Is the pendulum about to swing back to Australian made?
Recent years have all been about price and moving everything offshore often at the expense of Australian made.
However, with many sectors under huge pressure due to COVID-19 and the disruption to overseas supply chains along with trade difficulties with China the pendulum appears to be moving back towards a more Pro Australian Made momentum. This is good news for any Australian manufacturer but it is also great news for the people of Australia too.
Here are 6 key reasons why buying Australian Made is not only good for Australians but vital in Australia moving forward.
1. Quality Control: Australians tend to have very high standards and there is nothing like having immediate control over a product from start to finish. For example, at AWM we can not only control the quality in terms of tradesman ship but also our source materials right down to boards, adhesives and fabrics. Being able to monitor our manufacturing through the life cycle of a project and product enables to provide 100% assurance to our clients that what they expect to receive is what they will in fact receive.
2. Deliverability and Personal Customer Service: In today’s digital world it might seem less relevant to have personal connection with customers but in many industries, it is still important. Humans are social creatures and there is nothing like being able to speak directly to suppliers and customers and even meet them face to face. Having control over the delivery of products enables a company to maintain healthy working relationships right up through the entire supply chain.
3. Supporting local business: At AWM we support over 120 local businesses within our supply chain. Although we do source some components and products from overseas we have always been mindful of ensuring we have a significantly high percentage of local content in our supply chain. We want to support our local community here in New South Wales as much as possible as well as nationally and always seek to source local first and keep the money circulating within our economy.
4. Warranty and service issues: Although many foreign-made products come with warranties, cashing in those warranties is a lot easier said than done. Dealing with an overseas company can be a headache; when you buy Australian, it’s a lot easier to get help with parts and service. From beginning to end.
5. Consumer Laws and Guarantees: Australia has one of the world’s strongest and most efficient regulatory environments. Australian consumer laws and regulations provide a strong safeguard such as be fit for purpose, meet advertised expectations and performance, guarantees and warranties along with ensuring spare parts and repair facilities are readily available to name just a few. These along with fair employee regulations provide a level of comfort to consumers that products manufactured and sold within Australia will meet with their expectations on many levels.
6. Innovation and the ease of doing business: With strong expenditure on research and development as a percentage of GDP Australia is among the most innovative countries in the world. Australia is also one of the easiest places in the world to do business. In a recent study by the World Bank Australia was placed 14th in the world for ease of doing business in 2020.
Buying ‘Australian Made’ may no longer just be the nice to have luxury so often neglected in favour of cheaper but lesser quality imports. It has the potential to become a vital component of maintaining a robust economy and an employed Australian workforce. The Australian workforce is diverse, multilingual and multicultural, more than 28 per cent of our population was born overseas. Combined with the high skill levels of migrants, this multi talented workforce helps Australia thrive in today’s globalised economy.
These key elements along with an abundance of natural resources positions Australia to be a world leader in manufacturing and innovation.
Find out more about AWM.
Click here to read more about the AWM Story. If you would like to know more about how AWM support over 120 local businesses within our supply chain as well as how we support indigenous Australians with our AWM Amaroo arm please reach out to us at: sales@awm.net.au
Sources:
https://www.austrade.gov.au/International/Invest/Why-Australia/strong-foundations
https://technologycore.com.au/the-benefits-to-buying-australian/
https://technologycore.com.au/the-benefits-to-buying-australian/