australa sia
Pilz Australia
Feature
Pilz Australia
Better
safe thansorry P
ilz Australia is a supplier of state– of-the-art, safe automation systems. It is a leading, innovative, global automation technology company. Customers receive onestop solutions for both safe and standard automation and Pilz provides a wide range of products and services, from control, monitoring and sensor technology all the way through to complete safety solutions that include design, implementation and validation. Automation solutions with motion control are also available. It is quite the offering! “We are a leading, innovative automation technology company,” says Scott Moffat, managing director of Pilz’s Australian and New Zealand subsidiaries.
2
“We are global experts in the world of safety of human, machine and the environment and we offer customeroriented solutions for all industries, including the manufacturing, automotive, food and beverage and mining industries.” Pilz Australia is a subsidiary of Germany-based Pilz GmbH, Europe’s largest and most respected manufacturer of safety automation equipment. Its proximity to customers is one of many unique selling points. Pilz instils confidence through personal consultation, high flexibility and reliable service, worldwide, around the clock. “We have customer-oriented solutions for all industries and want all businesses to
By Ian Armitage
work safely and free from injury,” Moffat says. “Pilz offers and manufactures safety solutions for machinery and plant safety and has become a one-stop safety shop.” Moffat was appointed managing director of Pilz’s Australian and New Zealand subsidiaries in July 2011, replacing Frank Schrever. His goal is to contribute to the “ongoing growth” of the company and allow the business to “fulfil its market potential in both Australia and New Zealand.” “I have over 20 years experience and extensive knowledge in the automation, energy, mineral processing and petrochemical industries,” he says. “I was attracted to Pilz as it is an outstanding international company with a strong culture
Focus Manufacturing
Pilz is a global leader in safety automation. Australasia Outlook talks to Australia and New Zealand managing director Scott Moffat.
and a great local team. There is a real passion here, in the people and in the brand. We want to deliver better safety outcomes for our clients. The company is exceptionally well placed to embrace the new revenue growth opportunities ahead.” He sees growth for the business in Australia’s mining industry, amongst others. “We are a leader in the region, yes. We would consider ourselves market leaders. Actually, we would consider ourselves market leaders globally and Pilz has a fantastic reputation in the market place for providing safe solutions and safe products,” Moffat says. “What we have here in Australia is a fantastic opportunity – it is a great company and 3
Pilz Australia
a great brand and it has great growth potential. Australia is probably a little bit untapped with regards to what we do and where the mindset is with regards to safety. Europe is still ahead in that respect and I think logically, as we improve our standards and the way we operate, we will see growth. “Mainly, for us, it is about mining and oil and gas. We are very strong in our heartland industries – food and beverage, automotive, and manufacturing - but we see a lot of growth in
the resources boom. The size of projects there is astronomical. They’re looking for turnkey solutions, not just products and we are changing the way we deliver our products to market as a result.” Pilz has offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland. The Melbourne head office was specifically developed to build on Pilz’s outstanding service and increasing customer base, Moffat says, while the Sydney office caters for the NSW market and Brisbane supports Queensland.
“We would consider ourselves market leaders globally and Pilz has a fantastic reputation in the market place for providing safe solutions and safe products”
INTERLEASE With more than 30 years of providing specialist commercial equipment financial solutions, Interlease understands that innovation is always key. Businesses not only come in all shapes and sizes, but every business has different needs when it comes to financing their operations including the purchase of new plant and equipment. At Interlease, we pride ourselves on being able to both devise and deliver innovative financial solutions that are specifically tailored to the needs of every business we work with. Our long-standing working partnership with Pilz Australia demonstrates our commitment to innovation. As well as providing customised financial solutions to Pilz to facilitate its own operations, Interlease has provided extensive support to Pilz’s customer base over time to assist them in upgrading their manufacturing plant and equipment, technology and systems, in a costeffective manner. Interlease is an independent financier and works with over 30 accredited institutions, allowing us to provide many options including operating lease and rental, finance lease, hire purchase, chattel mortgage and novated leases. Contact us today on 1300 859 429, or go to www.interlease.com.au
4
AUTOMATE YOUR FINANCE PROCESS Experts in structuring equipment finance • • • • • •
Experts in structuring equipment finance to suit client needs Formed in 1974 Interlease is fully independent of our financiers Australian owned and operated Finance Lease, Operating Lease/Rental, Hire Purchase Trade Finance facilities, letters of credit, construction/escrow facilities
Melbourne | Sydney | Brisbane Call Ken Richards on 0408 842 678 1300 859 429 | www.interlease.com.au
Pilz Australia
“One of the things we are ramping up is the provision of services,” he says. “We are actively recruiting services engineers and what we call certified machine safety experts (CMSE) in all locations to meet the demand for services and engineering work locally. Finding skilled workers, however, is a challenge. We have to find people with a passion for safety and train them up, which is a big commitment on our behalf. But it is something we believe in. For example, we have a number of people going over to China next month to conduct some TUV approved training courses and become certified experts.” The upturn in mining couldn’t come at a better time for Pilz. Australia’s manufacturing industry is, in Moffat’s words, “doing it tough.” The manufacturing sector declined slightly in March after expanding in December, January and February. “Manufacturing is clearly having trouble building momentum towards recovery,” he says. “The relentless pressure from the dollar and weak domestic demand continues to inhibit manufacturing performance. I would say too that many of the skilled resources are being sucked away into the resources boom and one would also say there are a variety of uncertainties around political and economic reform – we are talking things like carbon tax and Fair Work Australia. We are seeing manufacturing doing it tough. Ironically for the business, it is not too bad in the manufacturing because we do get a lot of work when plants and companies downsize. We are certainly not seeing the capital investment in those industries in Australia, however. Noone 6
“In the past year one thing we have found a huge demand for is what we call machine safety training. The national harmonisation of health and safety laws in Australia has driven a large demand for safety training for entire workforces, from the operator on the plant floor to the executives” “In the past year one thing we have found a huge demand for is what we call machine safety training. The national harmonisation of health and safety laws in Australia has driven a large demand for safety training for entire workforces, from the operator on the plant floor to the executives. There is a large demand for that.” Looking to the future, Moffat wants to stay on the current path. “We want to grow and offer turnkey solutions. We want to continue to grow in the mining and oil and gas industries as well as continue to be the market leader in the food and beverage, automotive and manufacturing industries. We need to actively pursue education in the market though and help the Australian consumer better understand our suite of services. There is no market demand unless industry recognises the need for what we do! Some of that need might be driven by legislation, but a proactive safety culture, which creates safe working environments, will drive it too.” Expertise in machine safety means Pilz Australia understands your business issues and how to implement safety solutions.
Focus Manufacturing
is building new plants. Noone is planning significant amounts of capital. Across the board we are seeing it very tough with companies looking to invest in locations like China, which has long offered some of the world’s lowest manufacturing costs, or other low-cost areas for manufacturing. There is so-called ‘off shoring’. Longer term that will be a problem for the country.” The high value of the Australian dollar and falling exports are a huge issue for many of Australia’s manufactures – just look at what is happening at Toyota. “When you look at countries like Germany, they have worked to get themselves competitive in a global economy,” Moffat explains. “The German way is so brutally efficient, productive and lean with how they produce that it is possible to be competitive. In Australia the penny hasn’t really dropped in that respect. Actually, I think the penny has dropped, but the economic framework is not currently in place to assist companies in going down that path.
To learn how it could help improve your safety, efficiency and even automate certain processes visit www.pilz.com.au. 7
Australasia Outlook TNT Multimedia Limited, Unit 209, 16 Brune Street, London E1 7NJ E n q ui r ies Telephone: 00 61 (0) 2 8332 7512 nicholas@tntdownunder.com SUBSCRIPTIONS Telephone: 00 61 (0)2 8518 1223 nicholas@tntdownunder.com
www.australasiaoutlook.com
Unit D7 Hallmarc Business Park Clayton Corner of Westall andCentre roads Clayton Melbourne, Victoria 316 Tel: +61 3 9544 6300 Fax: +61 3 9544 6311 Email: safety@pilz.com.au
www.pilz.com.au