Above: Globe Machines managing director Keith Darwent with the Bristile roof tile machine Globe built.– Shaun Inguanzo
ONE week Keith Darwent is in Thailand, the next the United States, and the following he is back home overseeing operations at Globe Machines.
It’s no holiday.
In fact, it is the hard-working life of Globe’s managing director as he continues his campaign to convince clients that Australia is not a million miles away – but right on their doorstep.
Perhaps it’s the around-the-clock service whereby Globe’s engineers can tap into their roof tile machines from a world away, via the Internet, to keep them well maintained.
Or perhaps it’s the constant travel by Globe staff, and commitment to service excellence that ensure Globe remains the third biggest roof tile machine company in the world.
Either way, the company is a worthy winner of the Export award.
Globe Machines is based in Fowler Road, Dandenong, but does most of its business with the world wherever there is demand for roof tiling machines.
Countries with demand for Globe’s product include the United States, African nations and Asian nations such as Thailand, Japan and Malaysia.
The machines are large – often filling warehouses when fully constructed – and are designed and manufactured in Dandenong by Globe.
Mr Darwent said the company then disassembled the machines, packed them, shipped the parts overseas and sent a team of employees including engineers and electricians to the destination to meet the parts and reassemble the machine on site.
“There’s about a four to five month turnaround from the time the customer orders to when it is up and running,” Mr Darwent said.
“We have standard (machine designs) but we very much customise those to suit each customer’s needs.”
In some cases, a smaller company may pay as little as $200,000 for a machine capable of producing 10 roof tiles per minute.
But others, like the Dandenong South-based Bristile company, pay up to $7 million for a machine capable for producing up to 140 tiles per minute.
The machines are more a production facility than the typical definition of ‘machine’.
They mix the cement, pour the tile onto a mould, paint the topside, can place them into kilns, remove them, and then separate them from the mould and package them ready to be sold to builders.
With a downturn in demand from one of the company’s largest markets, the United States, thanks to its subprime market crisis, Mr Darwent said Globe would use any spare time to further its research and development and explore new applications for its machinery to diversify its business.
Globe was also nominated for Employment, Service Excellence and Innovation.
