Seeley International says it’s time to refocus on local manufacturing to capitalise on growing demand for Australian made products.
Seeley International managing director Jon Seeley at the Lonsdale facility
COVID-19 has presented Australia with a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to refocus on the benefits of manufacturing at home, says the leader of the one of nation’s leading industrial businesses.
This month, Lonsdale-based Seeley International will manufacture 70 per cent more airconditioning units than originally anticipated. It follows record winter production of gas heaters at its Albury facility in NSW on the back of strong demand.
Frank Seeley established Seeley International in 1972
“At this point, there are strong indications that there is no abating of demand,” managing director Jon Seeley said.
“There is a lot of support to source and buy local and there is momentum around building Australia’s sovereign capability.”
Customers are more actively seeking out locally manufactured products, particularly as international supply chains become riskier or more unreliable with the impact of COVID and other trade issues. However, the current situation has brought new challenges.
“What we are finding is that demand for workers is outstripping our ability to source them,” he said.
Since mid-2020, Seeley International observed a stark increase in the difficulty of attracting suitable candidates for casual or permanent positions.
Labour hire companies are attributing this, at least in part, to increased JobSeeker payments. Wait times on finding casual staff for seasonal peaks have increased from one or two days pre-COVID-19 to weeks without a suitable candidate.
Another 20 permanent positions remained unfilled while engineering positions in both manufacturing locations are very difficult to recruit.<