The origins of our shop date back to 1967 when Winston & Gordon Davies Ltd was founded in a small garage in Onehunga, Auckland. Winston “Win” Davies and his father Gordon set out to build a reputation for precision and reliability, gaining early work for Air New Zealand (then TEAL) and proving their skill in delivering mission-critical components.

As demand grew, the business moved into a larger facility in Wairau in the 1970s followed by a purpose-built facility in Albany in the 1990s designed to maximize natural light. As a trailblazer, Win began adopting CNC technology in the early 1980s and achieved ISO 9001 certification in the 1990s.

With Win’s retirement in the late 2000s, new owner Kevin Schicker and his wife Alison continued to modernize the shop’s capability with advanced multi-axis CNC capability, a custom-designed manufacturing database, and a keen commitment to customer needs.

In 2021, our shop became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Dodson Group, backed by Booster Kiwisaver. This partnership cemented a decade-long customer relationship and secured the shop’s future with fresh investment, training, leadership, and technology.

Now known as WGD, our lean, 5S-driven facility is kitted end-to-end with automated and modern equipment which reflects decades of continuous improvement in precision and efficiency.

Though a lot has changed in the past 50 years, our principles have always remained the same. Through the decades, we have always been known as New Zealand’s go-to shop for high-precision, mission critical needs. An ethical employer with a strong workplace culture, WGD has tenured staff that have been with the business for 10, 20, and even 40 years!