case study: allied telesis labs - Doing business in New Zealand from ...

mAkE THE SmART CHOICE — INVEST IN HIGH VALUE mANFACTURING AND SERVICES IN NEw ZEALAND
case study:
allied telesis labs
Allied Telesis Labs, New Zealand (ATL-NZ) is the largest research and development facility of the global
Allied Telesis (AT) Group, a global leader in IP/Ethernet networking solutions for enterprise, network
service provider and government institutions. Headquartered in Japan, the AT Group has a global staff
of more than 2,300 and had annual revenues of approximately US$460 million in 2010.
From a custom-built design
centre in Christchurch, ATL-NZ
designs advanced networking
products, providing IP-based
voice, video and data delivery
solutions for an impressive
range of customers. From
small offices to huge national
IPTV providers, and every
size and sector in between,
well over a million customers
worldwide have chosen
Allied Telesis technology
for their networks.
The Christchurch R&D centre
started out as a small local
company, demonstrating
the New Zealand can-do
attitude. The product range
and company talent impressed
the AT Group so much that
it purchased the company
in 1999. It has since invested
heavily in people and plant,
now employing 120 people
in Christchurch.
New Zealand’s spaciousness
makes a large custombuilt
centre feasible, which
encourages productivity
and attracts - and retains
- excellent staff. On-site
parking, short commutes,
and being only a short drive
from beaches and ski fields
also make Christchurch a
highly desirable location for
international engineers, while
the quality of the New Zealand
universities ensures that top
graduates are available locally.
Staff turnover is extremely
low, especially compared with
traditional low-cost locations;
staff service time currently
averages more than four years.

mAkE THE SmART CHOICE — INVEST IN HIGH VALUE mANFACTURING AND SERVICES IN NEw ZEALAND
“ The key benefit for us has been the long-term
commitment and talent of the New Zealand engineering
team. That stability has made it possible to develop
multiple generations of high-end products.”
Andrew Riddell, managing Director.
New Zealanders are known
worldwide for their friendliness
and flexibility and are very
effective at international
collaboration. This is especially
important for the AT Group,
with nearly 40 offices
worldwide. The overlap
between the New Zealand
and Japanese work days is
convenient, and frequent video
conferences are supplemented
with regular face-to-face
meetings. The AT Group
also finds ATL-NZ a great
destination for highlighting the
company to key customers,
offering travel to Christchurch
as promotional prizes.