WGD Limited - Rosedale

The company started from humble beginnings back in 1967 in a garage in Onehunga, Auckland and consisted of Winston Davies and his father Gordon.

Through Gordon’s contacts in Air NZ (formerly TEAL) Winston was able to get work in the aviation sector. All parts were manufactured using manual lathes and mills.

The company soon expanded, was formally registered 28 June 1968 and moved premises several times. Then while residing in 60 Hillside Road, with a staff of 9, they acquired their first CNC lathe followed shortly by a CNC mill.

As the engineering world evolved, the creation of ISO 9001 came about and early in the 1990’s the company first became ISO accredited for quality assurance.

Due to the excellent work quality and dedicated staff, the company soon outgrew its location and moved to 11 Ride Way, Rosedale, North Harbour Industrial estate, into a purpose designed building.

Further CNC capability was added and in 2010 Kevin Schicker bought the business, allowing Winston a much-deserved retirement.

With great tenacity, Kevin was able to bring the company into the modern era, replacing dated machines with high tech mill-turn, 4th axis CNC mills and two very capable 5 axis mills. He further incorporated 5 more CNC lathes and mills purchased from a customer who was looking to further outsource.

In 2021, Kevin was looking for his turn in retirement and with the realisation that top quality work could slip from their control, Dodson, in partnership with their majority shareholder Booster Kiwisaver, bought the company and rebranded to WGD Ltd. Dodson is a manufacturer and exporter of performance transmission components who had been a top customer of WGD for a decade.

Under Dodson’s ownership, WGD continues to produce components for a wide range of customers across New Zealand’s manufacturing sector, predominantly blue chip exporters and technology firms. Dodson and Booster Kiwisaver have committed to expanding the business with investment in new staff, training, and equipment to ensure that WGD remains a pillar of New Zealand’s manufacturing sector over the coming decades.

Much has changed in the world over the past 50 years since Winston Davies and his father set out into business together. One constant has been WGD’s focus on quality and precision, a legacy which the team is committed to driving forward for generations to come.