But in the middle of , a press release announced that "worldwide research to better understand what consumers are looking for" had inspired a whole new brand identity, based on design, safety, engineering, trust, ease of use and versatility. Under the rebranding, Mountain Buggies were pitched as more versatile, catering for any lifestyle—"Whether you're walking in the park, browsing shops or power-walking on the beach," the brochures promised.
Some believe the new message undercut a key part of the Kiwi brand story. Fairbrother dismisses this criticism, saying the market research found the brand was "too masculine and turned off women—the mothers who are the primary decision makers in buggy purchases".
As is typical with marketing issues, it's hard to get a handle on how much this switch cost the company in terms of sales, if any, but our sources believe it hurt a lot.
Finally, it appears Tritec did not pay enough attention to product development. When Idealog suggested to one source that the company was 'design-led', the term was vehemently disputed. By signing up to the Better by Design programme and doing the rebranding, Tritec indicated it was aware of this shortcoming, but perhaps didn't solve it quickly enough. Like the branding issue, it's one companies may get away with in the short term and in good times, but when sales go flat, fresh products can be the difference between a sale or bust.
Again, Tritec is not alone in this deficiency. The words 'design-led' get thrown around a lot, but many Kiwi manufacturing exporters concentrate on what's going on inside their factory what they enjoy and know and don't pay enough attention to what's going on in the minds of their customers which is hard because of distances involved and usually not the natural focus of manufacturers. Tritec has always been a fiercely proud New Zealand manufacturer.
At the time it announced its doubling of Mountain Buggy production, it said it was determined to keep its manufacturing base in Lower Hutt, at least till it came down to a choice between a factory in China or company failure.
Tritec receiver John Fisk told the Dominion Post that distance from the company's markets was an issue. There are pros and cons of manufacturing here, but there is a cost in producing things from New Zealand. It's something Fairbrother acknowledges: "It means we have smaller margins than our competitors.
First, New Zealand-made was a key though perhaps weaker after the rebranding way of setting the company apart in a crowded world buggy market. Second, Fairbrother says having the manufacturing operation in New Zealand meant the company could keep tabs on quality.
It does, however, import some components such as fabric from China. There is evidence that a niche focus like Mountain Buggy's can help small New Zealand manufacturers offset our exporting obstacles such as distant markets, difficulties in keeping tabs on market trends and distribution hurdles. As shown by Mountain Buggy's initial success, a little formal marketing effort, word of mouth and the occasional media coup can be enough to sustain a niche manufacturing exporter in New Zealand.
It also outsources logistics and distribution. Marketing, design and production engineering, Gower says, are its core competencies. A champion of the New Zealand-made exporting goes into receivership and is bought by a competitor that makes its products in China. The two brands are at opposite poles of the approaches that New Zealand companies take to exporting manufactured products.
Its buggies are made in China. Mountain Buggy saw itself as a manufacturer and an avowedly Kiwi one at that. Gower, speaking a few days after sealing the purchase, didn't want to get into the merits of local versus offshore manufacture, and was circumspect about the future of Mountain Buggy production in New Zealand.
He points out that making Mountain Buggies in New Zealand is—or was—a key part of the Mountain Buggy brand, and says his company is not wedded to the idea of having to offshore its manufacturing activities.
Roof racks made by its automotive accessory business, Hubco, are made in New Zealand, though its supply chain is international.
Content for the Mountain Buggies mainly comes from New Zealand suppliers. However, in the past Gower has been sceptical about importing materials from Asia, adding value here, then exporting the finished product to Europe. Mountain Buggy believes in making strong customer connections around the world for our New Zealand brand and hearing valuable feedback from the people that matter — we listen, we develop, we deliver.
We consider that a success in design, development, marketing, and sales. Click here to give us feedback, or to share your experience with our brand that enables you to live life without limit. The design and technology of our buggies has evolved over the years, and our desire to produce premium products has led to high quality material selection, innovative engineering processes and a vigorous testing programme that includes exceeding all mandatory tests for worldwide safety standards.
We are committed to providing consumers with a buggy they can rely on for years to come. We are proud of our proven track record and perform vigorous testing to guarantee our precision engineering, tough frame structure and identify the most durable materials available.
Our testing programme includes all mandatory safety standards as well as many of our own tests. Click here to see our test criteria. We're not your typical working environment. First you'll be dropping your kids off at the creche in the morning, shooting down our custom-built slide to make that meeting in the afternoon, picking up a coffee from our barista on the way; all onsite! Take a look at what's currently available and get in touch if the job sounds right.
We'd love to meet you! The mesh extension to the front of the hood shielded Hannah nicely without obscuring her view. The peekaboo window was a good size and I loved the new magnetic fastenings. Hooray, no more noisy Velcro when checking on sleeping occupants!
The raincover is excellent too! In driving rain we were able to zip it up and quickly take Hannah in and out of the pushchair, keeping her as dry as possible without risking gusty winds whipping the storm cover out of our hands. Our oldest daughter Catherine is four and a quarter, weighs 26kg and is cm tall. Mountain Buggy say the Urban Jungle should only be used in a lie-flat position for babies from birth up to 9kg, even though the seat has been tested for a child up to 25kg.
When I queried this they explained it was to avoid any potential tipping with a larger weight to the rear of the buggy. The smooth fold meant I was happy to fold the pushchair each time I came home, but it remained a chunky piece of furniture to negotiate in my front hall. I liked the two separate zip sections and the mesh side pockets at either side — much better than a jumble of shopping, snacks, discarded coats and other paraphernalia.
Yes, putting it together was a speedy job, just a matter of slotting all three wheels on and attaching the hood and bumper bar. New parents would benefit from watching the instructional videos online — feel free to laugh along with the cheesy music like we did. Outdoorsy types who want to take baby on rough terrain will be impressed with the smooth ride and how easy it is to push.
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