An industrial review of Horowhenua 1972 Page 14
- Description
L.R. WISHART LTD.
In 1961 Ron Wishart opened a clothing factory in Levin. He had 9 staff and 800sq.ft. of floor space in a building that was shared with another manufacturer.
In 1963 L.R. Wishart Ltd moved into a new factory with 3,250sq.ft. of factory floor with another 1600sq.ft. for a mezzanine floor and administration block and he now imployeed 40 staff.
When L.R.Wishart Ltd first started manufacturing clohting they made mostly mens sport and dress shirts and womens blouses with an output of around 660 units a week which grew to around 3,600 units a week as the factory grew and the number of staff increased. the garments they made went to a large distribution company and were distributed all around New Zealand.
In 1989 L.R.Wishart Ltd building in Oxford St. Levin burnt down, and a more modern building was built in it's place and Wishart's carried on manufacturing.
Then in July 2003 Ron Wishart passed away and L.R.Wishart Ltd's factory in Levin was put up for sale. Unfortunately nobody was interested in buying it.
In August 2003 the workers at Wisharts were given a closure notice and on the 26th September 2003 L.R. Wisharts closed stating that, tariff reductions over a number of years and uncertainty over the future direction of the governments tariff policy had caused the closure putting 38 people out of work.
SINCRO ENGINEERING CO. LTD.
Founded around 1949 by George Sinkinson and Don Cronin, Sincro Engineering Co. Ltd. grew to become just one out of the five major engineering plants in the Horowhenua-Manawatu area. They attributed their success to their diversity. The type of work they did included; structural steel and tank fabrication and rollering, boiler and steam pipe installations and repair, all to marine standards, industrial oil and gas burner installations with 24hr back up service, all types of pneumatic and electro-pneumatic installations as well as sales and servicing, general repair work and factory maintanence backed up by a fully equipped work shop.
They worked on jobs such as the catalytic reformer for the gas refroming plant in New Plymouth. Made, transported and installed drying machinery for the textile industry, stainless steel vats (tanks) for the dairy industry, plus fuel tanks for boats,spray tanks and equipment, fittings for the building industry and lots of other items made from stainless steel.
They also made grain silos, auger feed units, store trucks, concrete mixers, safety jack stands plus pipe and bar benders.
Sincro Engineering Co. Ltd. was struck off the compainies register in 1992 and no further infomation can be found as to what happened to them after that.
Identification
- Date
- 1969