RETAIL AND COMMERCIAL AWARD
Winner: Future Metals Recycling
Sponsor: City of Greater Dandenong and Dandenong Journal
Finalists: Wurth Australia, Rye Crust Bakery, Objective 3D
FUTURE Metals Recycling started in Shepparton in 2005 when two businessmen with no experience in the industry – Tom Garrett and Stuart Miller – purchased Fletcher Metals.
In 2008, with Tyrone Landsman, they established a purpose-built facility in Ordish Road, Dandenong South, and bought National Metals in Hallam.
They consolidated the three sites under the Future Metals Recycling name in 2010 and Mr Garrett and Mr Landsman are now the company’s owners and directors.
Mr Landsman, the managing director, attributed the company’s growth to three key areas – culture, strategy and service.
He hires staff with a can-do attitude and empowers them to make decisions.
“We treat everyone in our business as a family member,” he said.
“We will continue to ensure we spend a lot of time up front recruiting the people that share our philosophies.”
Awards chairman James Sturgess said a company’s culture could often wane as more staff came on board.
“However, through employing the right people with a can-do attitude, the culture can also be enhanced and developed,” he said.
“This is what Tyrone and Tom have been able to achieve at Future Metals Recycling.
“Numerous employees have followed Tyrone from his previous employment and those people wanting to join have been welcomed provided that they share the same culture.”
A long-term strategy geared toward a sustainable future for the business guides every decision at Future Metals Recycling.
It’s stuck strictly to ferrous and non-ferrous metals – not straying into plastics or paper – and has positioned itself in the market above the back yard operators but below the major players.
Future Metals Recycling has invested in a bailing machine to help with its export opportunities and selected key opportunities to grow through major project work, including with Yallourn Power Station SP AusNet.
The business retained the small Hallam site to enable easy, quick access for small, one-off customers such as tradesmen, and adjusts its prices each month using the commodities index.
“They have also created their website to enable customers to get quotes online and for their larger clients, they have a client login to give further access to the administration of their accounts,” Mr Sturgess said.
Future Metals Recycling was nominated for the CSR and Employment, Retail and Commercial, and Premier Regional Business awards.
It was a finalist in the CSR and Employment and Small Business categories.
