HamiltonJet has expanded the size of its manufacturing area by a third, officially opening a 7,500m2 factory extension at its site in Christchurch, New Zealand.
“With 97 per cent of our products sold overseas, this positions HamiltonJet to respond quickly to market opportunities, including growing demand in defence, hybrid marine technology, and wind farm support,” said managing director Ben Reed.
The new extension will boost production capacity by 40%, bringing HamiltonJet’s manufacturing footprint to 22,500m2.
The new facility incorporates dedicated production lines for both small and large waterjets, purpose-built with LED lighting, solar panels, and heat-recovery systems. The layout has been optimised for lean, linear manufacturing, enabling faster assembly, reduced lead times, and greater flexibility to meet complex customer specifications.
More than 450 people attended the official opening, including the NZ government’s Minister for Building & Construction and HamiltonJet’s global leadership team.
Despite not having moved since the 1950s, when it was set up at its existing site, HamiltonJet has come far in a business sense; now viewing itself as a world leader in propulsion systems, selling its products in more than 70 countries to navies, coastguards, commercial ferries, wind farm support vessels and hybrid craft.
“We offer 18 different sizes of waterjets, ranging from small 270kW to large 5,500kW jets, meeting the needs of patrol boats, landing craft, ferries and hybrid vessels. Our offering is unique in that we design, cast, machine, fabricate, paint and assemble our waterjets entirely in-house. This comprehensive capability gives us complete control over quality and performance and allows us to deliver technology efficiently to customers worldwide.”
While this is a significant expansion, the company said it is already looking to further increase its footprint, with space available for another factory of the same size on the Christchurch site.
