29 May 2008

Auckland is to become the international hub for Norwegian company Navico’s research and development, reports Anne Gibson in The New Zealand Herald.

In 2007 Navico bought the marine division of internationally renowned electronics business Navman, which was established in Auckland in 1986 and sold to US giant Brunswick in 2004.  Navico has now made its Auckland operation its largest innovation division worldwide, reports the Herald. “The Norwegians have picked this country as a relatively low-cost world leader in innovation, product design and manufacturing.”

Navico Chief Executive Jens-Thomas Pietralla told the Herald that New Zealand was the best place for his firm’s research and development, because the workforce was highly skilled but costs were still relatively low. He also praised New Zealand’s free trade agreement with China, saying Asia was one of Navico’s main targets and the deal could be extremely beneficial to the Auckland business.