By JESSE GRAHAM
CUTTING-EDGE technology and foray into an international market is on the horizon for Montrose’s Precision Shower Screens, after a $130,000 leg-up from the government last week.
Eastern Victoria MP Edward O’Donohue and Liberal candidate for Monbulk Mark Verschuur visited Precision’s factory in Montrose on Friday 17 October to announce a technology grant for the business.
Through the State Government’s Investing in Manufacturing Technology (IMT) program, the two politicians announced $130,000, which would help Precision to purchase a $500,000 mirror line machine.
Precision director James Woollard said the machines would be a first for the company, and that it would be able to make mirrored glass splashbacks – a product that is widely made overseas.
“People are well-and-truly into glass splashbacks, and people want a mirror behind their kitchen, but the mirror has to be an A-grade safety glass, and it has to be toughened glass,” he said.
“We process the glass here, we toughen the glass, we run it through the machine and silver the back, so it looks like a mirror.
“It’s exactly the same (as a mirror), except it’s a safety mirror.”
He said the significance of the development was that, once the machine was installed, Precision would be able to compete for the Australian market share for the special glass.
“At the moment, a lot of this product is coming out of China,” he said.
“We’re hoping to give that a bit of a nudge, and try and pull it back the other way – we want to try and break into that market, and try to keep it here in Australia.”
The mirrors created by the new machine can be used for commercial and residential properties, and Mr Woollard said he hoped the business could also supply trade-workers with the materials.
In addition to expanding its product offering, Mr Woollard said the business would be able to employ between two to four new people, adding to the current 47-strong workforce.
Mr O’Donohue said the ability to compete with global markets and adding to the workforce was a boon for Precision, and that he was pleased to announce the funding.
“Having local jobs is important for so many reasons – to give people the opportunity for employment close to home, to keep businesses like this productive, so they’re sustainable into the future, and when new jobs are created, it’s great for the local economy,” he said.
“It’s a great credit to the business.
“There’re lots of little examples of businesses in this part of the world, competing at a global scale.”
Mr O’Donohue said that he hoped the grant would give Precision confidence in continuing to expand over the years, and Mr Verschuur said he was happy to see the local business get support.
“Obviously, it’s good that the owners of the business can reinvest and make some capital improvements, so they can employ more people,” he said.
“Me being a manufacturer myself, I think it’s fantastic to see businesses able to make themselves globally competitive, and hit back at some of the niche markets, with some assistance from the State Government.”
Mr Woollard said the machine was currently being constructed overseas, and that it would take five months to complete.
Precision was one of 33 businesses state-wide awarded grant money from the government through the IMT program.
