By CASEY NEILL
A BERWICK business has been named Victoria’s Small Manufacturer of the Year.
Family owned and operated Australian Precision Technologies (APT) received the honour at the Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame gala dinner at the Crown Palladium Ballroom on Tuesday 26 May.
“It’s recognition for all our hard work and commitment in a challenging manufacturing industry,” co-director Ron Weinzierl said. “With government and industry support we’ll be able to develop into a world-class manufacturer.”
Hallam businesses Wastech (Medium Manufacturer of the Year) and KH Equipment (Company Induction) were also among the night’s finalists, and Brad Huggett from Rebul Packaging in Hallam was in the running for Young Manufacturer of the Year.
APT was last year inducted into the Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame, which was established in 2001 to celebrate manufacturing excellence across the state.
Industry Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said Victoria had a long and proud history in manufacturing and its highly skilled workforce provided a strong base for the economy.
“The Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame awards recognise the challenges ahead for the manufacturing sector by promoting innovation, growth and excellence in manufacturing,” she said.
APT also picked up the Manufacturing Award at the inaugural Casey Cardinia Business Awards last year.
Ron said the company had become a world-standard manufacturer since his brother and codirector Richard founded it in 1992.
He came on board in 1998 and said APT was now leading the market on national and global fronts with clients in aerospace, defence, automotive, biomedical, telecommunications and more.
He said the Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame gala was a valuable networking opportunity.
“I had a gentleman come up to me and say he had some work that he wanted us to look at straight away,” he said. “It’s about working collectively and using innovation to secure manufacturing in Australia.”
Ron said a record 800 guests attended, up from 600 the previous year. “We need to get together as a group and support manufacturing,” he said.
APT uses the latest technology to make anything from simple to highly complex precision components, instruments and assemblies.
“As a component manufacturer we’re known for precision engineering – we make stuff that people can make into products,” Ron said.
“Flexibility is the key for our future business.” He takes pride in APT providing components for diverse purposes such as defence soldier systems, Boeing planes and medical devices.
APT has also developed components for automotive assemblies, railway applications and security, telecommunications, mining and water control.
The company has defied the doom and gloom surrounding Australian manufacturing.
Ron attributed the company’s competitiveness to seeking “profitable opportunities” across the globe.
“It’s all about how your business uses innovation and how you run efficiently in day-to-day business practices,” he said.
