We have a proud legacy
PDV Consultants is a New Zealand success story. Right from the start, the company was built on trust between us and our clients. They have come to recognise our ability to design bold, innovative, and safe hygienic systems that are tailored to their specific requirements. From our humble beginnings in 1990, we have grown into a trusted international engineering consultancy firm. Inspired by our past, we intend to carry on that vision to continually develop our engineering expertise to deliver world-class solutions.
Our Story
PDV was founded in 1990 by David and Anne Platts. Over David's career, he gave back to the industry by mentoring and providing opportunities and internships for the next generation of process engineers. Prior to his retirement, David was awarded the prestigious CHEMECA medal for his outstanding contribution to the service of chemical engineering in 2018.
Today, the team is led by Gerard O'Connor who took over as managing director in November 2018. Gerard balances setting strategy and business objectives and monitoring performance while retaining a ‘hands on’ role as a Principal Engineer. In this role, Gerard enjoys maintaining relationships with clients and mentoring new engineers and lending his expertise, particularly in the design of evaporators, lactose and infant formula plants. Under Gerard’s leadership, PDV Consultants has grown its team. The UK team now includes mechanical as well as process engineering expertise, and the NZ team now offers electrical engineering and control systems services. While our leadership may have changed, and our team and the reach of the business continues to grow – some things stay the same. Our focus continues to be on delivering innovative processes, collaborative design and exceptional value, while providing the high level of service and expertise our global clients have come to expect.
Over 30 Years of World-Class Excellence
1990
David and Anne Platts started the company as Platts Driveap Engineering working from their home office.
1996
Our present-day managing director, Gerard O'Connor, joins the PDV family.
1998
We first moved to a leased office space at Clarence Street in Hamilton CBD as the company grows.
2000
We employed our very first intern, starting our long history of providing student opportunities in the industry.
2009
Our UK office in Belfast was established to support our growing client base in Europe and North America.
2012
We rebranded and changed our name to PDV Consultants to reflect our core expertise and trusted position within the industry.
2014
With strong growth, the company moved into its current larger office space in Alexandra Street in Hamilton CBD.
2018
Company founders David and Anne retired. Gerard is appointed as our new managing director.
2023
We employed our first electrical engineer, beginning the in-house electrical team we have today.
2025
Our first structural engineer joined the team, extending our in-house capability further.
Present
We continue our success story with brand new strategies focusing on people, future growth, and resilience, backed by a team of over 50 dedicated professionals.
Why PDV Consultants?
At PDV Consultants, we blend over 36+ years of engineering excellence with deep industry knowledge to design safe, hygienic and efficient production systems. From feasibility to commissioning, we help clients solve complex manufacturing challenges - globally.
Our Company Values
We continue to live our core values as a company and you can experience this first-hand when you engage and work with us at PDV.
Teamwork
We work together sharing knowledge and experience to grow each other and achieve the best outcome for our clientsInnovation
Challenge the status quo, embrace change and the use of technologyFun
We enjoy our work and have fun with our colleagues and clientsIntegrity
Build trust with staff, customers, and external stakeholders, through honesty and integrity in a sustainable mannerExcellence
Ensure all that we do is to the highest standard possible, including engineering solutions and health & safety practices