HOFMANN ENGINEERING

ASIA HOFMANN ENGINEERING

Defining differentiated service excellence with esteemed engineering expertise

H O F M A N N

E N G I N E E R I N G

The Emblem of Modern Engineering Offering esteemed engineering expertise across mining, oil & gas, defence, and other industries, Hofmann Engineering has come to define differentiated service excellence Writer: Jonathan Dyble | Project Manager: Thomas Arnold

2

WWW.ASIAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

M

A

N

U

F

A

C

T

U

R

I

N

G

ASIA

WWW.ASIAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

3

H O F M A N N

1

E N G I N E E R I N G

969 is a famous year in the context of 20th century history.

Renowned for Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s Apollo 11 moon landing, it equally marks The Beatles’ final public performance and the first test flights of the world-famous, now dormant Concorde in France.

For the Hofmann family, 1969 was no different in terms of significance, marking the launch of Hofmann Engineering – an enterprise now standing as one of Australia’s most esteemed industrial players.

“From the humble beginnings of a suburban garage at the hands of my great Uncle, Erich F Hofmann, and grandfather John Hofmann, the company has enjoyed steady growth over the past half century to be the expansive entity that it is today,” states Jarrod Hofmann, the business’s current General Manager of Engineering.

“The company began manufacturing small parts for the mining industry and various products with a plastic injection moulding machine, with focus turning to larger, more complex mining parts as it grew.

Fast forward to today and we’ve proudly developed products and

experience spanning the aerospace, defence, mining, gearing renewable energies, oil & gas and agriculture industries.”

50 years in the making, the company has managed to successfully differentiate itself within a busy market by operating a unique business model that specialises in producing high-end engineered products for a wide variety of industry applications.

“I’d like to think that we’ve become known for taking on projects that others shy away from,” adds Hofmann, “adhering to our mantra that there is always a better solution. It’s unacceptable to build redundancy into parts. There is always a way to improve productive life spans and enhance performance.”

Taking new shapes

This ethos has been key to Hofmann Engineering’s gradual diversification, its solutions and capabilities now encompassing a broad range of industries. Welcoming new, challenging projects has allowed the business to take its existing expertise and utilise these across different verticals, adding more strings to its ever-growing bow over the years.

ACCESS WORLD

A

ccess World provides worldclass global logistics and warehousing solutions for its clientele. Developing long-term relationships with our clients and service providers alike to support sustainable business growth, service and quality are at the heart of Access World.

Access World has built a strong relationship with Hofmann Engineering.

We have taken the time to understand its business requirements, large range of products along with special handling and timeframes to become an integral part of its operation. Access World has a full understanding and expertise to handle the heavy yet sensitive cargo Hofmann Engineering is renowned for.

We strive to continuously innovate and improve our processes, deepen our knowledge of handling clients’ products and are expanding our reach to help our clients create a competitive advantage by engaging Access World as their service provider of choice.

We specialise in the movement of all cargo including break bulk, containerised, general and heavy haulage. Through our worldwide network of offices, we can offer our clients complete tailor-made logistics solutions covering the full supply chain.

We offer door-to-door shipments nationally and globally. Logistics services can be combined with other services, such as warehousing and stevedoring.

Our experienced personnel and bestXxxxxxxxservice xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx in-class providers ensure a dedicated and efficient service. We can offer a wide variety of options whether you need to ship less than container load (LCL), a full container load (FCL), breakbulk cargo or airfreight.

T +61 8 9240 2863 E aus_commercial@accessworld.com

www.accessworld.com

Xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx

4

WWW.ASIAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

Your Leading Project Logistics Partner in Australia

With a strong GLOBAL presence across worldwide locations, Access World has your logistics under control across the entire supply chain.

Project Logistics

Responsible business management from mine to market.

Road Transport Extensive road network across the whole of Australia.

Warehousing Over 150 warehouse facilities strategically located across the globe.

Freight Forwarding Market leading cross-border logistics solutions and forwarding capabilities.

Quality, commitment and tailor-made solutions.

Australia: aus_commercial@accessworld.com +61 8 9240 2863 www.accessworld.com

H O F M A N N

E N G I N E E R I N G

“A common theme of our expansion has been finding opportunities to use knowledge and experience gained in one industry and applying it to solve similar problems in others,” Hofmann affirms. “In turn, diversification has provided us with a safety net, where we’re not relying on any one product or single industry to carry us through the inevitable downturns in national and global economic cycles.

“To this end, we’ve been enjoying measured and long-term success.”

Equally, the organisation places substantial emphasis on upholding quality, evident in its extensive supply chain that spans the globe, ensuring the firm has access to the best suppliers available.

“From the high end, ‘special Hofmann recipe’ steel that we import from Germany, to material being sourced from Asia and more locally in Australia, there is really a large spectrum of materials supplied to our company,” explains Hofmann.

These are procured at each of the business’s six factories and its extensive number of offices in Australia and around the world – a footprint that the business has been adding to in recent times.

Asked about the company’s recent investments, Hofmann is quick to unveil the firm’s prosperous activity in Peru that is still very much on its agenda at the current moment. “We’ve set up a large workshop in Peru that’s just opened. It was constructed after we won a five-year supply contract for the largest copper mine in the world, to refurbish a specialised type of crusher, known as high-pressure grinding rolls,” he reveals.

“A common theme of our expansion has been finding opportunities to use knowledge and experience gained in one industry and applying it to solve similar problems in others”

6

WWW.ASIAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

ONLINE LOGISTICS SOLUTIONS

O

LS has built an online system that our customers have embraced as an integral part of their freight solutions.

Typically, organisations may have multiple service providers, rate schedules, non-dedicated customer service contacts, variable accounting/ billing formats, multiple consignment processing platforms and lack of visibility on consignments.

OLS has addressed these issues via the world’s best service providers. We have created a simple online freight platform that is an informative and proactive link between customer and supplier, while streamlining invoicing and CS processes.

OLS. Logistical services tailored to your requirements.

www.onlinelogisticssolutions.com

M

A

N

U

F

A

C

T

U

R

I

N

G

ASIA

Online Logistics Solutions was founded in 2005. The team at OLS has many years of courier, freight and Logistics experience to provide the best possible support for your business. OLS has harnessed the worlds best practice suppliers and made them available to our customers through our Online Platform.

Personalised Customer Service is our key deliverable.

www.onlinelogisticssolutions.com

For more than 20 years, we are proud to have been a supply partner to Hofmann Engineering, through Bearing Supplies Pty Ltd and previously Koyo Western Australia.

As an authorised distributor of Koyo Bearings in Western Australia, along with access to many of the world’s leading bearing brands and associated products, we are well placed to support the Australasian market, as well as those around the world.

With combined staff experience in excess of 45 years, across the industrial, mining, earthmoving, railway, automotive as well as truck & trailer, we have the knowledge to also partner your business.

We understand that business is a 24-hour, 7 day a week service environment and as such, we provide support to meet your requirements – 24 hours a day.

T +61 8 6252 7150 | E sales@bearingsupplieswa.com.au

WWW.ASIAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

7

H O F M A N N

E N G I N E E R I N G

Many of its plants, the latest Peru facility included, feature some of the most sophisticated machinery on the market, an element that forms a large part of Hofmann Engineering’s strategy, allowing it to remain a leader in high-end engineered products.

Playing a major part

Alongside the Peruvian copper mine, Hofmann Engineering has recently won a number of alternative contracts, one such project being the firm’s manufacture of a 22-metre slew bearing for a major space telescope being installed in the north of Australia by the national government.

“The sheer design, manufacturing and installation complexity makes this a clear standout in my eyes,” states Hofmann. “We were commissioned to make the slew bearing, which is a part that will basically allow the whole telescope assembly to rotate.”

PROVIDING EDUCATIONAL PROSPERITY Standing as an advanced engineering firm with a unique business model, Hofmann Engineering places substantial emphasis on finding, bolstering and retaining key skills within its employee base.

To this end, the company trains 50 apprentices annually in a number of different trades, from machinists and fitters to boilers and electricians. The top performers are offered full time positions at the company at the completion of their certification.

Further, the group readily collaborates with universities that produce engineers, advising on the necessary skills and outcomes required from courses, conducting tours and providing students with the opportunity to focus their theses on topics within the company.

“At the heart, we are a family business with family values,” states Hofmann. “We try to instil this ethos in our workforce, while engaging with young and ambitious people to help them build a prosperous career within the industry.”

8

WWW.ASIAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

“The nature of our company philosophy is to work towards developing distinctive character for a local market...”

M

A

N

U

F

A

C

T

U

R

I

N

ASIA

G

Industry Leaders in Surface Engineering & Thermal Spray Coatings in Perth We are a Thermal Spray Coating Solutions provider that serves all industries, repairing components and providing improved wear characteristics through our range of innovative coatings and processes.

T +61 8 9359 4211 E sales@newmetal.com.au

www.newmetalsurfaces.com.au

The current GM of Engineering is equally quick to highlight the firm’s role in Victoria’s high capacity metro rail project. He continues: “We tendered for a five-year contract and were successfully contracted to supply 900 bogie mainframes that each of the new train carriages will sit on.”

A competitive project valued at AUD$2.3 billion, Hofmann Engineering stood itself apart through its intuitive investments and setup of state-ofthe-art machining equipment at its Bendigo centre – equipment that will be used to efficiently and effectively connect the axles and wheels to carriages for 65 new metropolitan trains that are expected to enter service later this year.

“Our European robotic welding lines have been crucial in this tender these are investments that are already helping us to produce these bogies,” adds Hofmann.

Positivity on all fronts

All things considered, Hofmann Engineering stands in good stead to further its reputation and position on the global engineering scene moving forward.

Asked about the company’s priorities for the year ahead, Hofmann replies: “Our major focus is on the development of our own intellectual property. We’re on quite a steep growth curve on this front, both in terms of overall revenue and the rising volume of business in these product areas, and we see this as being a fundamental part of our future.”

Delving into the specifics, the GM of Engineering reveals that the ramped-up development of intellectual property will be particularly tailored towards the rail and mining industries – two that Hofmann sees as providing substantial opportunity looking ahead, particularly when considering the positive economic climate that is

shining on Australia.

He concludes: “The previous three to four years have been a bit slower when compared to the big boom times in Australia during 2010-13, but now I’d say that we are the busiest that we’ve been since then. In the quieter years we witnessed a number of major manufacturing firms either closing down or relocating – two factors that have stood us in a good position.

“With reduced competition and rising market confidence, our outlook is definitely positive.”

Hofmann Engineering Tel: +61 8 9279 5522 www.hofmannengineering.com

WWW.ASIAOUTLOOKMAG.COM

9

www.hofmannengineering.com

www.outlookpublishing.com