Zenith Tecnica, New Zealand EBM Contract Manufacturer, Acquired by Andrew Burgess and Blair Jordan

New Zealand-based Electron Beam Melting (EBM) contract manufacturer Zenith Tecnica has been acquired by a new ownership group led by Andrew Burgess and Blair Jordan. The firm, an early pioneer in EBM, has grown revenue by 490% since 2020 and is now operating its six E-beam systems at full capacity. The new owners plan to add two more systems and scale the business further, building on existing partnerships with Air New Zealand, Intuitive Machines (via Lanteris Space Systems), and work on NASA’s Psyche mission and the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 1 and 2 Tracking Layer programs. Outgoing General Manager Heather Grace will remain through August to facilitate the transition.

This acquisition fits the recurring pattern of a successful independent service bureau reaching a capacity ceiling and transitioning to new ownership for the next growth phase, rather than a distressed sale or technology pivot. Zenith Tecnica occupies a narrow but defensible position in the AM value chain as a certified (AS 9100, ISO 13485) contract manufacturer specializing in EBM for highly regulated aerospace, defense, and medical implant applications. The firm’s geographic isolation in New Zealand makes it a critical local supplier for MRO, space, and defense needs, where supply chain resilience matters more than cost. The acquisition updates the open debate about whether independent AM service bureaus can scale profitably without being absorbed by larger OEMs or private equity - here, the new owners bring operational experience from Boeing and Amazon, suggesting a focus on disciplined scaling rather than financial engineering.

For the industry, the practical question is whether Burgess and Jordan can maintain the collaborative, cross-disciplinary engineering culture that earned Zenith its regulatory trust while injecting the capital needed to add capacity. The firm’s reliance on long-cycle aerospace and defense contracts means the new owners must resist short-term margin pressure and instead invest in qualification continuity and customer relationship depth. If they execute on gradual capacity expansion without disrupting the team’s workflow, Zenith Tecnica can remain a valued piece of New Zealand’s defense and space infrastructure. If they push for aggressive growth or cost-cutting, the built-up trust could erode quickly.