Our Origins
Electrastart Ltd was created after Electro Control Services Ltd closed, with the retirement of Ross Walker. Everybody in the welding trades knew Ross – when it came to welding and welding machines, he was probably one of the most knowledgeable “techos” around.
But Electro Control had another side – manufacturing a wide range of technical products to meet all kinds of needs in Industry.
- “Dataguard” refrigeration monitoring systems – used widely throughout NZ
- “Aquasave” urinal controller – prevents water wastage
- “Weldchecker” spot welding monitor
- “Steadytig” tig welding machines
- “Series 2”, “Series 3”, “Series 5” spot welding controllers
- A wide range of custom-designed equipment for industrial use
Electro Control was also the New Zealand agent for Tecna, the Italian manufacturer of high-quality spot-welding equipment, and industrial balancers.
In 2000, the company was approached by Electra Start Ltd (note 2 separate words), who rented jumpstarters to the car-sales industry. Electro Control redesigned the chargers and control systems in the jumpstarters, which dramatically reduced the high rate of battery failure which was endangering the survival of Electra Start.
In 2008 Electro Control bought Electra Start Ltd.
At the request of a large fleet operator, Electro Control developed a jumpstarter to reliably start the large American 12V trucks – Kenworth, Mack, International etc., which can be difficult to jumpstart. Electro Control developed an intelligent jumpstarter, not just “a battery in a box”, which ensures the engine starts. These “Mega” jumpstarters are now used widely by the big fleet operators.
When Ross retired in 2018, John Shapcott, who had looked after the design and manufacturing side, bought the Tecna agency, the Electrastart brand, manufacturing rights and the contents of the manufacturing facility.
This has been incorporated into the new company Electrastart Ltd. Note the one-word name, to distinguish between the companies, but retaining the essential brand name.
The New Electrastart
If you are of a technical bent, you will notice that all the various products and activities of Electro Control, and now of Electrastart, have a common factor.
Low Voltage, High Current engineering.
Spot welding and jumpstarting are classic examples. Whether it’s design, manufacturing, repair, or the supply of new machines or spare parts – that’s what Electrastart Ltd is here to do. The company is built on the shoulders of many decades of experience. At the same time, the current generations of spot-welding monitors and jumpstarters incorporate the latest microprocessors to provide improved performance, while keeping costs to a minimum.
Another focus of Electrastart is on providing more comprehensive support for Tecna spot welding machines, by ensuring a wide range of spare parts and consumables are always in stock.
The technical capabilities of the company are also available to service equipment such as battery chargers, jumpstarters, inverters, industrial rectifiers, battery testers, etc.
We can:
- Advise on appropriate machines for your spot-welding process and assist in optimizing its performance.
- Source the right machine for your process.
- Provide spare parts and consumables for your spot welder, of all brands.
- Troubleshoot spot welding problems.
- Service industrial rectifiers used in electroplating and galvanising.
- Repair and service battery chargers and battery-operated commercial and industrial equipment.
