Northland-based CPL Group has recently acquired Kiwitarp – and has begun expanding the heavy transport load covers business.
CPL, based in Kaiwaka, started life as Canvas Plus in 1975 – manufacturing canvas and leather goods, and over the years the family business has grown into an international supplier of asset and weather-protection covers to the aviation, mining and transport industries.
CPL Group director of marketing and business development Brentley Stewart says that until the purchase "a good portion" of Kiwitarp's systems "were manufactured offshore due to the product's technical aspect. 
"CPL Group has established a good foundation in canvas manufacturing over the years and it was a timely decision to acquire the company and manufacture the system here in NZ. 
"We can now proudly say the Kiwitarps are 100% Kiwi-made, with all componentry manufactured by ourselves and partner companies all over NZ."
Kiwitarp was founded in 2012, developing a new ground-operated retractable truck tarping system for the transport industry. 
It's a practical and much safer tarping solution to the traditional throw-over covers as its tarps can be fully retracted from the ground and in less than 10 seconds.
Stewart says that CPL's purchase of Kiwitarp combines the strengths of both companies and, more importantly, increases service locations, product quality and sales support for customers, while also reducing lead-times.
As part of Kiwitarp's expansion, CPL has set up mobile installation and repair teams across NZ, keeping turnaround times at a minimum and allowed the tarp systems to be installed at customers' premises. 
All Kiwitarp staff have been retained – along with the product's quality and pricing structure.
"Kiwitarp was already covering installs NZ wide, however, we have added additional customer service, sales support and install locations in Northland and the lower North Island," says Stewart.
In addition, CPL is now replicating the business model in Australia, with the establishment of OzTarp.
Stewart says that Kiwitarp's future with CPL "is to continue putting our customers first and to keep innovating new Kiwi-made products to better help and serve our great customers and supply chain across the country. The more we expand, the more benefits our customers receive and the more jobs are created in the process."
CPL's Duraflex distribution arm offers solutions to reduce noise-induced hearing loss on construction sites and manufacturing plants that are recognised as world-leading. Duraflex also manufactures and supplies a wide range of innovative segregation screens and transparent dividers to the food manufacturing industries throughout Australasia and is assisting with bushfire rehabilitation projects in Australia by supplying environmental culvert flume products.