Brightsparks shine

– Shaun Inguanzo
WELCOME to Star’s special 12-page feature celebrating manufacturing in the Greater Dandenong region as part of National Manufacturing Week.
A whopping 44 per cent of Victoria’s manufacturers reside in Greater Dandenong, and not by coincidence.
Inside, readers will find revealing stories about Greater Dandenong’s leading manufacturers and rewards and challenges they face.
Profiles include TriMas Corporation, HM GEM Engines and DAIR Industries, who were all inducted into the Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame by the State Government on Monday night.
This feature also outlines the career opportunities that exist for young people and how manufacturing has shed its ‘dirty, dumb and dangerous’ image to become a ‘clean, clever and critical’ industry.
The region is often declared by its manufacturers as the best in Victoria, if not Australia, to do business in, thanks to its access to arterial infrastructure, strong business networking groups, and affordable costs of doing business.
New technology, stricter Occupational Health and Safety standards and a focus on intelligent design in order to fend off global threats have helped manufacturing to enter a new age.
Manufacturing jobs not only pay well, but can be highly stimulating and rewarding.
The feature was produced with the support of the networking organisations that are the thread holding the manufacturing community together: South East Networks, South East Melbourne Manufacturers’ Alliance, South East Development, South East Local Learning and Employment Network, the Greater Dandenong Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Greater Dandenong’s Business Development Unit.