Survive he has – and then some.

Today EG Whiter Ltd is a multi-million dollar business. It’s among New Zealand’s largest precision tool and die set manufacturers, and arguably one of the largest exporters of die sets in Australasia.

It employs more than 40 machinists and features around the same number of CNC milling centres, lathes and grinders – all sprawled across a 2,800m² site in Auckland’s Otahuhu industrial area.

And Glynn Whiter, the man behind it all, admits that celebrating a half-century in business still seems a little unreal. "It all seems to have happened so quickly – perhaps because it’s been a period of constant change and adjustment. Trying to meet demands for increasingly complex machining, adapting to new machining technology – and an awful lot of inventiveness when there weren’t any conventional solutions."

Glynn’s first break – in the mid 50s – was a contract for creating the tooling for a series of matchbox cars.

Fundamental pragmatism, he suggests, has been a vital component in the company’s success – right from the start. "My first break came with a contract for dies for a series of Matchbox cars from Lincoln International – at that time one of the country’s largest toy manufacturers. I suspect I ‘won’ the job because no one else wanted it. It involved an incredible amount of very detailed machining, and few shops had the equipment to tackle that cost-effectively – I certainly didn’t."

His solution was a dentist’s burr, and many hours of painstaking ‘manual machining’. "In those days, of course, mild steel was used for the tooling – I couldn’t have done it with today’s high-tensile steel." Similar unconventional tactics were employed for other jobs. "I resorted to a lot of laminated sections of steel to make a finished tool. I didn’t have the technology to cut channels, for example, so I bolted sections of steel together."

The resilience paid off. EG Whiter gained a reputation for solving ‘awkward’ jobs – albeit unconventionally – and the company expanded steadily. With the growth came more opportunities, decisions …and hard lessons. Especially about the cost of borrowing money. "In the early days I had a manual cylindrical grinder," recalls Glynn, "and I fancied myself as its expert operator – spent hours on it. One day this chap arrived and threw a brochure about an automatic grinder on my desk: ‘You need one of these.’

"That night, looking at the brochure, I thought: he’s right – the playing field’s changing all the time, and to stay competitive I’ll have to embrace automation at some stage – why not now? So I borrowed the money from the bank at 21% interest. But repaying it nearly killed me. I had to keep the machine working flat out to generate the money – I became so paranoid about it, I even worried about wasting time going to the toilet. After that, I vowed to steer clear of money-lenders and I’ve paid cash for every machine ever since."

That’s a pretty impressive record, considering that today’s inventory of the company’s machining capability reads like a United Nations compilation of CNC machine manufacturers. There are seven Mazak vertical machining centres, five Ki Heung vertical and horizontal milling machines, a couple of Proth surface grinders and a brace of Blohm surface grinders.

Then there’s a Buaj 28 cylindrical grinder, a Snow vertical rotary surface grinder (the biggest in the country), Maximart and Charme spark eroders, a Nagel gundrilling machine, Cosen bandsaws, Colchester lathes…and the list goes on.

Operating them is an equally diverse selection of staff. "Finding competent, reliable machinists had always been a problem in New Zealand, but we’ve been very fortunate," says Glynn. "Some of the chaps have been with us for more than 30 years."

The extensive capabilities of the equipment has cultivated a varied range of clients. Among the company’s current jobs is tooling for the production of light fixtures, spa pool filters, cleansers, toy blocks, horticultural seed trays, domestic appliances, automotive wheel trims, light lenses and electronic equipment.

EG Whiter is perhaps best known for its mass production of ‘standard’ die sets, plates of machined steel prepared for other tool makers. "Most of our clients are other tool makers," says Glynn. "We’re essentially providing a ready resource for their tooling requirements. Instead of them having to begin machining blocks of raw steel in preparation for detailed machining, they’re able to begin with precisely machined ‘blanks’. It’s more economical for them to buy our mass-produced die sets. We also supply die sets with waterways and pockets if required."

The company is among the biggest exporters of die sets in Australasia.

EG Whiter is the only tool maker in New Zealand to export standard and special die sets to Australia every week. "We’re exporting around three tonnes of die sets to Australia every Friday. The door-to-door shipments arrive on Monday," says Glynn.

So apart from the obvious development in technology, what’s the biggest change Glynn has seen in the tool making industry over 50 years? "Competition," he says without hesitation. "I’d hate to be starting out as an independent tool maker now. In the old days, there wasn’t much opposition, and one could make a reasonable living. There are now hundreds of tool makers, and many – especially the smaller operators, seem happy to work for very little. It’s very, very difficult to compete."

And the secret to EG Whiter’s success? Customer service? Quality machining? Delivering on time? "Yep – all of those. But more importantly, a supportive wife. I worked long hours, was hardly ever home, which left my wife to raise the family. I couldn’t have done it without her."

Would he do it all again? "Again? Hmmm, well, maybe I’ll just pass on that…"