Humble Beginnings
Just over 34 years ago in 1983, the Currie brothers from a Hastings orchard found themselves selling their latest Gib-lifting innovation to a hospital surgeon. As unusual as it was, the hospital saw the potential in their engineering and were soon enquiring about what other products the ‘Cubro’ boys could develop. The brothers left with a brief for wheelchairs and never looked back.
1986 - 1997 Hastings to Tauranga
Three years later, the brothers secured their first European sole agency to ship innovative healthcare equipment to the New Zealand market. Having outgrown the orchard, they purchased their first commercial building a year later, just in time for their first overseas container of product. By 1991 demand in the industry had grown and their modest Hastings building doubled in size, increasing stock holdings, efficiency and improving dispatch times. Cubro’s reputation in the healthcare industry was thriving and so two years later, they made the move to Tauranga to improve their nationwide coverage and operate more centrally. However, it wasn’t long before they were on the move again, purchasing a bigger warehouse and head office to keep up with their rate of success.
2003 - 2004 Auckland / Christchurch office opens
By 2003 the Auckland market was buzzing and Cubro established an Auckland sales office to help meet the needs and service the customers in the Auckland area. Again, they doubled the size of the existing commercial building, continually increasing stock holdings, efficiency and improving dispatch times. A year later, Cubro celebrated their first ever presence in the South Island, meeting the increasing demand in Christchurch.
2005 - 2012 Cubro fully established in Tauranga
A significant milestone for the Currie brothers came in 2005 when Cubro moved into their new custom-built head office. The additional 1,500sqm of warehouse space was proof that business was good. The Cubro family had grown from three to eighteen and the work load was only getting heavier. Over the next eight years, things began to move quickly. A customised software/accounting package was implemented, streamlining the processing of orders, stock control, reporting and client information. Such growth over the years led to a responsibility within the market that Cubro took very seriously; the company began touring the country with its annual Cubro Roadshow, bringing the latest and greatest products to customers nationwide. Researching overseas trends and innovations in the industry took the Cubro team to international shows in Australia, Dubai, Germany, Sweden and the USA. Being in the dark about industry innovation was not an option.
2012 - 2014 Wellington branch opens
In 2012 the Cubro family had more than tripled. It was a reflection of the hard work from an entire team. During the same year, Cubro became even more available to the lower North Island with the opening of their Wellington Branch. A year later, the initiative was taken to design a tailor-made freight tracking system to live track orders and pending deliveries which, together with the Cubro delivery team, made for a superior service.
2015 - 2016 A New Head Office for Cubro
Over this time, our team expanded to make way for future growth in our company. Our new head office was designed and built, at 149 Taurikura Drive, Tauriko, Tauranga, 3171. Our new facility works exceptionally well for our team who are naturally innovative and forward thinkers. The open plan mezzanine, featuring modern, activity based work stations encourages open communication between team members for increased collaboration and productivity. The strategically scattered focus zones and quiet hubs enable concentrated think time when needed. At one end, our purpose-built café area caters to the team and provides a neutral, communal environment for the team to regroup, relax and recharge. To bring our levels together, the upper floor flows visually down to the lower level sales showroom, linking the functionality between the two zones and creating a feeling of expanse.
Our ability as a company to supply custom-built healthcare equipment for our diverse markets, meant it was imperative that our vision included a purpose-built warehouse that could accommodate the processes and systems of our entire production team. The space caters for all areas including assembly, dispatch and servicing, as well as self-contained workshops for engineering, electrical and upholstery – all adhering to the latest Work Health and Safety standards. A large, impressive, covered canopy accommodates our immense inwards and outwards traffic, and a generous, open grass and concrete surround, allows for structural expansion in the future.
2017 A year of growth and continuous improvement
With the task of re-locating now behind us, the Cubro team has set its sights on making this a productive and positive year ahead. With our fully competent team behind us, a solid culture of company values, and a loyal customer base grown from mutual respect and understanding, we face the year head on with great expectations.
