Home / About Us
About Us
Manufacturing and Innovating for over 25 years
Established in 1992 as a result of local demand, we began manufacturing kitchens for the domestic market. In 1994 we pioneered the distinctive method of postforming melamine board, designing and building our own machine to create a new, superior and seamless way of finishing panel edges! At this time the business changed its name to Panelform Industries and phased out of the domestic kitchen market, concentrating on supplying pre-finished kitchen doors, components and joinery directly to the kitchen and joinery trades. Today we continue to innovate and develop our manufacturing processes, always striving for continuous improvement.Supplying the kitchen and joinery trade
Today we manufacture and supply a large range of profiled doors in vacuum-formed laminate (our Durostyle range), melamine doors, panels and components (our Touchtex range), acrylic doors and panels (our StyleLite range) and a large range of profiled doors in paint-ready MDF (our Prestyle range). We also sell a large cabinetry range to the trade through our EasyOrder online system. We do not sell retail kitchens, instead we are here to add profitability and success to trade businesses through providing a service which is personalised, specialised, economic, and covers the entire country.Our Commitment to you:
We are a privately-owned family business with high expectations both for ourselves and, more importantly, for our customers. Panelform is a company of committed, honest and positive persons who are earnestly striving to offer the best for their industry in quality, service and commitment. Our products and services are of a superior quality, value for money and fully guaranteed for complete satisfaction. What we promise, we will deliver.
Our Mission
To add profitability and success to your business.We are a supply partner who can add profitability and success to your business through reducing your machinery investment, relieving your workload and relieving your stress. We do this by supplying high quality and affordable kitchen components within realistic time frames.
Committed to helping New Zealanders thrive
We're helping New Zealand and our people thrive through sustainability and caring for the environment. We use low-emission materials and dispose of our waste thoughtfully. We have also supported a number of charitable organisations who make a real difference to the lives of New Zealanders , and we will continue to do so.
Our Values
Timeline
| 1992 | A local Christchurch business is bought by Greg Allison and Quentin Allison manufacturing kitchens for the domestic market |
| 1994 | Using Greg's furniture and cabinet-making background and Quentin's engineering background, a machine is built to post-form melamine board, creating two seamless edges on melamine board and bringing European trends to New Zealand! The business name is changed to Panelform and stops selling retail kitchens, focusing on supplying the kitchen and joinery trade with pre-finished cabinet doors |
| 1997 | Panelform purchases it's first large through-feed edgebander - an IMA machine. Both postformed and PVC-edged melamine doors and sold throughout New Zealand |
| 1999 | Panelform purchased it's first large beam saw |
| 2001 | Panelform adds 'U' formed (180 degree formed) end panels to its range to complement postformed melamine doors. |
| 2005 | Panelform moves to a new larger building in Wigram, Christchurch (current site) |
| 2006 | Panelform adds thermoformed doors to its product range and purchases its first CNC routing machine |
| 2010 | Responding to changing market conditions as a result of the Global Financial Crisis, Panelform manufactures thousands of desktops and mobile furniture units for Christchurch City Council under contract to Aspect Furniture Systems |
| 2011 | Following a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in September 2010, a devastating 6.3 magnitude earthquake devastates Christchurch City with 181 people killed. Panelform is fortunate there is little damage to their equipment and buildings. |
| 2011 | Panelform phases out its postformed doors range - the one that began it all! 17 years of production and thousands of kitchens throughout New Zealand - many still installed and looking as new in 2020! |
| 2013 | Panelform purchases its first flatbed CNC line with self-loading and unloading. They also produce their first ultra high-gloss doors, responding to new trends |
| 2014 | EasyOrder online quoting/ordering is launched. After innovating constantly throughout the years, Panelform sees the future of online quoting and ordering |
| 2017 | Panelform invests in new glueless edging technology commonly known as 'laser-edge' technology, introducing the ZeroLine sub-brand which becomes hugely popular. Panelform also introduces it's first acrylic doors - StyleLite |
| 2019 | Panelform extends the factory building, which more than doubles factory floor space. Significant investment is made into new state-of-the-art machinery with the latest technology. The 'Prestyle' brand is also launched after demand for paint-ready MDF doors increases |