The Origins and Future of Leading New Zealand Specialist CNG Valve and Coupling Manufacturer Engineering Company Oasis Engineering
By Ciaran Warner
The internationally-known, Tauranga-based engineering company Oasis Engineering has caused countries worldwide to, in the words of Managing Director Andy Cameron, “adopt what they call ‘the New Zealand standard.’”
However, Andy believes the future of Oasis is just as promising as its past.
Conceived in 1983 by entrepreneur Tom Boyd, Oasis started out as a soft drink company in Gisborne. The company was soon absorbed by Coca-Cola, prompting Tom to move to Tauranga in order to be close to other soft drink plants, bringing with him equipment that Andy says is still used by the company today.
It was the advent of Caltex’s CNG program in 1984 that caused Tom to realise he could provide what they needed, and in doing so he soon found himself becoming a major supplier for Caltex.
“They couldn’t get hold of a valve that suited their needs,” Andy says.
“Tom was already working with compressed gas, as soft drinks have compressed carbon dioxide in them, and he had a valve he was making that was almost suitable for CNG with a little bit of adaption.”
Since then, Oasis Engineering has gone global in a big way, in no small part thanks to the talent and expertise Andy has provided over the years.
“I came into the business in 2003 – I’d been working in West Africa prior to that, and it seemed an excellent opportunity to come back and work in the Bay of Plenty, a wonderful place to raise a family, I thought, and so it’s proved,” Andy says.
“What I bought to the business was international market experience - I could see the opportunities were there overseas, and I was quite keen to go out and see if we could take them.”
And take them he did. Oasis Engineering currently possesses its largest markets in countries including the USA, Canada, Korea, Thailand, Columbia, Peru and Sweden. The business also supplies companies in Pakistan, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and more. And of course, the New Zealand and Australian markets continue to make up a significant chunk of their business.
The popularity of CNG in valves and vehicles can also be largely attributed to the success of Oasis Engineering in tackling the global market, as Andy says that a dramatic increase in the use of CNG has been seen over the years.
“Because we’ve been involved in CNG for so long, when we started there were only 300,000 vehicles in the world using CNG - now there’s nearly twenty million,” Andy says.
“And of that number, probably one in five is filled up by gas passing though a valve made by Oasis Engineering.”
Andy says Oasis Engineering takes pride in the role it’s played putting New Zealand on the map as a world leader in the industry.
“In New Zealand our industry has a reputation for being a leader… it’s the first country in the world to adopt CNG as a road fuel and have it widespread throughout the country, and we are seen as a continuation of that excellence, that innovation and that world leadership.”
But even though the growth and success of Oasis Engineering has been exceptional, Andy firmly believes the best is yet to come for the company.
“Oasis has got a lot of growth coming. We’re going to see a big expansion of our market worldwide, and Tauranga is going to be the centre of innovation and product development for that worldwide market expansion.”
To find out more about Oasis Engineering, visit them here!
Contact Oasis Engineering Ltd:
Address: Oasis Engineering (2003) Limited, 129 Birch Avenue, Tauranga, 3110 New Zealand
Ph: +64-7-928-3808
Fax: +64-7-928-3809
Email: info@oasisngv.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Oasis-Engineering-173682923272538
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OasisNGV
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/OasisEngineeringLtd/videos
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/oasis-engineering-2003-limited
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oasisngv
Pinterest: www.pinterest.nz/oasisengineering
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