About Us
Read Industrial Ltd has had a long association with New Zealand dairy farmers, which began over 85 years ago. The main focus of the business is to provide an effective and efficient milking machine that can cope with the demands of today’s modern dairies both in New Zealand and Internationally. As herd sizes have increased over the years so too have the size of the milking systems and now more people are looking to build larger modern herringbone and rotary farm dairies. All of the main components are manufactured in our factory in Rangiora.
The founder John Read started the business in 1922 from a small factory in Christchurch, where he manufactured his milking machine equipment and carried out his installation and service work from. The business in those days was called Reads “Direct Supply” Ltd because he sold the milking machine direct from the factory to the farmer.
In 1945 John Read passed the milking machine business onto his son Leo and he moved some of the machinery to Auckland to manufacture vacuum pumps and milking machine parts, which were sold to other milking machine companies.
In 1959 Leo’s son Noel joined the company and the business continued to grow in size.
In 1966 land was bought in Rangiora and after a new building was built the manufacturing operation was moved to the new site where it is today. At the time of the move to Rangiora the company name was changed to L Read & Son Ltd. The business still continued to grow and over the next 40 years or so more buildings were built and more machinery purchased.
In the early 1990’s Noels two sons Steven and Philip joined the company and all play an important roll in the running of the company as it is today.
In 2003 the company name was again changed to what it is now “READ INDUSTRIAL LTD”.
The main activity of the company today is still associated with milking machines. The company also manufactures irrigation equipment, which is sold to over 100 irrigation companies throughout New Zealand and overseas.
The manufacturing plant is continually being modernized with the continual addition of new machinery.
In the foundry all metal is now melted in either the electric induction furnace or two large electric resistance bail out furnaces. Castings are produced in aluminium alloys, bronze alloys, cast iron, steel and stainless steel.
Most of the machining in the machine shop is carried out on Okuma CNC Lathes an Okuma Machining Center, and an Okuma multitasking machine with a large range of other machine tools also being used.
All stainless steel milking machine components are fabricated in the sheet metal shop on site.
The Company employees about 35 staff and the factory now covers 4500 sq meters of floor space.
Serviced Regions
|
Canterbury
|
Milford
|
Southland
|
|
Coromandel
|
Nelson
|
West Coast
|
|
Marlborough
|
Otago
| |