Pharmaceuticals company API Consumer Brands’ “lean” approach to efficiency in manufacturing is enabling it to stay in New Zealand and reap big rewards from New Zealand-made product branding, the company’s general manager said.

Mitch Cuevas, company general manager and director, said in an FGC Leaders Series video interview on trends and sustainable innovation, that it is very difficult to maintain manufacturing in New Zealand because of costs.

“But what we’re doing is a lot of lean manufacturing … so we continually keep our costs under control so we can keep that manufacturing onshore. It’s very important for us that we keep New Zealand-made as part of our product range,” Cuevas said.

Cuevas cited an example of a product that was rebranded using iconic names and places, so not only did domestic consumers know they were getting a New Zealand product, but Asian consumers knew they were getting “a piece of New Zealand at an affordable price”.

“We had phenomenal success with the appeal of real New Zealand products that are both affordable but also tell a real New Zealand story as part of the brand,” he said.

Cuevas also talked about the need for safer products and staying up with consumer trends toward plant-based ingredients.

“A lot of emphasis is put into research to ensure potentially harmful ingredients are removed from products years before they are required to be removed. Replacing petroleum-based ingredients with those that are plant-based, and removing, where possible, palm oil to take into account environmental concerns are also top of API’s product development.”

Katherine Rich, FGC chief executive, said API is to be applauded for striving to stay in New Zealand, with all the advantages that brings.

“This is a win for API and a win for New Zealand – it keeps jobs here, boosts export income by using Brand New Zealand as a major selling point, and builds further on our reputation for making high-quality, safe, and sustainable products,” Rich said.