The Peel region could be the place that helps to kick-start a new vehicle manufacturing industry in Australia, according to Western Australia’s regional development minister.
Assisting the minister for jobs and trade Alannah MacTiernan visited the region on Thursday to meet with representatives from advanced manufacturing company Murray Engineering.
Business has been booming for Pinjarra based company and a visit from the minister and Murray-Wellington MP Robyn Clarke Thursday highlighted that success.
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The company, that employs more than 200 people, have carved out a name for themselves through servicing, repairing and rebuilding light and heavy duty machinery.
Recently the business has also looked to expand their capabilities to delve into creating and producing innovative solutions for mining enterprises within the region.
Based out of the Pinjarra Industrial Estate, the company’s 55,000 square metre purpose-built headquarters includes 12 heavy vehicle bays, crane capacity of 60 tonnes and floor with ground bearing capacity in excess of 100 tonnes with 12.6 metres undertook height.
While on-site, Ms MacTiernan and Ms Clarke discussed the business’s current operations and their proposal to start making vehicles.
“We’re not going to go back to the old days to those places that have got thousands of people employed but a whole lot of really creative, innovative manufacturers that are being very smart and thinking about products and training people – it’s fantastic,” Ms MacTiernan said.
The company’s currently working on a particular innovative development for the mining industry that could potentially see manufacturing double, according to Ms MacTiernan.
Murray Engineering representatives Craig Lindsey-Rae and Steve Coughlan updated Ms MacTiernan and Ms Clarke about their processes and showed the duo around the premises.
Ms MacTiernan said she first met Mr Coughlan more than a decade ago when Murray Engineering worked in conjunction with the state government through LandCorp to acquire the property on Munday Avenue.
“I first got involved with Steve when I was previously minister for lands and planning about 12 years ago,” Ms MacTiernan said.
"Steve was moving from mining service and manufacturing and was very keen to be located down here. We worked very hard to get him in here as the pioneer tenant on this industrial estate.”
After learning about the company’s recent forward push, Ms MacTiernan said she saw an opportunity to gain an understanding of advanced manufacturing proposal on the cards for the business.
“They were really getting into some very advanced manufacturing which is a particular passion of both mine and Robyn’s,” she said.
“[During] my time in Canberra what I learnt is that we can do advanced manufacturing in Australia and we are actually doing it.
“We shouldn’t be using all of those arguments to say that we can’t compete with China.”
She said an important part of her visit was reassuring the company that the state government would continue to support their venture.
“They’re pretty self-reliant in terms of funding... but we really want to ensure that, as they expand that we’re there as government giving them every opportunity.
“If we need to find additional help or find additional land that’s really a big role of government that we’re here to assist them with it.
“Already this company is down here, employing over 200 people… and this company has really the opportunity to double in size.
Ms Clarke said the business was a great example of the business opportunities available in both the Peel and in the south-west.
The minister was also shadowed by representatives from Edith Cowan University’s engineering department who work in close partnership with the company to link skilled students and graduates to their latest innovation projects.
Ms MacTiernan said the partnership was just another example of the potential and strong innovative outcomes that the business was creating.