Manufacturing businesses in Australia are closing down left, right and centre. Evoking massive demotions in quality over many products which we use daily.

The 15th of May 2012 marked the closure of one of the many manufacturing businesses that year, yet another family owned company.

I, the daughter of Shaun, one of the two directors of an engraving, toolmaking and dye making company which was previously located on 65 Henderson Road Clayton North, enjoyed visiting my father, as well as my Grandfather, while they were working. My sister and I were lucky enough to get rides on the forklift, we felt as if we were reaching for the stars. Our heights were measured on the office door every time we went to visit our father, just to see which sibling grew quicker.

As a child, these memories made my world. I would come home from primary school every day to my father smelling like metal after his long day at work. In 2012, this all suddenly stopped.

Instead of my father waking me up to go to school, I was the one waking him up to say goodbye for the next 6 hours. Only to come home and only find that he was still in bed. My father then began searching for new jobs, because it was obvious that he had to move on but the feeling of loss was deeper than it seemed.

It was not until my father passed away in 2015 when I learnt why Deakin & Morris were feeling the stress of business and were driven to close.

Ever since I was young, I was taught to support my local businesses: especially when purchasing off websites like eBay, I would always make sure that the product came from Australia, so I could support my community.

These days, it seems that Australians search far and wide to find our products, we couldn’t currently live a day without doing so. Tax is even now put on online stores to promote people to instead purchase from companies close by.

Basically, Australians purchase manufactured products from overseas countries, like China and of course it is one of Australia’s largest suppliers of imports. Australia received 25% of manufactured goods from China in 2017 alone. These products being machinery, plastic dyes and tools. Over a quarter of Australia’s manufactured products from China only. United States contributes to 11%, Japan 7.8% and South Korea 7.6%.

In 2017, ONLY five countries added up to over 50% percent of Australia’s imports.

Australians like us, import products since it is cheaper to purchase and quickly delivered. We exclude the fact that the product, like an injection dye, is of “inferior quality fittings, inferior quality materials and general inferior execution of trade,” said past director of Deakin & Morris, Richard. This is because we are willing to forsake speed and price for quality.

As we have chosen to import products instead of supporting a local business, many manufacturing, tool making and engineering companies no longer have enough customers due to the high prices and slow speed of production even though they are of superior quality. A devastation for an entire industry had occurred, through no fault of their own.

During an interview with Richard, the former Co-director of Deakin & Morris, I found that on many occasions, Deakin & Morris were asked to provide clients with audits on tooling which had been purchased from overseas. On several of these occasions, Deakin & Morris’ advice was to cut their losses and start again. Simply due to the poor overall quality.  

He mentioned that due to the loss of companies and businesses, many being family owned, created a personal feeling of loss. It was the loss of a dream, more than just a career and it forced a stop in the path of many people, later causing stress and furthermore the destruction of a future.