Sarah Ramsay

United Machinists precision engineer critical components for high tech manufacturers. Founded in 1977 by Doug Ramsay, United Machinists has a long history servicing leading New Zealand manufacturers including local stalwarts such as Fisher & Paykel and Scott Technology. Today, owned by the next generation of Ramsays, we continue with tradition, proudly serving clients across the aerospace, medical, mining and marine industries – we like to say we ‘machine possibilities’. Our vision is to be the machine shop of the future, working in partnership with New Zealand’s leading product innovators. To achieve this we are undergoing a transformation – investing heavily in new capabilities, plant and machinery. In our game precision is a given, to differentiate ourselves we have raised the bar of what’s expected from your average ‘job shop’. Our clients tell us that our documentation, real time visibility of schedule and proactive communication are outstanding. Despite our minnow size, because of our attitude we’ve become leaders for industry in the Southern region. We are the co-founders of industry collective SOREC (www.sorec.org.nz). SOREC’s focus is to build the industry’s capability and capacity, so that we can collectively attract more work to the region. Our Country is seen as an incubator of high-tech ideas, but without a manufacturing backbone that’s sustainable all of these ideas are going to go offshore for production. What does that mean for the future of work? Not everyone is born to be a programmer, we want youth in our community to have taking up the trade as a career goal. Because who wouldn’t want to make camera gear for the set of X-Men in Canada, propulsion jet units for the Yukon Delta, or life changing multi-articulating prosthetic hands. The craft in our trade is inspiring, but our workforce is dying – we must change the narrative from one that says there is no future in manufacturing, to one where high tech manufacturing is the future of NZ.