When the pandemic hit, engineering company Metal Art from Wellington carved out new opportunities. The interior and exterior furniture specialists designed and produced more than 1,000 hand sanitiser stands for Progressive supermarkets nationwide and Initial Hygiene.

“Around 50% of our regular business dropped away so we knew we had to change our focus fast,” says Managing Director Carl Longstaff. “We developed a new product line of hand sanitiser stands and manufactured and supplied gel. Thankfully we have managed to maintain full employment for our 35 staff and I’m confident these products will continue to see strong demand by companies, government departments and organisations dealing with the public face-to-face.”

He says COVID-19 emphasised the importance of supporting local businesses where possible.
“Our steel is produced less than 50 metres down the road from us and we outsource where we can – be it powder from Dulux or sandblasting from Seaview Blasting. We try to get things as close to home as we can because at the end of the day we want to deal with locals and with people we trust.”