Words: John Van Klaveren Pictures: Louisa Jones
One Geelong company is flying the flag for manufacturing despite the sector’s recent closures and downturns across the city.
The family-owned Geelong Brush Company has large contracts with leading retailers like Woolworths, Coles, Aldi and Bunnings – and its products are made locally.
The family’s commitment to local manufacturing is evidenced by the investment Geelong Brush Company has made in taking advantage of world’s best practice technology and production processes.
It stands as the last bastion of local manufacturing capability for many brushware product lines in the Australian marketplace.
General manager Ross Durran says people will buy products that are Australian made.
“We have been part of the Australian made campaign for years,” Ross explains.
“We derive great satisfaction in making our products locally because we realise we need to value add to create wealth for the country. We can’t just be services based.
“Anyway I just like the idea of making it here.”
The commitment to local manufacture extends to using local suppliers as well, like JT Dixon for its packing cartons and Viva’s Geelong refinery for the plastics used in many of the lines.
Even the brush filaments come from close by, with a Ballarat company suppling those.
With a background as an aerospace engineer, Ross says he enjoys the product development aspect of the business, even though more administrative challenges often arise.
“We can turn a product around really quickly. We can do a new product in a week including bar coding,” Ross says.
Using skills he developed while working with Boeing and ASTA, Ross has installed state of the art equipment.
“The equipment is expensive but it is much more efficient and helps keep costs down so we can continue to manufacture locally,” he says.
Despite the innovations Geelong Brush Company retain a number of traditions handed down by founder Victor Durran who started the business in 1936.
“We still make a timber brush. Not many manufacturers still make those,” Ross points out.
The business has recently inked a new deal with expanding German supermarket chain Aldi, which has ordered for different lines totalling 120,000 units.
While some components are imported, the products are all made onsite at Geelong Brush Company’s Leather Street, Breakwater factory.
“These days we have to be strategic to meet the retail challenges. The large corporate players are squeezing all the time.
“That’s why we are constantly updating and improving our product range and we continue to invest in the latest technologies and manufacturing facilities in Australia.
“We now have a modern and versatile plant that enables large orders to be delivered within very short lead times, at a price and volume which cannot be rivalled by our domestic and international competitors.
“Many of our locally made products are the best sellers across the country, even in the face of increasing competition through imports.”
