By Casey Neill
Small to medium sized businesses have opportunity aplenty in Greater Dandenong, according to an industry expert.
KPMG Enterprise Advisory director Michael Alf said the company looked at the markets and “saw the south-east region clearly as a growth region with a lot of opportunities”.
“This growth will be really carried by small to medium businesses,” he said.
“We have the auto industry largely disappearing but there’s a lot of other opportunities out there.
“One, we see export opportunities for these organisations into countries like China.
“The other opportunity is that typically smaller organisations are more agile and flexible, so they can actually take advantage of a lot of the disruption and the change at the moment.
“They need to understand the change and embrace it.”
Mr Alf said businesses needed to secure their foundations and turn to new technologies for growth.
“We see that there’s a lot of potential demand for Australian product because of its quality,” he said.
“There’s a lot of experience because there was a lot of manufacturing here, so there’s a lot of skills available.
“Combined with a strong background in innovation from universities, you get a very strong mix.
“If organisations tap into that they can really build longer-term growth.”
KPMG has joined Greater Dandenong Chamber of Commerce and South East Melbourne Manufacturers Alliance (SEMMA) to “demonstrate a stronger commitment to the region”.
It will host a free informal networking event for the chamber at The Well, 12 Jayco Drive, Dandenong South, from 5.30pm to 7.30pm on Wednesday 1 March.
