Martin van Rooyen has a passion for high quality audio manufacturing and for family life. By relocating his business to Dunedin he has managed to establish a perfect balance between the two.

As managing director of Perreaux Industries, he oversees the manufacture of high quality audio amplifiers and other components that are sought after by high end audio aficionados throughout the world.

Relocating the company from the hustle and bustle of Auckland, Martin and two other key engineers made the move south in search of a higher quality of life.

“I’d been here on business several times in the past and always thought ‘wow! What a great place’,” says Martin.

Fortunately for Perreaux the manufacturing model has changed dramatically in the last ten years. In today’s electronically connected world, components and services are sourced from all four corners of the globe, effectively negating any potential benefits that a larger city like Auckland may offer over a smaller centre such as Dunedin.

“The move south has brought massive lifestyle benefits,” says Martin.

“Our business has also gained from increased visibility within the local community and government.”

To explain how the business operates, Martin says the greatest effort takes place at the design and prototype phase.

“This intensive and iterative process is where all the major decisions are made. One of our key advantages is in the fact that each member of our specialist team is highly skilled and plays a major part in all decisions.

“You’ve got to have a thick hide at times” adds Martin.

The process, which works superbly for the small company, has been honed over many years and is a direct reflection of Martin’s management style and the results speak for themselves.

For complex products, the design, prototype phase can start and stop and interleave with other more pressing projects over several years, Martin explains.

Once everything is finally locked in place they can then move into the production phase by ordering components, building and testing and packaging products. Naturally someone needs to market and sell products and that’s another one of Martin’s many hats.

“Our vision of producing highest quality internationally competitive products designed and manufactured in Dunedin does not necessarily mean we need make any compromise.

“Our current focus is on utilizing world class design and assembly techniques to enable our company to focus as much as possible on the design and assembly and quality control processes with as little manual soldering in our factory as possible. These are lofty ideals and soldering components by hand in our factory tends to neatly compliment the robotic assembly outwork that takes place in specialist contract manufacturing Australasian based factories,” he says.

“This gives us the luxury of living in Dunedin. We don’t desire a large unskilled workforce; we want to remain a niche manufacturer and hence are ideally suited to the Dunedin infrastructure.

“When you’ve experienced living in Auckland with its rapidly increasing population and competition for diminishing resources as I did, Dunedin is a paradigm shift of the best type.”

The balance of life that he now enjoys includes an easy commute from the company premises on the edge of Mosgiel to their nine-acre lifestyle block on the Taieri Plain.

“As opposed to a 45min stop start bumper to bumper crawl across the harbour bridge to work each day … actually there is no comparison. I stopped thinking of Auckland the day I came here and we have never looked back.

“The quality and price of housing is a delightful change. Infrastructure such as hospitals, roads, schools and rates combine with markedly reduced business lease costs and more stable Dunedin climate act as constant reminders of what an excellent decision this has been for us all.”

His wife Vicki and five kids aged one to ten love their new lifestyle and have forged new friendships easily.

“People here are easy to deal with and very upfront. If you play a straight game, life runs smoothly.

“There are plenty of good companies in Dunedin boxing well above their weight but they’re not screaming it from the roof-tops. There is a quiet easy confidence about the place,” he adds.

Martin says the future for Perreaux lies in designing even better products, keeping as much of the smart design and assembly as possible in-house while also having the best possible sub-component suppliers.

“We are on a journey to make high quality, touchstone products that people will enjoy for a lifetime. It’s a journey we are all enjoying.”

To find out more about Perreaux,  visit www.perrreaux.com

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