Turck Australia New Zealand is repositioning its business to focus on automation solutions and expanded customer support under managing director Geoff Thorp, who took on the role in July 2025.
The company, which supplies sensors, fieldbus technology, connection interfaces, RFID systems and human-machine interfaces (HMI), says it is shifting from being a component supplier to a solutions partner, helping customers address industrial automation, connectivity and data integration.
“As industries across Australia and New Zealand embrace digitisation and AI, we need to go beyond the ‘automation norm’ to adapt and grow with our customers,” says Thorp.
“As a result, we are uniquely positioned to play a much bigger role not simply as a provider of automation components, but as a solutions provider, helping customers navigate increasingly complex operational challenges.”
According to the company, Thorp has spent his first year focusing on strategy, leadership and organisational culture.
One of his first priorities was restructuring the leadership team, defining responsibilities across Finance, Sales, Customer Service and Technology, while introducing new business processes, performance metrics and data-driven decision-making.
“Transparency has been a major part of that journey,” says Thorp. “We now regularly share business performance, priorities and progress with the entire organisation so everyone understands where we are, where we’re heading and how they contribute to our success.”
The company has also expanded its workforce across Australia and New Zealand, increasing customer support in Western Australia and Central and Far North Queensland, while strengthening its New Zealand presence through expanded distribution partnerships and local support.
It has also introduced a graduate engineering initiative, employing a final-year university student to gain practical experience in industrial applications.
“Our growth is highly targeted,” says Thorp. “We’re investing in the regions, capabilities and skillsets that align with where our markets are growing, ensuring we continue to deliver responsive, technically robust support to customers across industries.”
Founded in Germany in 1965, Turck established its Australian presence more than two decades ago and now operates offices in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland, Western Australia and New Zealand. The business employs 30 staff across engineering, customer support, supply chain, technical support and sales.
Looking ahead, Thorp says the company expects industrial automation to continue evolving towards connected systems and interoperability.
“Customers are increasingly seeking solutions that integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructure rather than requiring complete system replacement,” he says.
“Our ability to connect with almost any platform or technology ecosystem allows customers to adopt new capabilities without starting from scratch.”
