Our Story

From Glasgow, with grit

I'm Douglas, born and raised in Glasgow. It's a tough city full of hard people, and I love every one of them. My heart still belongs there, which is why every board I make carries a Scottish Gaelic name.

Thirty years of getting it right

I served my electrical and electronics apprenticeship in the Scottish whisky industry, where patience and precision are everything. That was the start of 30 years as an electrical and electronics engineer, much of it as a service engineer travelling the length and breadth of the UK.

Finding home

In 2004 I came to New Zealand and knew straight away I was home. In Hawke's Bay I met Jude. We started as friends, got together in 2008, and she has been my everything ever since. In 2009 we moved south to Christchurch, just in time for the earthquakes. We stayed, and we've watched this city rebuild itself with real grit and heart.

Meet Pax

Pax, Practice Manager. Health and safety is taken very seriously here.

Every good business needs a practice manager. Ours is Pax, a black-and-white Border Collie who was surrendered to the pound not once but twice before he came home with us. With Jude and me both working from home, he settled in like he'd always been here.

Three years on, he never misses a thing and is always there keeping a close eye on proceedings. In Pax's eyes I'm the leader of the pack, but he's a sheepdog at heart, so it's Jude who gets herded.

Why "CoTwo"?

CoTwo Designs began as a laser engraving business, named after my very first laser: a CO₂, or "CO Two". That machine still works hard today, handling pieces up to 1300 × 900 mm. It's been joined by a 60W MOPA Fiber laser, a 12W UV laser and two Bambu Lab H2D 3D printers. Between them, we can cut, engrave, mark and build in timber, leather, metal, glass, acrylic and more.