We like to think of our customers as our business partners - if our customers do well, then so will we. If we provide great service and great quality products then our customers will come back again. We take great pride in some of the projects we have worked on and the clients we have collaborated with.

​An immense metal art sculpture for the Supreme Court
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Challenge - Produce an 88,999kg decorative metal screen for the new Supreme Court in Wellington within a tight timeframe.

Solution -  The biggest piece of art ever commissioned in New Zealand, this screen involved cutting 9.5 kilometres of bronze sheet into 4,500 pieces, then folding every piece into a specific shape.
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Innovations -  Special tooling was required to fold the material without cracking it and extra handling equipment was developed to cope with the long lengths of unusually-shaped material.  An additional shift was introduced for the duration of the contract, to ensure for the outdoor screen panels could be completed on time without interfering with our regular production.

​Result - The job was completed on time and the components fitted perfectly together to create a sensational and durable finished art work.

Reducing production costs without compromising product function
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Challenge - A customer with a well-established product was losing market share to a competitor who was importing a similar product at a lower cost. The local market was accepting the inferior quality of the cheaper imported product because it performed the required function.

Solution -  We met with the customer to review the existing product and the manufacturing process for the metal parts in question.  The customer had set some cost reduction targets to achieve the saving required to achieve a competitive product. We identified changes that could be made to achieve these targets.
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Innovations -  We prototyped new components based on an alternative design, which included the elimination of some welding and the introduction of new forming techniques.

​Result - The customer was able to regain market competitiveness through a significant production cost reduction, without compromising the function of the product. ​

Producing metal storage shelves for Archives New Zealand
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Challenge - Archives New Zealand keeps many of New Zealand’s taonga (treasures) safe and available for future generations. When the 2011 earthquake damaged a large storage repository in Christchurch, a replacement facility was built to meet new standards. RH Freeman had the task of manufacturing parts for the 25,000 metal shelves and cabinets required to safely store precious books, materials and important records.

Solution -  Working with storage specialists Dexion, we designed and manufactured plan cabinets and industrial shelving units for the new facility. These were powdercoated by Supreme Powdercoaters, who often partner with us in this type of project. Shelves, back panels and other components were packed into recycled tobacco boxes, then directly into 40 foot containers for coastal shipping to the Christchurch site.

​Results - The important books, materials and records that have been entrusted to Christchurch Archives have been securely relocated and stored on metal shelving or within metal cabinets at the new repository. The facility was officially opened by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon Tracey Martin, on October 9 2018.

Some other projects

What our customers say 

"After almost a decade of close partnership with the team at Freemans we continue to benefit from their willingness to innovate and assist us in resolving our designs. Whether it is the simplification of a production part or the development of a new product, the dedication to cost effective and timely delivery or their efforts to be best in class, their dedicated staff provide consistent quality from a modern plant.

​I find it hard to imagine a better sheet metal engineering supplier than RH Freemans."
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Jurgen Brand, Designbrand Ltd.
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"RH Freeman & Co have been our preferred metalwork manufacturer for over thirty years. Each year they supply to us between 150,000 and 200, 000 individual parts on a three week (or less) lead time. Their on time delivery measure is constantly 100% which is an outstanding achievement and testament to their dedicated approach to customer satisfaction.  Innovative thinking from the guys at Freemans is a  key component of our design process and crucial to us achieving our cost targets. Our R&D team work collaboratively with Freemans on new designs in order to minimise cost without compromising quality 

Freemans are recognised as one of our highest achieving suppliers and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking for first class service and product. "

Dave Johnson , Procurement manager , Gallagher Fuel System Ltd.
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“Freemans produce around 250 different products for us - that’s a lot of product. Our R & D teams work very closely together - between them coming up with the ultimate preferred designs that work for both of us.

​We like that they are a 'one stop shop' - from developing the initial drawings through to having the finished product delivered to our warehouse. Generally the whole process runs very smoothly, with a quality product arriving on-time. 

They’re a very responsive company offering us the best value-for-money around.” 
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Ronnie Ryan, Logistics Manager, RPS Switchgear Ltd.
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Ask us about our experience

​The scope of our work is broad. We produce small runs of bespoke ornamental parts for film crews, large runs for export product manufacturers, and everything in between. Whether your metalworking task is straightforward or immensely complex, we’re ready to help.