The doors keep opening: Duffett Doors Marks 100 Years

Founded in 1926, Duffett Doors began as a small startup business supplying doors for warehouses and growing commercial districts in Auckland. Over the following decades, Duffett’s capabilities grew from simple roller doors to complex automatic, sectional and tilt systems, across the country. WiriLink sat down with Guy Burt, Commercial Manager at Duffett Doors to find out their point of difference which has kept them going for a century.

Duffett Doors, based at 15 Vogler Drive, provides a 24/7 nationwide service delivering both reactive and proactive maintenance, repair, and manufacturing solutions for roller doors across industrial, commercial, retail, healthcare, and logistics sectors.

“We manufacture on site and offer a rapid response time of within four hours for reactive callouts”.

“Our facilities allow us to collect damaged doors, repair them, and return and reinstall them in full working order, often on the same day. From acceptance, we can typically organise the manufacture of a new door quickly, with powder coating times varying depending on the colour” says Guy.

Local roots

While Duffett Doors is a New Zealand company, they came under the global umbrella of ASSA ABLOY in 2022.

ASSA ABLOY was founded in 1994, employs around 60,000 people worldwide, generates annual revenues of approximately NZD $20billion, and its headquarters are in Sweden.

This partnership has created “the best of both worlds”.

“We’re a local business that supports New Zealand businesses with the backing of a global business, which supports us from an innovation and service offering,” explains Guy.

Despite the global connection, Duffett remains deeply committed to its identity as a local provider that hasn’t “deviated too far from its own lane”. Operating with a team of 25, the company continues to manufacture on-site, ensuring that the quality that built their reputation over the last century remains intact.

“Our Wiri head office now includes the Rapid Doors division producing the ENVICO range, working closely with ASSA ABLOY’s wider sales and service teams to deliver an unmatched portfolio of door solutions”.

Innovation in Motion

While the core of a roller door might seem simple, Duffett has embraced modern technology to solve customer problems. From heavy-duty motors that don’t add unnecessary weight to the ability to control and monitor doors via smartphone apps, the company is constantly upgrading its componentry.

For high-performance needs, their “rapid doors” are a game-changer for temperature-controlled environments like supermarkets and healthcare facilities.

“When doors are used multiple times a day, quality really matters. A standard door might cope with light use, but in busy environments failure quickly becomes a safety and business risk. Our doors are built for high-cycle performance – some are guaranteed to a million openings, and we currently have units that have exceeded three million cycles and are still operating.”

Central to the community

As Duffett Doors enters its next era, there is a strategic focus on reconnecting with the local community and the value of locals using local businesses.

“A broken door is more than an inconvenience; it can cost a business thousands of dollars an hour in lost productivity or security risks. By using local, you reduce travel distances and remain more competitive, especially in the face of rising fuel prices”.

“We want to be able to support the local community and the business and vice versa. Once you’ve got someone that you trust, that’s one less thing you’ve got to worry about in the working day,”.

Looking to the next era

The future is bright for Duffett Doors, and they have a great team on board to “grow organically, but also sustainably”.

Whether it’s providing live reporting on cycle times for high-traffic areas or offering a refurbishment to help a client get through another year, the focus is on being customer-centric rather than just profit-driven.

“People buy from people, that’s what sets us apart. We’ve got a strong team that communicates well and genuinely cares about the customer experience. We focus on getting 1% better every day, whether that’s improving communication, being more accessible, or simply keeping customers informed so they have peace of mind. We’ll also service any brand of door – if someone needs help, we don’t turn them away. That commitment to people and service is what makes the difference” says Guy.

If you want to learn more about how Duffett Doors can ‘help with your roller doors, call them on 0800 383 3388, email se*****@********co.nz or visit their website: www.duffett.co.nz.

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