Clothing manufacturer Australian Defence Apparel New Zealand (ADA NZ) is to open a new logistics hub in Palmerston North to support its contract to outfit the New Zealand Defence Force.
This will be a custom-built 3,000 square metre facility, now under construction and set to be completed in late 2023.
In 2021, ADA NZ was awarded the contract to supply a range of wearables to the 15,000-member NZ Defence Force in what was the country’s largest ever clothing deal.
Under this contract, ADA was to perform procurement, inventory management and distribution of clothing headwear, footwear, gloves, packs, carrier vests, mess tins, sleeping bags and tents.
ADA Chief Executive Officer Chris Dixon, said the company looked forward to officially opening the Palmerston North Hub later this year.
“The site will allow NZDF personnel to receive the highest quality care and service, complemented by high-tech apparel systems to enable them to perform their duties comfortably and efficiently, taking less time away from training and fieldwork,” he said.
Dixon said the NZDF Wearables Supply and Managed Services contract went live in February.
“Since then, we’ve been working with local New Zealand manufacturers and running a portion of the New Zealand Defence Force requirements through ADA’s Bendigo facility,” he said.
“Equally, some New Zealand suppliers are supplying back into Australia in sort of a swap deal which has benefited both parties.”
The move to Palmerston North was a partnership between ADA, Palmerston North City Council and CEDA (Central Economic Development Agency) to create employment opportunities across the Manawatu region.
ADA NZ Director Sarah Pender said this facility furthered ADA NZ’s ability to provide greater efficiencies in total apparel management for NZDF personnel.
“We anticipate that in future, the site will be used as an advanced distribution hub across a multitude of clients,” she said.
When the clothing deal was announced, there were concerns that it would mean the end of local sourcing of NZDF garments. However, ADA NZ is working with various local manufacturers including Manawatu Knitting Mills, Outback Trading Company, Academy Apparel, Black and Co, Norsewood Knitwear, and Robert Embroidery.
ADA dates back to the Commonwealth Government Clothing Factory, founded in 1912 to supply uniforms to the new Australian military forces and also the Post Master General’s department, outfitting soldiers through two world wars and more recent conflicts.
With the Commonwealth divesting its shipyards and defence factories in the 1980s, the clothing side was privatised in the restructure which saw the formation of ADI, now Thales. ADA is currently owned by Canadian company Logistik Unicorp.