Jtech Plastics Ltd owner Jason Hollis (36) said he started his toolmaking and manufacturing business from the basement of his Mosgiel home about 10 years ago.
''I slowly accumulated equipment, and a client base, and went fulltime in 2006.''
Mr Hollis was a ''one-man band'' and now operated his business from a purpose-built workshop in Grant Dalton St.
''I get the odd casual worker when I need them.''
He hopes to employ fulltime staff when the company has more regular manufacturing work.
The services he provides includes precision machining of customised components and prototypes and many materials including hardened steels, aluminum and plastics.
Trained as a toolmaker, he has manufacturing and tool-designing experience.
''And now that I'm working for myself I bring everything together under the one roof.
"I offer the full design to manufacture service - I can take someone's concept and create the design using 3D Cad design software and from there use my equipment to build the moulds, and then take that mould and put it in the manufacturing facility, where I can mass produce.''
He didn't see himself in competition with similar businesses offshore.
''It's a bit of a unique business for this part of the world - there's not many companies offering the full service.''
A local manufacturing company that needed parts with unique specifications would not get the same customised componentry from an overseas company.
''I try to focus on the customers that aren't quite big enough to justify going halfway around the world to make a purchase.''
The most satisfying part of the job was watching the reaction of a customer when they were shown the finished product, he said.
Mr Hollis was born in Dunedin and lived in Mosgiel with his wife Deanna Hollis and young family.
''It's the natural migration that took me this way. In my younger days spent a lot of time out here and I have a lot of friends in the area.''
