NZ Innovation & Export Podcast

How do you build a $100 million-plus engineering business by solving problems others consider impossible?

Bruce Carden, Managing Director of TRT, explores the innovations behind the company’s heavy transport and crane solutions, its expansion into Australia, and the challenges of introducing technology years before customers are ready to adopt it.

From world-first engineering solutions to family business succession, Bruce shares lessons from nearly six decades of TRT history and what it takes to build a business for the long term.

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
2:53 TRT's History and Family Legacy
4:58 Innovation in Heavy Transport Technology
11:02 Quick Connect: From Days to Minutes
13:03 The Challenge of Innovating Too Early
18:06 TractionAir and the Australian Road Train Market
24:00 Building Safer Pick and Carry Cranes
26:29 TRT's Culture of Solving Impossible Problems
28:24 Defence Engineering and World-First Solutions
35:00 Family Ownership and Business Succession
37:45 Expanding from New Zealand into Australia
44:52 The Value of Independent Governance
48:15 Marketing, Margins and Profitable Growth
52:04 Business Resilience Through Innovation
53:18 How to Contact TRT

Follow TRT here:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/trtltd
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/trt_madepossible
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/tidd-ross-todd-ltd
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@trt_tidd
Website - https://www.trt.co.nz

This Podcast is brought to you by Duoplus – The Digital Marketing Agency for businesses focused on growth.
Find out more here: https://www.duoplus.nz

Follow: NZ Innovation & Export Podcast:
Website - https://www.duoplus.nz/podcast
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nzinnovationexportpodcast
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nzinnovationexportpodcast
Tik-Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@nzinnovationandexport

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@NZInnovationExportPodcast
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4OJb33uLpmSecvkYVdSKC5
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nz-innovation-export-podcast/id1883810064

What happens to soft plastic, food and beverage cartons and other packaging that is difficult to recycle?
Paul Charteris founder of saveBOARD explains how the company turns this waste into high-performance building materials used throughout New Zealand and Australia.
Paul shares the difficult journey of raising around $5 million to establish the New Zealand operation, overcoming resistance to a new construction product, expanding into Australia, and building sustainability into a commercially competitive business model.
It’s a practical story about innovation, persistence, circular manufacturing, and creating demand for something that did not previously exist.

Timestamp:
0:00 Introduction
1:08 The saveBOARD Story
4:10 Raising the Capital
7:31 From Startup to 1,000+ Installations
9:01 What Waste Goes Into the Boards?
15:54 Building the Product Range
20:37 Getting the Construction Industry On Board
24:46 Why Sustainability Alone Isn't Enough
26:36 The Unusual Feedstock Business Model
28:46 Measuring Carbon Impact
34:03 Understanding the Circular Economy
36:10 Why Circularity Needs More Demand
40:57 Expanding Into Australia
43:46 Paul's Vision for 2040
45:44 What Consumers Can Do
48:02 Connecting With saveBOARD

Follow saveBOARD here:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/saveboardanz
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/saveboardanz
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/save-board
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@saveboard
Website - https://www.saveboard.nz

This Podcast is brought to you by Duoplus – The Digital Marketing Agency for businesses focused on growth.
Find out more here: https://www.duoplus.nz

Follow: NZ Innovation & Export Podcast:
Website - https://www.duoplus.nz/podcast
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nzinnovationexportpodcast
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nzinnovationexportpodcast
Tik-Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@nzinnovationandexport

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@NZInnovationExportPodcast
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4OJb33uLpmSecvkYVdSKC5
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nz-innovation-export-podcast/id1883810064

What if one of the most labour-intensive parts of building a house could be digitised and largely automated?
Chris Staal from EC8 explains how his Hamilton team developed its own measuring technology, software, robotics and delivery systems to pre-cut plasterboard before it reaches site.
From roughly 50 measuring-tool prototypes to robotic heads crashing into each other and a rubber mat solving a stubborn dust problem, this episode is a practical look at what real-world innovation actually takes.

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
1:19 Automating Plasterboard
5:30 How the Startup Began
11:00 Building the Measurement System
17:46 Solving Production Speed
21:27 Unexpected Engineering Breakthroughs
26:08 Building the Software Platform
28:07 The Logistics Challenge
30:54 What Builders Think
34:33 Patents and Protecting the Technology
35:46 EC8's Business Model
39:18 Turning EC8 Into a Technology Platform
40:48 International Expansion
43:11 Funding Hardware Innovation
46:07 Lessons From Five Years of R&D
47:53 What Keeps a Founder Going
49:50 Contacting EC8

Follow EC8 here:
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@ec8743
Website - https://ec8.co.nz/

This Podcast is brought to you by Duoplus – The Digital Marketing Agency for businesses focused on growth.
Find out more here: https://www.duoplus.nz

Follow: NZ Innovation & Export Podcast:
Website - https://www.duoplus.nz/podcast
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nzinnovationexportpodcast
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nzinnovationexportpodcast
Tik-Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@nzinnovationandexport

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@NZInnovationExportPodcast
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4OJb33uLpmSecvkYVdSKC5
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nz-innovation-export-podcast/id1883810064

Intellectual property can be far more than a defensive legal tool.
IP strategist Kate Wilson from James & Wells explains how innovative New Zealand businesses can use patents, trademarks, designs, competitive intelligence and collaboration to build an edge in global markets.
Kate shares stories involving acquisitions, competitor research, overseas manufacturing, employee risk and some expensive IP mistakes, along with practical advice for businesses developing products, technology or other innovations they do not want competitors copying.

Show Notes:
Kate Wilson's book
The Hidden Mechanics of IP: Demystifying Intellectual Property
Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FF44XKDV/

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
1:20 What an IP strategist does
3:49 Kate Wilson's path into intellectual property
8:07 The IP strategy behind a major acquisition
14:14 What intellectual property really includes
16:09 How much IP protection is worth paying for
20:04 Kate's three cogs of IP
24:01 Freedom to operate and avoiding costly mistakes
29:45 Why NZ exporters need protection at home
32:44 Creating an IP-conscious business
38:26 How Zespri protects its varieties
40:14 Patent trolls and strategic patent use
43:56 Why patent titles are deliberately vague
45:21 Protecting IP when manufacturing in China
47:07 Kate's key takeaway

Follow James & Wells here:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/james-&-wells-ip/
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@jameswellsintellectualprop4184
Website - https://www.jamesandwells.com/

This Podcast is brought to you by Duoplus – The Digital Marketing Agency for businesses focused on growth.
Find out more here: https://www.duoplus.nz

Follow: NZ Innovation & Export Podcast:
Website - https://www.duoplus.nz/podcast
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nzinnovationexportpodcast
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nzinnovationexportpodcast
Tik-Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@nzinnovationandexport

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@NZInnovationExportPodcast
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4OJb33uLpmSecvkYVdSKC5
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nz-innovation-export-podcast/id1883810064

What started with a panel beater building a better horse float for his daughter has grown into a specialty vehicle manufacturer approaching 100 staff.
Alyssa Wade, Managing Director of Wade Group, shares how the family business moved from luxury equine coaches into motorsport transporters, prisoner vehicles and the national New Zealand Police contract, while building new technology and expanding into Australia.
It is a story about succession, manufacturing, calculated growth and continually finding new problems worth solving.

Timestamps:
0:00 The Wade Group Story
1:11 Specialty Vehicles Explained
5:46 How the Family Business Started
9:47 Stepping Into Leadership
16:19 The Decision That Changed the Business
17:05 Winning the NZ Police Contract
21:46 5,500 Police Vehicles and Counting
25:03 Surviving the Tough Years
27:04 Expanding Into Australia
32:15 The Next Export Opportunity
34:02 Building for Future Growth
35:56 Culture and High Standards
39:15 What's Next for Wade Group

Follow Wade Group here:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wadeequinecoaches
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wadegroup
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@wadeequinenz
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wade-group
Website - https://wadegroupltd.com

This Podcast is brought to you by Duoplus – The Digital Marketing Agency for businesses focused on growth.
Find out more here: https://www.duoplus.nz

Follow: NZ Innovation & Export Podcast:
Website - https://www.duoplus.nz/podcast
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nzinnovationexportpodcast
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nzinnovationexportpodcast
Tik-Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@nzinnovationandexport

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@NZInnovationExportPodcast
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4OJb33uLpmSecvkYVdSKC5
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nz-innovation-export-podcast/id1883810064