During the mid 1990s the Japanese used parts warehouses started up and became the largest competitor to National Radiators competing with second hand radiators. Some of the largest insurance companies used second hand radiators for crash repairs.
In order to stay competitive and profitable National Radiators had to reduce cost and the staff level was gradually reduced. As part of the cost reduction plan we closed the Dunedin Branch and moved the vintage core manufacturing equipment to Auckland.
In 2001 another competitor entered New Zealand when Adrad opened a warehouse in Penrose only a short distance from our Walls Road Plant. Adrad was very aggressive in obtaining market share by offering Quality products at super competitive prices.
In 2003 our competitor Radev Radiators sold their manufacturing plant to Adrad, providing them with instant access to radiator core manufacturing in New Zealand.
