From innovative automation upgrades to behind-the-scenes looks at our engineering process, and the people behind them, our news section highlights the work we’re doing to help laboratories and manufacturers achieve greater efficiency, faster throughput, accuracy, and reliability. We also support our community through fun projects and sponsorship. Check back regularly for updates on completed retrofits, new product launches, industry trends, and company milestones.
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Huge thanks to the team at F+B Tech Magazine for featuring our journey and our approach to solving tough industrial and laboratory challenges in their latest edition.
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Another laboratory machine out the door today, heading for Ireland! 🇮🇪 Designed and manufactured in New Zealand, our soil grinder prepares soil samples for laboratory testing rapidly and efficiently, without compromising soil integrity. We are always proud to see our homegrown technology trusted by international laboratories.
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Celebrating 110 years of world-leading Kollmorgen Motion Control! Amazing to think they originally developed telescopes and marine periscopes for the U.S. Navy.
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We’ve had a busy few weeks with lots of early mornings, with 3 install teams simultaneously on site across the country wrapping up some major automation projects. A massive thank you to our teams on the road for the hard work, and to our customers for partnering with us to automate their processes.
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Our workshop is humming with lots of projects on the go, one is a robot upgrade for our long-standing customer, LIC. As a trusted partner in their automation for over 25 years, our team is currently upgrading one of their robotic systems which will include enhanced safety features.
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Safety upgrade or performance boost? With Thomson smart electric actuators, you get both. Compared to traditional hydraulic and pneumatic systems, these smart units react faster and catch risks earlier. Read the article below to see 7 ways they are transforming industrial safety. As authorised Thomson distributors in New Zealand and machine control experts, we can help upgrade your machines.
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We are at EMEX! Come and have a chat to our team about how we can help your business do better. Auckland Showgrounds 26-28th May 2026, Stand 1042.
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Motion Design historically bypassed the Government’s Research & Development Tax Incentive (RDTI) due to its demanding application process and complex eligibility criteria. However, partnering with Swell changed everything. Their team seamlessly guided us through the complexities, unlocking valuable funding that we can now reinvest into future innovation and growth.
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We are looking forward to connecting with new businesses and catching up with our industry partners at EMEX 2026. Machinery out of date? You don't need to replace it. We can upgrade your existing assets with smart technology, advanced vision systems, and modern control systems and software to boost your productivity.
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Kollmorgen Essentials™ now brings cost-effective servo performance to washdown and hygienic environments—without any compromises. Pairing the Kollmorgen Essentials servo drive (KED) with AKMA aluminum washdown and AKMH stainless-steel hygienic motors equipped with SFD-M, allows machine builders to use a single motion solution across various demanding environments. This is ideal for food and beverage, pharmaceutical, laboratory and other applications that require daily high-pressure washdowns.
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We recently delivered an aliquoting and puncturing machine for a high-profile New Zealand dairy customer. The system punctures sealed cartons, sub-samples liquids, and aliquots directly into microcell plates, with automated cleaning and ethanol sterilisation between samples to prevent cross-contamination. Originally developed for UHT cream QC, the platform can be configured for food & beverage, pharmaceutical and laboratory testing applications.
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Our Automation Engineering Manager, Paul Gravatt, has just returned from Europe after speaking at a highly successful Bentley Dairy Laboratory Seminar. The event brought together Bentleyinstruments distributors and key decision-makers from milk laboratories and dairy factories across Ireland, Norway, Denmark, France, Poland, Turkey, Hungary and more. Paul presented on Motion Design’s automation capabilities, showcased our latest products, like our new Motion Design ILAS3200, and highlighted several recent laboratory automation projects. His presentation was exceptionally well received, resulting in considerable interest in our automation solutions. He also visited multiple laboratories in France and Belgium to discuss upcoming automation projects and explore new opportunities. He even managed to squeeze in a bit of sightseeing along the way. Thank you to the Bentley team for organising the event.
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We recently hosted our French distribution partners, Bentley Instruments in New Zealand for visits to leading laboratories in Auckland and Hamilton. It was a great opportunity to showcase our latest laboratory automation systems, like our new Motion Design ILAS3200 in action and explore new opportunities. We were also pleased to welcome VIP guests from major French dairy laboratories and industry organisations. These in-person collaborations are invaluable for sharing knowledge and driving innovation in dairy testing technology.
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Our 3-fold Filter Paper Folder machine automates the folding of filter papers for laboratory testing. Even the Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister of New Zealand, had a look during our recent showcase!
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Today in Auckland, firefighters from across the country gathered at the Sky Tower for the annual Firefighter Stair Climb — a memorial honouring those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. A huge shout-out to our MD, Gary Anderson, and the Muriwai Volunteer Fire Brigade, who successfully took on the challenge: 51 floors and 1,103 stairs of the Sky Tower, all in full firefighting gear weighing 20–25 kg. An incredible effort in remembrance of the bravery and sacrifice of firefighters worldwide.
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In August we had the privilege of welcoming the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, together with Hon Chris Penk MP and Hon Nancy Lu, to our Motion Design head office in Auckland. We were also joined by David Chin (Chief Executive, Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC), Mark Julian (GM, LIC), Neil Pearce (MD, Beckhoff Automation New Zealand), and Frank Phillips (Fulcrum NZ). Our guests toured the workshop, seeing first-hand some of our latest automation technology—including a new milk sampling robot designed for Fonterra—before joining the team for a BBQ. A fantastic opportunity to showcase NZ innovation in action, build connections, and highlight the potential for exporting more NZ-made technology to the world—while also demonstrating to the Government that there are businesses here in New Zealand dedicated to lifting the productivity of our manufacturing sector.
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Looking to future-proof your manufacturing business with automation? Visit us at Foodtech Packtech Auckland, September 2-4th, Stand L20. At Motion Design, we help businesses of all sizes — from startups to established manufacturers — move towards smart factory solutions with automation and software. Whether it's small workflow changes or full-scale automation, we deliver practical upgrades that make a big impact.
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We’re proud to be the sole distributor of Kollmorgen products in New Zealand, delivering world-class motion control solutions that power some of the most demanding applications on (and off) the planet. From harsh industrial environments like oil rigs to the International Space Station and even NASA’s Mars missions, Kollmorgen’s motors, drives, and control systems are trusted where performance and reliability are non-negotiable. Backed by global engineering excellence and supported locally by our team here in NZ, we’re ready to help you tackle your toughest automation challenges.
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Huge congratulations to the Auckland Microbiology team at AsureQuality on receiving the Whakapakari Award for your Colony Counter Project! It was a pleasure to collaborate on the development and build of this innovative system — combining vision technology help deliver faster, more accurate results, reduce waste, eliminate manual data handling and contribute to a more sustainable, paperless workflow. We’re proud to have played a part in this transformative project. Ka pai team!
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We're at SouthMACH 2025! Join us at the South Island’s premier manufacturing, engineering, and technology trade event: 28–29 May at Wolfbrook Arena, Christchurch. Visit Stand 97 to meet Gary and Guillermo and discover how we can help future-proof your business by aligning it with the latest industry innovations and technologies.
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Inky is a custom automation machine equipped with a vision system that detects and identifies steel parts, printing QR codes and part information directly onto them as they move along a conveyor. This enables their identification and tracking within the customers order system.
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Top Influencers and beauty industry experts got an exclusive look at the latest products from Chemist Warehouse, with our robot handing out epic goodie bags. A cutting-edge way to get consumers talking about your brand!
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Pleased to see our custom-built resistor robot in action at Pertronic Industries—helping drive local manufacturing forward through smart, efficient automation.
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Check out this awesome new robot for extreme environments! the DOBOT CRA-IP68. Contact us for more information.
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Great day showcasing our automation technology and latest projects to Hon Chris Penk MP, minster of Small Business and Manufacturing, Catherine Lye of Advancing Manufacturing Aotearoa, Frank Phillips of Fulcrum NZ Ltd, Phil Anderson, and Adam Harvey from The Learning Wave. Exciting discussions on innovation and the future of manufacturing in NZ!
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We’re building something new for dairy testing. Designed and developed in NZ, the next generation ILAS is coming soon - Stay tuned!
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We did it again, our team of crazy and creative engineers entered the Red Bull Trolley Grand Prix - and we’re still in one piece (mostly)! Huge thanks to everyone who came out and cheered us on – we had an amazing time. See you at the next one!
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At Motion Design, we're hard at work on some exciting new projects! We are busy building another high performance vision system. Can’t wait to share more!
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Thanks to Pilz once again, for honouring us with Best Safety Improvement Project Award! We’re proud that this recognition highlights the outstanding work of one of our Certified Machine Safety Experts, Linda Puleitu.
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We were thrilled to sponsor the KingsWay School EVolocity team, along with Hi-Power Performance Silverdale, at the Auckland Regional Finals once again! This time they entered the Open class, which meant designing from scratch. The team's brief was to build an electric kart or bike with a focus on sustainability and performance for race day. This year, the Kingsway team achieved an impressive second place in overall performance and engineering design.
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After 28 incredible years in Muriwai, Motion Design is moving to a bigger and better factory in Kumeu! While we’re excited for this new chapter, we will truly miss our rural home—the place where our 'Number 8 wire' story first began. It’s been the foundation of our resourcefulness and innovation, and we’re taking that same spirit with us to our new space
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Our Insight is now used in the UK. As part of the setup they've installed large TVs around their factory displaying real-time dashboards of machine performance. This setup provides immediate visibility into KPIs, enabling data-driven decisions to be made quicker and enhancing operational efficiency.
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We're excited to be at EMEX! Come talk to our team. With more than 25 years of experience in Bespoke Automation and Software Solutions, we have a wealth of knowledge to offer. Be sure to check out our fantastic demos while you're here!
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Celebrating our Managing Director Gary Anderson's 25th Anniversary at Motion Design. What an awesome achievement!
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16 years ago we were searching for a new direction in our control technology and after much research, we decided that Ethercat and PC-based automation was the way forward. Choosing to work with Beckhoff products meant high quality products and excellent support, which has translated to a better offering to our customers. Being an official Solution Provider formalises and strengthens our longstanding partnership, and together we will continue to provide quality and novel solutions for businesses in New Zealand and around the globe. So if you are in need of an automation solution, please get in touch and we can discuss options with you!
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For use with MARS Microwave Digestion system turntables and Vials. For repeatable and accurate acid dispensing via configurable pumps to minimise operator handling when handling dangerous chemicals, reduce human error and free up valuable technicians time.
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Our team of innovative engineers entered Red Bull Flutag in Auckland 2022. Check out behind the scenes of our build and our results on the day. A crosswind hampered our flight somewhat, but we still managed a respectable 11m. Great fun had by all. See you next time!
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Big news! For over two decades, Intellitech Automation and Motion Design have operated as sister companies. We felt it was finally time to bring them together under one roof as the Motion Design brand. This merger allows us to streamline our expertise while continuing the same dedicated support for all Intellitech machines. Keep an eye out for our new logo and refreshed look rolling out over the next few months!
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We were honoured to be recognised for our hard work at the 2016 Westpac West Auckland Business Awards, where we won two prestigious awards: Excellence in Innovation and Excellence in International Trade.
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