Halliday + Baillie is expanding its Australian-based production with a new drawer extrusion range in a win for local manufacturing.

The New Zealand-born business, which has been operating in Australia for more than 20 years, is immensely proud of its commitment to industry on this side of the world. In that time, Halliday + Baillie has been designing, manufacturing and exporting innovative, timeless hardware that, in the words of founder Marcus Halliday, is “pleasing to the eye” and “pleasing to the touch”.

Two leaps for local manufacturing

Until last year, Halliday + Baillie manufactured all its H+B branded products in its portfolio across the ditch in New Zealand, aside from a select few European imports.

With branches in Sydney and Melbourne, it “made sense” to relocate some of Halliday + Baillie’s manufacturing capabilities to Australia, says director Tanya Rive.

“I think more manufacturing is leaving our shores and I think we need to bring it back in. We’re one of those companies that are doing it,” Rive says.

In 2023, Halliday + Baillie launched its first Australian-manufactured product – the recessed blind box extrusion, a sleek blind system for flush-mounting primarily automated roller blinds and screens to ceiling plasterboard. Although originally designed in New Zealand, this product is manufactured here to minimise the carbon footprint for a product of its size.

Now, the brand is excited to announce a new range of drawer extrusions will also be manufactured in Australia. Available in six different designs, these three-metre-long drawer extrusions for 18-millimetre cabinetry offer an alternative to traditional cabinet handles on drawers, cupboards and doors.

Why is Australian manufacturing important?

The benefits of manufacturing locally, and in Australia specifically, are manifold.

“To freight these products from New Zealand to Australia was just not in line with our commitment to sustainability and keeping our carbon footprint as low as possible,” Rive explains.

Not only does manufacturing in Australia reduce a product’s carbon footprint, it also gives business to another Australian firm that employs Australians – something that “means a lot” to Halliday + Baillie. On a fundamental level, manufacturing here means more local jobs and more local industry, stimulating our economy.

Significant advantages are also passed down to the consumer. For example, products that are long in length are expensive to import and take up valuable space. Not having to allow for this in the cost of the product means pricing is better.

On a design level, manufacturing locally means greater quality control and commercial innovation, while smaller production runs allow Halliday + Baillie to continually improve designs.  Its Australian-manufactured extrusions are produced and delivered raw, meaning clients can have them finished to their specifications, streamlining the overall interior design of a residential or commercial project.

‘Doing things better’

Our Kiwi friends at Halliday + Baillie have had a long love affair with Australian design, evidenced alone by their decade-long sponsorship of the Residential Single category at the Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA).

Driven by an ethos to ‘do things better’, Halliday + Baillie’s latest move reveals an even larger investment in Australia’s built and natural environment.

Learn more on the Halliday + Baillie website.

Photography supplied.