Inside Core Builders Composites' facility at Warkworth

by Oracle Racing Media on 20 Mar 2011
If you are not one of the fortunate few who have toured through the Core Builders Composites' facility at Warkworth, join the US Ambassdor to NZ, David Huebner, as he is shown through the facility by Tim Smythe who heads up CBC along with Mark Turner.

CBC has a contract with the America’s Cup Event Authority to handle a current order of 10 AC45s. After that the factory is expected to be off limits as the team gear up for the AC72 (hulls only have to be built in the country of origin of the yacht club's team).

CBC is a young company with a distinguished history. Its current New Zealand location opened at Warkworth last year having originally started in Ventura, Calif., in 2001. Tim Smyth and Mark Turner then re-located the company to Anacortes, Wash., to be closer to aerospace satellite companies linked to Boeing’s Seattle hub with a key partnership formed with Janicki Industries at Sedro Woolley.

The move to Warkworth was recognition of the fact that high precision boatbuilding requires the plant, space, technologies and facilities on a permanent basis and with a lifespan of more than one campaign.

Besides Janicki, the US/NZ relationship is strong. Cytec, ACG, McGill Corporation and Huntsman are also significant partners to CBC. Currently five Americans work at Warkworth and, in time, 15 to 20 non-Americans will relocate to the USA to look after ORACLE Racing’s boatbuilding needs in San Francisco.