Creating Solutions For A Better Future
Link Engine Management is a Christchurch-based global leader in motorsport electronics and performance technology. Link specialise in the development, manufacture and marketing of engine control units (ECUs) built to manage motorsport and powersport vehicles.
Chief executive Andy Millard says Christchurch is the perfect place to produce an exceptional product and take it to the world.
What does Link Engine Management do?
I always say we build computers for race cars. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We build sophisticated engine and mobile power management systems for automotive, heavy transport, aviation and marine applications.
What’s the business journey for Link been like?
It's been a tough journey that’s taken a lot of innovation and a lot of research and development. But our innovation over the last 30 years has created a world class product and we now export to over 80 countries. We’re very proud to be one of the first companies in the world to have an off the shelf hydrogen engine management solution for the internal combustion process.
In the early days, we were super focused on motorsport and winning. But engine management covers so many other elements. There's heavy transport, there's marine applications and aviation. As engines have got super sophisticated, the computer systems that run them have to become super sophisticated, and we need to keep ahead of that.
What does success look like for Link?
One of the things we strive for is producing a good quality product that then becomes renowned worldwide, as well as producing an easy to install, easy to tune, high quality product, one that's going to propel people to the podium.
How has the Christchurch innovation ecosystem supported your growth?
Christchurch has always been fantastic in training good quality engineers and developers. And we benefit from that because there's plenty of companies where they're getting good experience and exposure to global changes to electronics and in writing software. So I think recruitment is easier in the tech space here in Christchurch, because there's so many similar companies around who are doing either hardware development or software development.
How about collaborations with other Christchurch businesses?
One of our exciting collaborations is with Rodin Cars. The great thing about having a relationship with Rodin is they're challenging us to be at our best. It's an easy partnership, and we're developing together.
How is your business striving for sustainability?
One of our goals is to work closely with our partners to create solutions for a better future. We are the engine management system that's going to sit right in between those who are producing the hydrogen or the ammonia and the engine that needs it to run.
So Link is betting on a future where we fill up at hydrogen stations?
I think what’s going to happen in the industry, is that engine development is going to stay with the internal combustion process, but it’s going to change the fuel from petroleum-based fuels to more eco-friendly fuels like hydrogen and ammonia.
Companies like Toyota are going with hydrogen. They’ve said, we've got an infrastructure here that supports internal combustion engines. Let's just put the fuel through it that's more eco-friendly, and we can move to a better future a lot quicker.
