By CASEY NEILL
KINETIC Elements is turning around its fortunes with world-first rolls.
The Noble Park North manufacturer will use a $1 million Accelerating Commercialisation grant for equipment to make textured titanium rolls for the printing and packaging industries.
Kinetic Elements managing director Alex Engel said the Federal Government Entrepreneurs’ Programme grant would “make us a global player” and “is going to be good for the country, really”.
“We’ve been suffering a lot from cheap Chinese imports, so this new technology will allow us to compete with that,” he said.
“But more than that, it will open up OEM (original equipment manufacturer) markets for us.
“They’re much more environmentally friendly they’re fully recyclable, cheaper to produce, they improve the quality.
“It’s really win, win, win all round.”
Mr Engel said the new equipment should be up and running next year and in the long-term would boost its 30-employee workforce.
Laserlife has been in Noble Park North for 10 years and in business since 1968, and conducted the research and development for the rolls.
“But once we got the patents we thought we should commercialise it under a new entity,” Mr Engel said.
“That’s where Kinetic Elements came from.”
Assistant Innovation Minister Wyatt Roy and Bruce Liberal candidate Helen Kroger toured the plant on 12 February.
“Kinetic Elements has used innovation to stay ahead of the curb and develop this world-first technology,” Mr Roy said.
“Through this exciting project, there is the potential for 18 new high-skill jobs to be created in the local area.
“Australia is on a strong path to become a world leader in innovation and entrepreneurship.
“Businesses such as Kinetic Elements are at the forefront of this development.”
Ms Kroger said the family business was a great example of innovation and enterprise in the community.
“Forty-eight years ago, the same business made rubber for stamps around the kitchen table,” she said.
“Today they are at the cutting edge of high-tech manufacturing.”
