Longveld didn’t start with venture capital.
It started with a toolbox. And a ten-speed bike.
“We didn’t have any money,” says founding director Les Roa. “We had a toolbox and a 10-speed bike. We just had a vision that we wanted to create our own destiny.”
More than 30 years later, Longveld operates from a one-hectare fabrication campus in Hamilton’s industrial heart, employing around 100 people and building high-spec stainless steel processing equipment for dairy, food and beverage, and water infrastructure clients around the world.
From robotic silos in Singapore to large-scale dairy infrastructure across New Zealand, Longveld has grown from a garage-based SME into a world-class manufacturer.
But the machines are only part of the story.
Courageous people doing courageous things
If you ask Les what Longveld stands for, he won’t start with stainless steel.
He’ll start with people.
“We exist around our purpose and values,” he says. “It’s about courageous people doing remarkable things.”
That courage has shown up in different ways over the years.
It showed up when Les and Pam Roa decided to build their own business instead of staying in contracting.
It showed up when Pam stepped into the Managing Director role — and made the bold call to introduce a four-day work week.
“I don’t think I would have had the bravery to do that,” Les admits. “But that was one of her first cabs off the rank — creating an environment where our whānau could be home for the weekend.”
And it shows up in the workshop every day — in a culture that invites people to bring their whole selves to work.
“We want people to bring all of themselves here,” Les says. “If who they are fits our values, then we’re building the team on the right base.”
From dairy factories to legacy projects
Longveld’s core work sits in primary food processing — stainless steel tanks, silos, cyclones and transport systems that move product from pasture to plate. In recent years they've diversified into infrastructure for water and wastewater treatment.
Their fabrication expertise spans high-grade stainless steels — 304L, 316L and duplex — materials chosen for their corrosion resistance, hygiene performance and durability in demanding food environments. Those materials — and the way Longveld works with them — are what keep food-processing equipment clean, safe, and reliable in some of the toughest industrial conditions.
The company became New Zealand’s first specialist stainless steel fabricator to achieve AS/NZS ISO 3834-2 Comprehensive certification — the highest international standard for welding quality.
That certification isn’t just a badge. It’s proof that every weld, every join, every finish meets global expectations for food-grade performance.
Their work now sits inside dairy and food-processing plants across Australasia, Asia and North America — the unseen stainless steel backbone of global food supply chains.
But what excites Les isn’t just compliance.
It’s impact.
One stand-out project involved designing and building robotic silos for a food ingredients company in Singapore — a world-first concept where silos are autonomously picked up, moved and relocated in the dark.
“Our innovation won us that opportunity,” Les says. “We built it here and exported it to the world.”
And then there are the projects closer to home — sculptural steel artwork along the Waikato Expressway, built in collaboration with artists and iwi.
“Those legacy projects will stand for hundreds of years,” Les says. “Our wairua goes with those things.”
It’s a reminder that engineering doesn’t just serve industry. It shapes culture.
Manufacturing as a superpower
Les didn’t always see himself as an academic.
“School and I didn’t get on,” he says. “I found out later I was dyslexic.”
But when he picked up a welder and started reading piping schematics, something clicked.
“I realised I had a superpower. I could think in 3D.”
Manufacturing engineering gave him a pathway that traditional education hadn’t.
And that idea — that everyone has a superpower waiting to be discovered — now sits at the heart of Longveld’s approach to talent.
“Manufacturing engineering is the perfect place to discover your superpower,” Les says. “You might not have got on at school. It doesn’t mean you’re not intelligent.”
Earn while you learn
Longveld has leaned into the Earn As You Learn programme alongside other Waikato manufacturers, welcoming students into the workshop to explore trades while being paid.
Of the six students Longveld hosted in the first cohort, two now work permanently in the business.
“We’re going to do our best to extract that superpower out of them,” Les says with a grin.
Brianna Dawson is one of those stories in motion.
“I’m qualified as of last year,” she says proudly. “It’s awesome to be a woman in the trade and show the younger generation what’s possible.”
She chose welding over university because it allowed her to build skills immediately.
“Best thing I ever did was join the trade,” she says. “You get paid while you learn. There’s always a new challenge.”
In a traditionally male-dominated sector, Brianna sees change happening.
“The trade is evolving,” she says. “It’s empowering. It’s respected. And it’s rewarding.”
Building New Zealand Inc
Longveld’s story reflects something bigger about New Zealand SMEs.
“I think New Zealand Inc is a powerful opportunity for us all to work together,” Les says. “Taking SMEs from one or two people to 100 people — we know you can do it.”
From building tanker fleets for Fonterra to accelerating production from one unit every week and a half to one per day, Longveld’s growth has come through process, people and persistence.
“It’s technology. It’s process improvement. But it’s also culture,” Les explains. “It’s easier to improve processes when everyone has a voice.”
The company blends advanced imported machinery with technology developed in-house — including adapting collaborative robots to suit stainless steel fabrication needs.
And those innovation projects become training grounds for interns and graduates.
“We’ve hired the last three we’ve had,” Les says. “They’ve been brilliant.”
A limitless journey
“When you begin a career, you don’t know what it’s all about,” Les says. “But this journey has no cloud over our heads. It’s limitless.”
From a toolbox and a bike to a globally trusted stainless steel manufacturer, Longveld’s path has been built on courage, capability and people.
Now Les has a challenge for the next generation:
“Hey young people, come find your superpower in manufacturing.”
Make your move. Make your mark.
From Hamilton workshops to food-processing plants across the globe, Longveld proves that world-class manufacturing doesn’t start with scale.
It starts with people willing to build.
