Custom Switchboards
March 2026 · 7 min read
If you’re looking for a custom switchboard manufacturer in New Zealand with a proven track record, AS/NZS 61439 compliance, and the capability to handle heavy industrial and infrastructure projects — Clive Wilson Switchboards has been doing exactly that since 1971.
Based in Invercargill, Southland, we design, build, and factory-test every custom switchboard in-house — and deliver nationwide across New Zealand. Whether your project is a greenfield industrial build, a commercial development, or a critical infrastructure upgrade, we have the experience, credentials and manufacturing capacity to deliver.
Off-the-shelf switchboard solutions rarely match the real demands of a New Zealand industrial or commercial site. Voltage levels, fault current ratings, IP requirements, environmental conditions, and the specific combination of loads you’re switching all vary from project to project. A switchboard that isn’t built to your specification is a switchboard that may underperform, fail prematurely, or become a safety liability.
Custom switchboard manufacturing means your assembly is engineered from the ground up for your exact application, your site conditions, and your operational lifespan requirements. At Clive Wilson, every board is designed to a projected 25-year service life.
We manufacture across the full range of low-voltage switchgear and control applications, up to 8,000A:
We work with Schneider Prisma, ABB, Simotrol, Quantum, and Logstrup platforms — specifying whichever OEM best suits your application and budget. No single-brand lock-in.
Every custom switchboard that leaves our Invercargill workshop has been:
This end-to-end in-house process means full quality traceability and no third-party assembly risk. You know exactly what you’re getting before it arrives on site.
Since May 2021, all low-voltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies in New Zealand must comply with AS/NZS 61439. This standard places legal and technical responsibility for a completed assembly squarely on the Assembly Manufacturer — not the component supplier, and not the installer.
When a project specifier, engineer, or asset owner asks for proof of compliance, we can provide it.
Over 55 years, the Clive Wilson team has delivered custom switchboards for clients across a wide range of New Zealand industries:
Our client base spans the length of New Zealand. While we are based in Southland, we regularly deliver and commission projects in Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury, and beyond.
| Specification | Clive Wilson Capability |
|---|---|
| Maximum current rating | 8,000A |
| Ingress protection | Up to IP55 |
| Mechanical impact rating | Up to IK10 |
| Compliance standard | AS/NZS 61439 (independently verified) |
| Quality certification | ISO 9001 |
| OEM platforms | Schneider, ABB, Simotrol, Quantum, Logstrup |
| In-house services | Design, build, powder coating, engraving, FAT |
| Projected service life | 25 years |
| Staff | 25 skilled and certified team members |
One of the most common problems on large electrical projects is fragmented responsibility — the designer blames the builder, the builder blames the component supplier, and the project manager is left managing the gap.
At Clive Wilson, a single point of contact manages your project from the initial design brief through to factory acceptance testing and final commissioning. There are no handoffs between separate companies, no version control issues between design and build, and no grey areas on accountability.
Clive Wilson Switchboards is part of the wider Clive Wilson Group, established in Invercargill in 1971 by Clive and Beverly Wilson. In addition to switchboard manufacturing, the Group operates Industrial Powder Coating and Precision Laser Engraving services — all in-house, at the same Invercargill facility.
Having these capabilities under one roof means we control finish quality, turnaround time, and consistency on every project.
A custom switchboard is not a commodity purchase. It is a long-life electrical asset that needs to be engineered correctly, built to the right standard, and backed by a manufacturer with the credentials and capability to stand behind their work.
Clive Wilson Switchboards has been doing this in New Zealand since 1971. If your next project requires a custom switchboard manufacturer in New Zealand — whether it’s a new build, a main switchboard replacement, or a major infrastructure programme — we’d like to hear from you.
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📍 31–33 Clyde Street, Invercargill · 📞 +64 3-214 4264 · ✉️ admin@clivewilson.co.nz
