As we mark Australian Made week (6-12 June), we reflect that the Australian packaging and processing machinery sector is punching well above its weight when it comes to delivering locally engineered solutions. At APPMA's recent AUSPACK trade show, local OEMs and packaging converters proved the point.
A 2022 Roy Morgan study reveals that 89 per cent of Australians believe more manufacturing should be undertaken in Australia, and that 70 per cent of Australians have prioritised purchasing Australian Made products since the last Australian Made Week.
Manufacturers are paying heed to the call of consumers who prefer to buy Australian made products (93% of Aussies, according to a 2020 Roy Morgan study). Of course, there are larger macro-economic forces at play adding momentum to the reshoring trend, not least of which is supply chain disruption caused by the pandemic and more latterly the war in Ukraine. The incentive to invest in local manufacturing has also risen thanks to Modern Manufacturing Initiative grants.
But for local manufaturing to thrive it needs a reliable local supply chain. To this end, manufacturers are looking to source machinery, equipment and materials locally from suppliers who can shorten lead times and provide tech support on the ground.
And at AUSPACK 2022, where there were more Australian packaging and processing companies than at any previous expo, exhibiting world-class and in some cases award-winning innovation, there was plenty to choose from.
Mark Emmett, owner and MD of OEM HMPS Group, which includes the newly aquired Australian businesses Pro-Pac Industrial and Integrated Machinery, says, "More manufacturers are coming to us looking for locally engineered solutions that meet world global standards and will be backed by reliable technical support on the ground. At HMPS, we are now a one-stop-shop for bagging, boxing and wrapping, and we have boosted our customer support resources across the group."
Samantha Saunders, GM of the Integrated Machinery business based in Victoria, says, "HMPS supports our customers through procurement, equipment sourcing, design and build right through to lifetime support. As an agile company we can adapt and pivot as we need to."
Emmett confirmed that investing in engineering staff and increasing technical support has led to an uptick in demand for more turnkey packaging line installations from the market.
Australian engineered solutions are globally competitive and sought after, with OEMs like Australis Engineering, Heat and Control, tna Solutions, HMPS, Foodmach and Fibre King, among many others at AUSPACK, expanding their footprint with installations across the Tasman, in the APAC region and for some, in the US and EU markets too.
Fibre King was the winner of the Australian Machinery Manufacturing Award (Corporate) in the 2022 APPMA Awards of Excellence for its design for Little Packer, a case packer that has been a game changer for the craft brewing industry, with 11 installations in the market already, and a 12th machine sold at AUSPACK. Interestingly, this one is going to a cheese company, with the design adpatable to meet different customer requirements.
Fibre King MD James Windsor tells us a bit more about the 96-year-old Australian comapny and its new Little Packer here:
Another local manufacturing win was made by Trimatt Systems, which won the SME category of the Australian Machinery Manufacturing Award for its CardLine 7000 solution for the automated attachment of cards, booklets and vouchers to carriers.
You can read more about the company's success here
or listen to MD Matt Johnson as recorded on the AUSPACK Files here:
Supporting a vibrant Austarlian processing and packaging machinery manufacturing sector is an equally vibrant industry association, APPMA – Australian Packaging and Processing Machinery Association. You can find out more about becoming a member here.
There'll be more news to follow on local OEM success stories in the May-June print issue of Machinery Matters and PKN.
