04 EDITORIAL
Welcome to the second issue of Connections for 2017
T
his year’s conference was the first one I haven’t been able to attend in three years and, judging by the photo gallery on pages 20 to 22, I really missed out. From all reports the New Zealand conference, jointly presented by our NZ friends and colleagues at OFPANZ, sounds (and looks) as if everyone who went along had a fantastic time. And located in the magnificent surrounds of Queenstown, underneath the aptly named Remarkables, how could it have been anything other than a wonderful experience? As is traditionally the way, we also have photos and descriptions of all the winners and special commendations from the Awards for Excellence included in this issue. You can check them out from pages 24 to 31. One of those winners is the perennial prize picker-upper, Aaron Stroud-Smith from Canvas Barn Marine Trimming, down on the southern tip of Victoria. Aaron is a familiar face to many in the industry, but in this issue you can get to know him a little better as he’s the subject of our regular member profile. Elsewhere, the newest member of our editorial team, Tiffany Paczek investigates the topic of sustainability in the specialised textiles industry and finds out what three forward-thinking companies are doing in this space. There’s some very useful business advice for owners of small companies who have casual workers perhaps looking to go full-time (page 10) and we also feature a topical article on the latest training news from the industry. For this one, we genuinely had to ‘hold the presses’ so that we could include the very latest information on this topic. I hope you enjoy this issue of Connections. Madeleine Swain Editor
Editorial Contributions by the STA Editorial committee EXECUTIVE OFFICER Ana Drougas EDITOR Madeleine Swain madeleine.swain@niche.com.au EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Tiffany Paczek tiffany.paczek@niche.com.au Design EDITORIAL DESIGN Keely Atkins PRODUCTION MANAGER Alicia Pinnock alicia.pinnock@niche.com.au DIGITAL PRE-PRESS Karl Dyer Advertising BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Neha Minhas neha.minhas@niche.com.au
Publishing CHAIRMAN Nicholas Dower MANAGING DIRECTOR Paul Lidgerwood GROUP COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR Joanne Davies FINANCIAL CONTROLLER Sonia Jurista
Connections magazine is published on behalf of the Specialised Textiles Association Inc by Niche Media Pty Ltd ABN 13 064 613 529 Suite 1418, Level 14, 1 Queens Road, Melbourne VIC 3004 Tel: 03 9948 4900 / Fax 03 9948 4999 Printing Graphic Impressions Front cover: Burj Al Arab © Innova International
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Specialised Textiles Association 102/22 St Kilda Rd, St Kilda Vic 3182 Tel: 03 9521 2114 / Fax: 03 9521 2116 Email: office@specialisedtextiles.com.au www.specialisedtextiles.com.au
NEXT ISSUE OF CONNECTIONS Remember this is your magazine, about your industry. And we always love to hear your feedback or ideas for the direction of the magazine. If you have any suggestions for articles or features that you think may be appropriate, please don’t hesitate to contact the editor directly at madeleine.swain@niche.com.au or Ana Drougas in the STA office at ana@specialisedtextiles.com.au or on 03 9521 2114.
CONNECTIONS Issue Two 2017
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All unsolicited material should be addressed to the attention of the editor at the address above. Material will only be returned if a postage prepaid self-addressed envelope is supplied. Niche Media Pty Ltd accepts no liability for loss or damage of unsolicited material. Connections is a publication of Niche Media Pty Ltd, ABN 13 064 613 529, 1 Queens Road, Melbourne Vic 3004 Australia, tel +613 9948 4900, fax +613 9948 4999. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, internet, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, the publishers accept no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions or resultant consequences including any loss or damage arising from reliance on information in this publication. The opinions and material published in this publication www.specialisedtextiles.com.au are not necessarily endorsed by the editor, publisher or Niche Media Pty Ltd, unless where specifically stated.
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