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From Wingate to the world

Wednesday 29 August 2012, 2:35PM

By Hutt City Council

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LOWER HUTT

Wingate may sound like an unlikely base for a world-beating supplier of communications technology, but Aviat Networks NZ is proving that aiming high and investing in the best always pays off.

Aviat makes microwave radio equipment and network management software used mainly for mobile network operators. About half of its business is in developing countries.

The company’s team of experts and support personnel is nudging 100, having in recent times taken on a number of graduates – thanks to its strong links with Victoria and Massey universities – as well as experienced professionals in areas such as engineering design, product marketing and technical and sales people.

Aviat says it is one of the region’s biggest employers of embedded software developers and is continuing to grow, with the establishment of a new system testing engineering team.

The company has been operating in Lower Hutt for more than 25 years, 11 of those from Wingate, and in that time it has built a solid reputation for excellence in cost-efficient technology implementation.

It says stiff international competition has underlined the importance of having the “best people” and the best engineers in order to gain a competitive advantage against lower-cost operators.

That strategy is continuing to pay strong dividends for the Wingate-based business.