Kiwi tech firm plans rapid expansion

Kiwi tech firm Origin expects their revenue to grow by over 200 per cent in the coming five years as their clients expand offshore and demand for local IT support services grows.

Established in a West Auckland garage fourteen years ago, Origin provides businesses with outsourced IT solutions, and currently has an annual revenue of $14 million. CEO Michael Russell says that’s projected to reach $50 million by 2018.

Current clients of Origin, which employs 90 staff, include Les Mills International, JUCY, The Better Drinks Co (Charlies) and Milford Asset Management. Russell says their success is largely down to New Zealand firms increasingly recognising quality local IT support services over offshore call centre support when considering their expansion overseas.

“We have found that being based in New Zealand is a significant advantage for us. We can visit our customers quickly if there are issues that can’t be dealt with easily over the phone or online, and we understand the way that local businesses operate,” explains Russell.

Outsourcing IT support to the lowest cost provider overseas is not a viable model for New Zealand companies who are trying to develop new markets and satellite operations globally, he says. 

“As our customers expand, we grow with them,” says Russell. “We provide virtual systems support for our clients throughout the world in dozens of countries, thanks to our close business partnerships based here in New Zealand.”

“It’s no longer a case of the cheapest option being the best for many small and medium sized businesses either. They want easy and effortless relationships that deliver on time and on budget, and the highest quality of support services is necessary to ensure they can differentiate themselves from their competition.”

Origin has grown steadily since being established in 2000, and Russell says much of their expansion over the coming five years will be based on continued investments in systems, processes and people with a goal of “perfecting the ultimate customer experience.” 

“To date, our service has been built on providing IT support to our customers, but we are now beginning to offer a systems and software architecture consultancy.”

Russell says at this stage there are no plans to float Origin. "Its not something we would rule out for the future but at this stage we will continue to fund our own growth and further establish as a frontrunner in IT services.”

With the growth, Origin expects to also take on up to 100 new staff over the next five years.