Not happy to rest on their 'manufacturing' laurels the Hedweld Group is about to launch a new range of innovative, world first, products which have already attracted interest from overseas buyers.
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The products, designed and made at the company’s state-of-the-art manufacturing complex at Mount Thorley, offer unique storage systems for metal fabricators that improve workshop efficiency, safety and offer space savings and also mean the metals can be stored to ensure they arrive in the workshop in perfect condition for processing.
Hedweld made its name in the mining industry through the development of its heavy plant access ladders and tyre and transmission lifters that are sold worldwide.
But the downturn in the coal mining industry that began in 2014 saw the company looking to develop other products and to diversify their income.
They moved into agricultural manufacturing with their flood fences and access ramps and at the same time built a new $8.5 million advanced manufacturing facility which was officially opened in September 2016.
The material storage station was on display at the opening and is capable of handling 6m x 3m steel plates. It has undergone some upgrades since it was first developed by the company.
Recently Hedweld attended the Fabtech engineering exhibition in Chicago (one of the largest such exhibitions in the world) where the station along with their other new products a storage carousel and a variable storage facility made from shipping containers attracted a great deal of interest.
“Before we developed out storage systems we searched internationally for similar products we could use at our sites but we came away empty handed and that’s when we decided to design and build our own,” said Heldweld co-founder Ian Hedley.
“We wanted a safe, easily accessible and space saving storage facility for our steel plate and that’s exactly what we have achieved. Its patented and we are about to start manufacturing the station and the other systems at Mount Thorley.”
Given this new business and a pick-up in international orders for their mining equipment Hedweld has been able to increase their workforce once again including taking on six new apprentices.
“That is one of the most pleasing aspects of the current economic climate being able to grow our business and our workforce after some tough years in the industry,” he said.
Mr Hedley is extremely enthusiastic about the future of local manufacturing saying buyers across the world know Australia produces high quality products.