By Casey Neill
About 200 people celebrated a strong year for manufacturing in the south-east and more success to come.
Peak manufacturing body South East Melbourne Manufacturers Alliance (SEMMA) hosted its annual Christmas cocktail evening at Iveco in Dandenong on Tuesday 13 December.
The event was an opportunity to meet and network with members and politicians, and to celebrate the year’s achievements.
SEMMA president Simon Whiteley said the turnout showed the region’s combined strength and prosperity.
Dandenong MP Gabrielle Williams said the Smart Manufacturing ’16 event in May and the regional manufacturing showcase in Parliament House in March “got people talking in parliament”.
“What a year for manufacturing in the south-east,” she said.
Ms Williams said businesses in the region flexing their manufacturing muscle reminded people not to be complacent about the industry.
“It’s changing, it’s not dead,” she said.
“I do think it’s a bright future, and it’s a future with a lot of passion behind it, and I think that’s what makes this region so special.”
She has heard many people say, ‘I didn’t realise you made that in Dandenong’ over the past year.
“It should be a source of pride and something we advocate,” she said.
Lloyd Reeman worked for Iveco for 47 years, and is now a brand ambassador for the company.
He ran guests through the company’s history, from bringing farm equipment from the US to Australia in the 1850s to establishing a foundry and tractor manufacturing plant in 1939.
Mr Reeman said that factory never produced farm or road machinery, but instead ended up building army supplies.
The company started making tractors, then trucks, and opened the Dandenong South factory in 1952 alongside Heinz and General Motors.
“We’ve employed a lot of people and been part of families, and we’ve made Dandenong grow,” he said.
“We are a true manufacturer.”
The company survived 10 years under receivership in the 1980s.
It will soon return to its early partnership with International Harvester, importing the products from the US and perhaps one day again assembling its products.
Today, the Dandenong plant builds the Powerstar, ACCO and Stralis models along with the Metro and Delta bus chassis.
It is also home to a large product engineering department that has a facility for building and testing prototypes built to suit Australian conditions.
