industry.
The family-owned company continues to be strongly supported by Northland customers and beyond, supplying products to nearly all New Zealand’s plumbing and DIY stores, including the big players, Mitre 10 and Bunnings, and many overseas outlets.
To mark Foreno’s longevity and “salute our Northland heritage”, the company has launched a 50th anniversary tribute collection called NORTH, inspired by the late Geoff Pearson, of Whangarei, who founded the brand.
Foreno products are engineered for New Zealand’s uniquely challenging conditions, including low and unequal water pressure systems. The company also stands by its tapware being affordable, easy to install and well-constructed, backed up with by industry-leading warranties and customer support.
It’s a good news Whangarei business story, especially considering the sheer volume of competition. There might be few areas more likely to test commitment-phobes than building and home improvements. However, people are so often tempted, and sometimes undone, by the big range of imports.
“That’s not to say all imports are not good quality, but some involve questionable standards in their making,” Foreno general manager Kerry Lord said. “Competition is tough. There are many private labels being sold in New Zealand and some with little or no regard to standards, both environmentally and ethically.
“Concerns over the amount of lead in tapware is becoming more and more concerning with some overseas countries not seeing a need for this concern. Nowadays, anybody can bring in a container of taps and sell it, however, when things go wrong these traders are often nowhere to be found.”
The Foreno timeline started in 1969 when Peter Johnson set up Apollo Industries, manufacturing wall flanges, tap washers and hand showers. In 1975, what had become awell-known company called Pacific Plumbing Appliances (PPA) bought the other company. PPA saw great potential in Peter Johnson’s ingenuity and “tapped” into his skills, Lord said. “They quickly became the market leaders and received high recognition from tradespeople.”
Friends Geoff Pearson and Lucas Tan bought Pacific Plumbing Appliances and renamed it Foreno Tapware (NZ) Ltd. As for that decidedly Italian flavoured name: “Geoff was a bit of an out-there thinker. He loved touring Italy and had been there many times, so Italian influences and style definitely rubbed off on him.”
Foreno products are comparable to New Zealand’s higher-profile tapware, for example Methven, in design, innovation and quality, Lord said: “And we have a few new and exciting innovations in the pipeline.”
Those innovations result from being au fait with the trends and the market. “We travel regularly to bathroom and kitchen design shows around the world, plus we have our own inhouse design team.
“Often a design starts as a hand sketching, then we use 3D design software to finalise the product. This 3D design is also used to manufacture the tools needed to make the actual product, such as a brass casting die or a plastic moulding.”
As well as good news for customers, Foreno’s innovative approach also means the company is recruiting to add to its current 24 staff. And quality as well as environmental responsibility is still at the top of their priorities.
“We still adhere to the voluntary standard of Watermark which is audited annually by an independent quality organisation, as are many of our suppliers, which means we manufacture to joint New Zealand and Australian standards.
“This mean the use of food-safe greases, certified hoses and DR (dezincification resistant) brass to ensure that no contaminants are leached into the water delivered through the tap.”
Building on today’s emphasis on clean manufacturing and environments, the good news still flows at Foreno as it has for 50 years.
(Business article from The Northern Advocate, published 2 October 2019)
