IT Support for Manufacturing in Auckland
Forty minutes into the morning shift, the packing line stops. The label printer can't reach the server. The scanners keep dropping off the WiFi. Twelve people are standing around on the clock. That's wages, missed orders and maybe a courier pickup gone. All in one hour.
Auckland manufacturers use Mint for IT support that keeps production moving. We build factory WiFi that reaches past the machinery and add backup internet so orders and dispatch keep flowing. We also fence off ageing machine PCs, so one old computer can't take down the rest.
Where a factory loses hours to tech
When the line stops, it costs you by the hour. That's exactly the sort of stoppage we're here to prevent. We monitor your network 24/7, plan changes around your shifts and pick up the phone when the floor needs help.
Scanners that drop out near the big machines
Steel, concrete and heavy machinery are hard on WiFi. The signal's fine in the office. Out on the floor, scanners and tablets cut out near the presses, and staff walk back to the office just to re-sync.
Every trip is lost time. Every dropped scan is a stock count you can't trust.
We walk your floor and test where the signal dies. Then we place access points where your people actually work, including the mezzanine, the dispatch bay and the yard. We pick gear that copes with dust, heat and noise, not gear made for a carpeted office.
The machine PC nobody dares update
Your CNC router came with its own computer. It still runs Windows 7, because the machine's software won't run on anything newer. The maker stopped sending security updates years ago.
And it sits on the same network as your email.
That's an open back door. One infected laptop can reach it, and one infected machine PC can reach everything else.
We move older machine PCs onto a network of their own. They can still pull the job files they need from the server, and nothing more. The machine keeps cutting. The risk stays fenced in.
The fibre drops just before the courier cut-off
It's 3pm. Orders are syncing to Cin7, labels are printing and the courier's due at four. Then the internet goes. Dispatch stops, the ERP won't update and customers start ringing to ask where their order is.
We add backup 4G/5G internet that switches on by itself the moment your fibre fails. Dispatch keeps moving, labels keep printing and the ERP keeps talking to Cin7. Most days, nobody on the floor even notices the switch.
The drawing on the floor is two revisions old
Engineering saves the new SolidWorks file to someone's desktop. The floor keeps working from last month's PDF. You find out after 200 parts come off the line wrong.
We set up one home for your drawings and job files, with version history and access by role. Engineers save to the right place, whether they're at their desk or working from home. The floor opens the current revision, not the one someone printed in March.
Protecting your orders, payroll and designs
Manufacturers hold more than most people realise. Staff records and bank details. Customer orders and addresses. Supplier payment details. Plus drawings and processes a competitor would love to see.
The Privacy Act 2020 sets the rules for how New Zealand businesses collect, store and protect personal information, and it requires you to report serious privacy breaches. The legal side stays with you. We're not your lawyer. We just make the tech side easy to get right.
Here's what that looks like on a normal week:
The supplier email with "new bank details." A scammer gets into a staff inbox and waits. When a big raw materials invoice comes due, accounts gets a convincing request to pay a different account. We switch on multi-factor authentication (MFA) for your whole team. That's the code your phone asks for when you sign in. It stops most stolen passwords cold.
The ransomware that hits on a Monday. One click on a fake freight invoice can lock your job files, stock data and payroll. We filter dodgy emails before they land. We back up your files, then test that we can actually bring them back.
The engineer who leaves with the drawing library. Without proper access controls, anyone can copy years of designs onto a USB stick. We set access by role, so people only open what their job needs. When someone leaves, we switch off their access that day.
More than half of New Zealand small businesses dealt with a cyber threat in the last six months, according to NCSC research. For businesses with 20 to 49 staff, it's three in four. A handful of basics, done properly, stop most of it.
Phones down at 11am. Back that afternoon.
An Auckland manufacturer's phones went down on a Monday at 11am. Their existing provider couldn't fix it. Customers couldn't place orders, and suppliers couldn't get through.
We had the phones back up and running that afternoon, then spent the next two days tidying up their computing.
We keep our clients anonymous. Their IT is their business.
Support that won't hold up the line
When production's waiting, so is your whole business. Our average response on critical issues is around 15 minutes. We fix 98.2% of issues the first time you contact us.
We monitor your network, internet and computers around the clock. We schedule updates and changes outside your shifts, so we're not rebooting anything mid-run.
Managed IT plans start from $79 + GST per user per month for licensing and security, $139 with remote support, and $189 for fully managed IT with onsite support included. There are no lock-in contracts, just one calendar month's notice if you ever want to leave. Want a rough number for your business? Our IT cost calculator takes a couple of minutes.
From the ERP to the CAD station
We look after the computers, networks and logins your factory software depends on, including:
- Cin7 and Unleashed for inventory, orders and production
- Your ERP, whether it's cloud-based or on a server in the back office
- AutoCAD and SolidWorks for design and engineering
- Xero for accounts, payroll and supplier payments
- Microsoft 365, including Outlook, Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive
When a fault sits inside the software itself, we'll deal with the vendor's support team so you can stay on the floor. Running something we haven't listed? Tell us. We'll learn it and look after it.
In their words
Our phones went down on a Monday at 11am and the existing provider couldn't fix it. Mint had them back up and running that afternoon, and were in for the next 2 days tidying up our computing.
Our internet went offline at 1pm on a Monday and Mint had a temporary solution in place by 2:30pm. We had new fibre in place with Mint by 5pm. Fastest internet we've ever had!
The Mint services manufacturers use most
What factory owners and ops managers want to know
Can you fix WiFi dead spots on our factory floor?
Yes. We start with a walk-through and a signal test, so we know exactly where coverage drops. Often a few well-placed access points fix it without replacing your whole network.
We've got machines running Windows 7 or older. Can you still protect them?
Yes. We don't need to upgrade the machine to keep it safe. Putting it on its own network means it can do its job while staying out of reach of everything else.
Will you make changes during production hours?
No, not unless something's broken and you want it fixed now. We plan updates and network work around your shifts, including early starts and weekend runs.
Do you support Cin7 and Unleashed?
Yes. We look after the devices, logins, WiFi and internet these systems run on. If the problem sits with the software, we work with their support team to sort it.
Our engineers work with huge CAD files. Can you help them open faster?
Usually, yes. Slow CAD files often come down to where they're stored, the network or the workstation itself. We'll find which one it is and fix that.
Do you come onsite?
Yes, anywhere in Auckland. We fix most issues remotely in minutes. When something needs hands, our own team comes out from Birkenhead.
Are we locked into a contract?
No. Every plan runs month-to-month with one calendar month's notice.
What happens in the free IT health check?
We spend 45 minutes looking at your WiFi, internet, machine PCs, security and backups. You'll get a plain-English rundown of what's holding up and what's likely to stop the line next.
Sources and further reading
An idle hour costs more than a health check
You know what a stopped line costs you. Let's make sure it doesn't happen because of the WiFi, the internet or an old PC in the corner. Book a free 45-minute IT health check, or give us a call on 09 222 0220. No pressure. Just a clear picture of where your factory stands. We'd love to chat.