2024 Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Awards

Now in its 22^nd year, the 2024 Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Awards recognises Victoria’s incredible businesses and people dedicated to manufacturing great products. Victoria is a global leader in advanced manufacturing and the nation’s manufacturing heartland. The country benefits from $33.5bn in economic output, 290,000 jobs, and $23.9bn in exports.

Every time I come to the Palladium for these Hall of Fame evenings of Awards, I am blown away by the scale of the room and the community of manufacturers in the gathered crowd. There is astonishing colour, positivity, music, and another great excuse to doll up. I am also very impressed by the military precision of the table attendants and the chefs behind them, who produce top-notch meals for the assembled audience. Amazing.

The judges had to trawl through 190 nominations and 43 finalists in 13 categories. The two Gold Sponsors for this event were AMTIL, and Melbourne Airport. The evening’s Bronze Sponsors were ALSTOM, CSL, macpherson kelley, Toyota and Volgren. Mike Larkin, the MC, was full of stray jokes, one-liners, and the odd weather forecast. The special guest presenter was the Hon. Natalie Hutchins, Victorian Minister for Jobs and Industry, Minister for Women and Minister for Treaty and First Peoples. She agreed that female participation in Victorian manufacturing was connected to an outdated training model and was looking forward to a great night of awards confirming there was movement to improve this equation. She didn’t have long to wait.

So, to the awards:

The winner of the Leader in Construction Award was MODSCAPE in Brooklyn.  The CEO Shaun said they had 600 projects which had revolutionised the way they did precision manufacturing. Everything had been designed inhouse and their robotics systems were proud to be recognised for the work they were doing.

The winner of the inaugural Leader in Gender Equality and Inclusion Award was ALSTOM. They seemed to know they were up for a win as they were at the base of the stage before being read out. They had a solid message to convey as well. “With 2500 employees and 25 sites, we still have a long way to go,” they said. “We have started on a journey to gender equality in our workforce.”

The winner of the Leader in Health Technologies Award was CSL. With large Melbourne laboratories in Broadmeadows, Parkville and Tullamarine, the CEO said they were all proud to deliver essential health plasma worldwide.

The winner of the Leader in Textile, Clothing and Footwear Award was Australian Defence Apparel (ADA). Chris Dixon, ADA’s CEO noted that after many years coming to these events and not winning, they were now recognised as the largest domestic clothing company. “No one would have guessed this little Bendigo outfit would do it but the effect of COVID on local production was staggering,” Dixon said.

The winner of the Leader in Transport and Rail Award was ALSTOM, again. As the proud manufacturer of trams in many areas, the Head of Production at Dandenong recognised this award as a great recognition of the huge team of rolling stock manufacturers, numbering around 340 people.

The winner of the Leader in Manufacturing Award was STAHL METALL. This smaller manufacturer produces aeronautics components for a wide range of customers, and the team is so proud to be recognised with this honour.

The Manufacturing Apprentice of the Year Award was a tie between Levi Konnerth, an apprentice at A.W.Bell Machinery in Dandenong South, and Hannah Dillmore from NewForm Steel Fabrication in Bayswater. For both these great workers, every day was something new, and it was evident they knew what they were doing. Dillmore was pleased to prove she was doing it right as a woman.

The Young Manufacturer of the Year Award was presented to Afnan Siddique, a young engineer working in Bosch Australian Manufacturing Solutions out in Clayton.  Having always had a passion for mechanical engineering, Afnan came to Australia in 2019 to pursue a mechanical engineering qualification.  He felt he always had a great deal of support.  He puts his social skills and a tremendous amount of networking as his drive to succeed. “Surrounding yourself with good people can change your life,” he said.

The Woman Manufacturer of the Year Award is LaTinka Cubitt from Catten Industries. She also said she was surrounding herself with good workers, an enthusiastic family, and a solid foundation of support. Asked if her work had any downsides, she replied she worked with her husband. [Jokingly of course.]  A very popular win to a very popular lady.

The Manufacturer of the Year, Regional Business Award went to Farm Foods Australia, out of Breakwater.  Coming from small beginnings, this company is now producing food packs and exporting them to the USA. The Spokesperson from Farm Foods added that since the closure of the Ford factory, they’d had no problem getting staff. Swings and roundabouts.

The Manufacturer of the Year, Small Business Award was awarded to Assembled Threads in North Melbourne. Owner Edwina Walsh said that employment is the lifeblood of a community, especially a community built from refugees and immigrants wanting to become part of society and get ahead.  On stage also was Angelica, a worker who saw the work as truly inspirational.

HANLON Industries received the Manufacturer of the Year, Medium Business Award. CEO Ellie May made a quick speech, demonstrating incredible drive and enthusiasm for the work. She spoke of the company’s mindset of continuous improvement.

The Manufacturer of the Year, Large Business Award was awarded to CSL, their second evening award. The CEO Dr Paul McKenzie spoke of the exciting opportunities being given to people like scientists and engineers. Recognising the great partnerships with both the State and Federal Governments, he also wanted to celebrate the people at CSL.

Honour Roll, Service to Industry Award was awarded to John Krueger from Krueger Transport. With almost 50 years in the business of trucks and trolleys behind him, Krueger is still going strong. He decided to design a truck on his kitchen table. Beginning as a truck driver, he describes buying one more truck, redesigning his equipment around him and starting a company with expanding support from great people. He has employed people over the years, keeping people on his books for over 40 years, and he still doesn’t understand how they lasted the distance.

He said Krueger is the most copied manufacturer in Australia. He has a fantastic management team and makes it look easy. He always improves, stays competitive, and looks after good people.

Paul Hellard