EPI Group
Materials designs for high performance in niche applications and rapid commercialization through international collaboration through NZPA
Company Profile
EPI Group specialises in collaborating with designers, manufacturers, testers, and distributors globally to introduce innovative and high-performing products to New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia. With more than three decades of experience, an uncanny eye for innovation and well-established partnerships in China and the rest of the world, EPI Group is one of New Zealand’s leading product servicing partner for companies in the electrical and rubber technology sectors.
Mark Eagger and Andrew Neal are the founders and joint managing directors at EPI Group – two Kiwis with the passion, vision, knowledge, and expertise in the product servicing industry to get products noticed in Australasian markets. Based in beautiful Cambridge in New Zealand’ North Island, the duo has vast experience in a diverse range of sectors including electrics, science and technology and finance.
Relationship
Harness Racing is a worldwide sport enjoyed in more than 15 countries by millions of fans who spend more than NZ$3bn annually. EPI Group distributes 80cm-tall pylons to harness horseracing tracks; having pylons with good flexibility and rebound resilience is an accident prevention and safety requirement for the popular sport.
PVC pylons tend to fail less than six months in service. The NZ Product Accelerator polymer expertise identified the issues as the Low Molecular Weight Plasticizer (LMWP) used to ‘flexibilise’ rigid PVC leaching out of the pylons making them brittle in service. These LMWP are banned in many countries due to health and environmental risks associated with toxic dioxin emissions in hot temperatures.
The NZPA approach was to use rubber with inherent rebound resilience, impact resistance, flexibility, durability, and overall performance in harsh weather conditions. Rapid commercialisation was made possible through right manufacturing facility overseas for commercial scale production through NZPA. Products are now performing brilliantly in the Australasian harness horse racing tracks.
The relationship built up to develop more business with new products for the manufacturer.
In 2020 the EPI Group formed a new company – EPI 2020 – and with the technical support from NZPA and DSI International Sri Lanka, developed a halogen-free fire-resistant high impact resistant industrial plug that passed many stringent compliance tests.
These electrical components are now distributed through leading electrical suppliers throughout New Zealand.
EPI 2020 sponsored NZPA rubber expert to visit the manufacturing site to inspect the quality control measures done at the manufacturing site.
The Impact
With this relationship, EPI 2020 has directly increased its revenues from these two products, which equates to more than 50% of the absolute sales growth it has seen in the past 3 years. EPI 2020 is excited to be working with NZPA again on new product development now and in the future.
The Value
Mark Eagger and Andrew Neal, joint managing directors at EPI Group, said, ‘EPI Group engagement is an excellent example of how to collaborate leading-edge science and technology to develop and introduce innovative new products into New Zealand markets.
‘NZPA helped us to build up strong relationships through well-established manufacturing facilities overseas to manufacture high-performing products into Australia and New Zealand. We are impressed with the NZPA expertise and in-house R&D at the manufacturing site overseas that led us rapid pathways to commercialization utilizing existing manufacturing facilities.
‘The relationship that NZPA had with the manufacturer was able to connect EPI Group to a totally new technologies unknown to EPI Group and the critical networking link that has been established via NZPA is commendable.’
NZ Product Accelerator NZPA
Do you have a product and are looking for entry into New Zealand and Australia?
We’d love to hear from you. For more information on EPI Group’s products and services:
| Contact Mark | Contact Andrew |
| mark@epigroup.co.nz | andrew@epigroup.co.nz |
| +64 21 599 295 | +64 21 760372 |
