The demise of manufacturing in Australia

[Stan S]

Well I have just been told today that the manufacturing business that I work at is closing down. The business is primarily a M.I.M (Metal Injection Moulding) company that was Singapore based up till about 2004. After continuing to operate in Singapore for a few years, all the equipement (mixers, crushers, injection moulders, debinding stills, debinding furnaces, sintering furnaces, box furnaces, presses, CNC lathe, drill press's, screw compressors, bead blasters, vibrating finishing machines, etc, etc, etc.) were all packed in containers and shipped to Australia, set up and operated for the last 6 years or so. The technology is world class and most of the components we make are made for German companies who supply BMW, Scneider Electrics and Semens also Apple in China etc. It seems this technology has not been embraced by the many, many Australian companies that who could have benefited from it, so now as with a lot of other manufacturing businesses forced to cease operations and import our parts made in China.
My employer still has a metal stampings company to absorb some of the employee's but I beleive the writing is on the wall for that type of manufacturing also.
Anyway it probably means back to motorcycle work for me.

Stan.   

[VMX247]

Sorry to here of your news Stan S also for the Aust economy. 
Steven works in turbines- power for steam and all there gear and the refinery gear is now shipped out and fixed/refurbished else where including OS     crazy   

Happy 49th Birthday Julian.   
cheers

[Hoony]

yes and the current and previous governments ( labour and liberal) were/are quite happy to sit back and watch it all happen. fork those governments and sucking up to the Septics/Asia and every other nation thats undermines our industry's be it agriculture, manufacturing for what they call fair trade "fair for who" not future generations that's for sure. 


this sort of shit angers me.

i work in industry (Manufacturing) and the other day i saw a gearbox drive that was cast in Sydney in 1963 (gearbox still in operation too) i also remember places i have worked at see pleanty of aussie made large and small produced machinery and parts. thing of past years now ( Except for GMC  )



 

[LWC82PE]

Its sad isnt it. im sick of the junk made in asia, especially China and especially electrical goods. They think they can make a product cheap in asia but the quality is just not there. Im seeing it all the time, even in bike parts, its hard to find really quality made stuff like there use to be, so much is made in India and Taiwan. Some stuff is ok, but a lot of it isnt.

[GMC]

I think we as a country just keep forking ourselves up the arse because it feels good.

We give ourselves so many benefits and restrictions that we can’t possibly compete against some foreign companies.

Super for one. Yes we all should have it, but do the Chinese companies that we compete against give it to their workers?

Same for our Farmers, they’re not allowed to use certain chemicals on the crops (and rightfully so) but we allow imports in that are grown to any spec they like.

How many manufactured parts have come in lately that have used banned substances that we are not allowed to use here but they get the sales because they are cheap.

Workplace safety has gone overboard. You pretty much need a licence to step onto a ladder nowadays. Every little 2 bit factory insists you have to slip on a safety vest so you can walk into the workshop, even though they only have one forklift that they might use once a week.

It’s no wonder they ship things off to be serviced elsewhere.

Reminds me of a mate who worked for a company many years ago. They went through all the bullshit to get QA accredited in order to win a contract they wanted which insisted that you needed the accreditation to be considered.
The contract was finally awarded to a company that didn’t have accreditation simply because they were cheaper than all the accredited firms.

[Nathan S]

Commisserations, Stan.




It all goes in cycles - remember when Japan was where the cheap, nasty stuff was made, and American stuff was good quality?

Without tarifs or other types of industry protection, it is inevitable that manufacturing will move to the least expensive country... We've all got to try to find the balance of cost vs our standards of living (see GMC's post).

As energy costs increase, it will become less viable to freight stuff all over the world - the extra labour costs will be offset by the larger transport costs.

I also suspect that in the nearish future, it will make sense to avoid the current disposable attitude and return to quality manufacturing. In terms of energy usage, a quality product requires about the same energy as a rubbish one - but if the energy costs quadruple, then the price difference between the products is minimised. Whether this helps us or not, is another story...

[SAABCOMBI]

Japan, china, other asian country are taking other Australia, sorry to here that stan.

[LWC82PE]

Workplace safety has gone overboard. You pretty much need a licence to step onto a ladder nowadays. Every little 2 bit factory insists you have to slip on a safety vest so you can walk into the workshop, even though they only have one forklift that they might use once a week.

Yeah i can remember, all of sudden, from about the early 2000's i reckon many workplaces required you wear yellow hi-vis shirts/jumpers/vests etc, all the winery workers and bottling factories etc. You cant go no where now with out seeing someone in hi-vis yellow now.

[Lozza]

This situation isn't new, I know a fellow that works for Alpine-Vorst a Austrian underground mining machine manufacturer. Alpine know full well that one of their brand new miners will be sold into China dismantled and copied and be on the market for 1/3rd the cost. However when the Chinese have that ready to roll Alpine will be showing the new next generation miner to the big mining companies, faster, less maintenance, lower operating costs, safer and greater capacity, for a small increase in cost. Big mining companies love that, the Chinese sell to other Chinese mining companies not to the Rio Tinto's etc etc.
We just have to be smarter.
If you worked in a bottling factory hi vis makes lots of sense.

[crash n bern]

Was it Abrahm Lincon that said 'Any man can deal with adversity, but to test a mans true character give him power'  Small people with small amounts of power bringing a country to it's knees with over regulation to justify their overpayed existance.

They obviously think that all the talented self enterprising people who dream, build, create and just generally make the wheels of life turn.  Are far too stupid to know when a power lead needs to be replaced.  

[Doggy Digger]

It's time, Stan.
Get yourself a coupla young pocket rocket racers; two pair of Maico 490s (GMC-kitted); start a team ... and go kick some ass in the 2011 MX Nats!
Maybe Coppins can sign-on too ...
Just imagine the extra numbers of (older) folk who'd come pay to see that!

[mx250]

It's called Free Trade. It's suppose to be a 'good thing'  .

Ultimately it's not a good thing for Australia but it's a bigger issue for America. Makes you wonder where it will all end .

Sorry to hear your plight Stan. I hope the Golden Handshake brings some relief.

[maicomc490t]

I reckon I rode "the last wave"

Did my time as a toolmaker with James N Kirby in Milperra NSW when the whole of Sydney was a manufacturing city only to watch it all go to shit! As we kept on closing factories I used to think (incorrectly) that white goods and other bulky goods would always be made here (eg Hoover at Meadowbank) - WRONG !!! The Hoover sight is one big cluster f..k housing estate now

The whole thing sucks.

Don't panic though guys and gals - Parliament has reconvened in Canberra this week and all those nice politicians will see the error of their ways and fix it all for us 

God help us all !!!

Dave Mac

[TM BILL]

Sorry to here that Stan , good luck for the future 

[number8]

NOAH TODAY



In the year 2010, the Lord came unto Noah, who was now living in Bega (Gods country ?) and said:


"Once again, the earth has become wicked and over
-populated, and I see the end of all flesh before me.

 Build another Ark and save 2 of every living thing along with a few good humans."

He gave Noah the blueprints, saying:


"You have 6 months to build the Ark before I will start the unending rain for 40 days and 40 nights."



Six months later, the Lord looked down and saw Noah weeping in his yard - but no Ark.

"Noah!," He roared,

"I'm about to start the rain! Where is the Ark?"

"Forgive me, Lord," begged Noah,

"but things have changed since you asked me to build your 1st Ark."



"I needed a Building Permit."





"I've been arguing with the Building Inspector
about the need for a sprinkler system."






"My neighbours claim that I've violated the Bega Valley LEP and DCP, numerous SEPs  and many other Regulations by building the Ark in my back garden and exceeding the height limitations.

We had to go to the Bega Valley Council and now we have to go to the Regional Planning Committee for a decision and then to the NSW Land & Environment Court."









"The RTA; Council and the Electricity Company have demanded a shirt load of money for the future costs of moving power lines and other overhead obstructions to clear the passage for the Ark's move to the sea.

I told them that the sea would be coming to us and it would float itself, but they would hear nothing of it..."





"Getting the wood was another problem.  There's a ban
on cutting local trees in order to save the Barking Owl habitat."

"I tried to convince the Council, The Green’s and local environmentalists that I needed the wood to save these same owls - but NO - GO!"









"When I started gathering the animals the RSPCA took me to court. They insisted that I was confining wild animals against their will.

They argued the accommodations were too restrictive, and
it was cruel and inhumane to put so many animals in
a confined space."






"Then the Green’s put pressure on the NSW Environmental Protection Agency ruled that I couldn't build the Ark until they'd conducted an environmental impact study on YOUR proposed flood."






"I'm still trying to resolve a complaint with the Equal Opportunity Commission & Labour Council on how many minorities and women I'm
supposed to hire for my building gang."









"Immigration are checking the
Visa status of most of the people who do want to work."






"The Building trade unions say I can't use my sons.

They insist I have to hire only Union workers with
Ark-building experience."









"To make matters worse, the ATO and Customs seized all my assets, claiming I'm trying to leave the country illegally with endangered species."






"So, forgive me, Lord, but it will take at least 20
years for me to finish this Ark."





 

 
"Suddenly the skies cleared, the sun began to shine,
and a rainbow stretched across the sky." 










Noah looked up in wonder and asked,


"You mean you're not going to destroy the world?"



"No," said the Lord.


"The AUSTRALIAN GREENS and LABOR PARTY have beaten me to it."
 



#8