CCBR Business Review

22 Manufacturing not dead on the Central Coast M A J O R S T O R I E S Australia’s only Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) manufacturing plant, is being expanded with an additional state of the art manufacturing line that is set to double the current capacity. The project includes a new 10,000 sqm production building and associated facili- ties with a production plant designed to be at the cutting edge in terms of energy efficiency, water usage and waste. “It is proven European technology and will be the most environmentally friendly plant of its kind in the world, built to the highest environmental and quality stand- ards,” said Operations Manager Steve Zebib who has responsibility for bringing the pro- ject into production. CSR first invested on the Central Coast in 1988 when it built what at the time was state of the art plant. The expansion will see the plant’s capacity double to meet a growing demand for AAC products through- out Australia and New Zealand, and on com- pletion in early 2019 will see the highly auto- mated state-of-the-art facility put Somersby on the global map in its industry. The whole project has been designed in- house by CSR Hebel engineers. “We are a local player in a global commu- nity setting technological standards that are being benchmarked world-wide particularly in hi Rise Building systems. Already we are hosting foreign visitors who are taking a big interest in what we are doing allowing us to show case the high calibre on the central coast” he said. CSR Hebel factory under construction at Somersby CSR puts HEBEL Somersby on the world stage MANUFACTURING IN GENERAL is under- going transformational change with the consolidation of the industry through merg- ers and acquisitions, levels of automation and technological inputs into production pro- cesses, and the continued focus of integrated supply chains blurring the lines between pro- duction, product development and logistics. Companies big and small are becoming more integrated into global supply chains. The Central Coast is not immune to these changes with some multinationals consoli- dating manufacturing locally and overseas. There is the increased investment in auto- mation and technology across medium to larger businesses, with costs for technology dropping dramatically. Our SME’s are driv- ing innovation and producing products for niche markets. What does it mean in economic terms for our region? In employment terms for the past 5 years FTE’s have remain relatively sta- ble with minor fluctuations up and down at around 8400 people. During the same period the value add to the region, an indi- cator of business productivity, has increased by around 2.8% to $932M and still main- tains the second highest value add sector outside of Health and Social Assistance. It is the biggest exporter of goods and services of all sectors at $1.2Billion which includes being the biggest industry in our region for international exports. Two sectors within manufacturing are driving growth nationally and it is the same here. Manufacturing associated with construction and infrastructure- and Food, Beverage and Agribusiness, a key focus for Frank Sammut, Executive Officer, Central Coast Industry Connect all levels of government with their focus on food and Agri exports. Manufacturing has been in growth for the past 25 months according to AIGroup’s PMI Manufacturing index. Manufacturing is not dead and needs to be recognised for its opportunities. From workshop to workspace, quality Australian office furniture fast. The latest trends Easy and fast Superior quality Proudly Australian made Save time and money No minimum order quantities Local Central Coast manufacturer, supporting local jobs Visit fusionofficefurniture.com.au Call 1800 942 942 Lot 162 Railway Crescent Lisarow NSW 2250 CENTRAL COAST BUSINESS REVIEW YEARBOOK 2018