Sydney-based PCB manufacturer Circuitwise Electronics Manufacturing is to acquire New Zealand’s leading electronics design and manufacturing specialist Nautech Electronics.
Circuitwise and Nautech are two of the leading contract electronics manufacturing companies in their respective markets, with a shared focus on quality, reliability and responsiveness for their customers, according to a statement.
The partnership extends both companies’ capability and capacity, providing customers with a deeper service offering and a second manufacturing location in the ANZ region.
Circuitwise Electronics’ CEO Serena Ross said: “Quality is their number one priority, and we wanted to partner with another company with leadership and people who have the same culture as us.
“Nautech has a strong position in the aerospace industry, which supports our strategy of servicing mission-critical sectors with a high requirement for quality assurance.
“Nautech also has several new capabilities to help us deliver an even better service to our customers across Australia and New Zealand.”
Ross said local manufacturing was increasingly important for Australian and New Zealand companies looking for better delivery speed and reliability; enhanced communication and responsiveness; collaboration and support for testing and design for manufacture; reduced vulnerability to geopolitical disputes and tariff fluctuations; and stronger intellectual property protection.
Nautech CEO Laurie Kubiak said: “Our company wanted to continue its rapid growth and had been looking for a partner with complementary capabilities to help drive that growth.
“Circuitwise was a perfect match as it has strengths in different sectors and technical capabilities.
“Combining the two offers a very powerful service for product manufacturers across both countries.”
Nautech extends Circuitwise’s offering, with advanced testing facilities that include clean rooms and environmental test chambers to recreate extreme temperatures and vibration.
Clean rooms are typically required for space and medical applications.
Nautech’s design team focuses on providing customers with a complete service to ensure higher reliability of their designs, including design for manufacture.
Similarly, Circuitwise has capabilities that complement Nautech, having developed a sophisticated enterprise manufacturing system in-house, supported by custom hardware solutions, which provides the group with a clear competitive advantage.
Circuitwise boasts over 15 years of operation in medical device manufacturing under ISO 13485 and, more recently, under the AD 9100D for aerospace applications.
In the past four years, continual improvements to these systems have delivered a three-fold increase in revenue while maintaining the same team size.
The acquisition of Nautech is the first following the investment in Circuitwise Electronics by Quadrant Private Equity in 2023.
Quadrant invests in companies with a high growth potential and supports companies develop clear business plans and long-term strategies to benefit all stakeholders.
Nautech’s leadership team will remain in place and the Nautech brand will continue.
Picture: Nautech Electronics