Mount Evelyn
12 Tuesday, 21 October, 2014
Win tickets to see Mariah
5
Fight for pool continues
A Mail Newspaper Group publication
22-23
Sports of all sorts
Phone: 5957 3700 Trades and Classifieds: 1300 666 808
â– Precision competes for Australian market share of special glass... Great
Mirror of fortune
deal on education
By JESSE GRAHAM
Liberal Party candidate for Monbulk Mark Verschuur, Precision director James Woollard, MP Edward O’Donohue and factory manager George Toskof are excited about the $130,000 grant announcement and a Picture: JESSE GRAHAM new $500,000 machine. 129310 compete with global markets and adding to the workforce was a boon for Precision, and that he was pleased to announce the funding. “Having local jobs is important for so many reasons - to give people the opportunity for employment close to home, to keep businesses like this productive, so they’re sustainable into the future, and when new jobs are created, it’s great for the local economy,� he said. “It’s a great credit to the business.
“There’re lots of little examples of businesses in this part of the world, competing at a global scale.� Mr O’Donohue said that he hoped the grant would give Precision confidence in continuing to expand over the years, and Mr Verschuur said he was happy to see the local business get support. “Obviously, it’s good that the owners of the business can reinvest and make some capital improvements, so they can employ more people,� he said.
4' 174 *+.&4'0 4'#&; (14 6*' 0'9 ;'#4^
SEPTIC TANK 1159875-HM43-14
1059489-EP03-13
7U\ D )5(( LQWURGXFWRU\ FODVV WRGD\
FREE Safe Septic Tank Product Pack FREE with every septic tank cleaned *Limit one per customer
Pensioner & Seniors Discount
0418 516 327 Owner฀Operator฀•฀EPA฀Accredited ALL AREAS - 24HR EMERGENCY SERVICE
www.ecoliquidwaste.com
Clancy Road Mt Evelyn 3796 Cash paid for copper, brass, aluminium, etc . . . Cash paid for steel
Tel: 9736 2853
www.evelynrecycling.com.au
425093-JL45-10
CLEANING
6WDUW WKH QHZ \HDU RII ULJKW E\ HQUROOLQJ \RXU FKLOGUHQ LQ D FRPSUHKHQVLYH PDUWLDO DUWV SURJUDP
+HUHIRUG UG 0W (YHO\Q ZZZ HGJHPDUWLDODUWV FRP DX
“Me being a manufacturer myself, I think it’s fantastic to see businesses able to make themselves globally competitive, and hit back at some of the niche markets, with some assistance from the State Government.� Mr Woollard said the machine was currently being constructed overseas, and that it would take five months to complete. Precision was one of 33 businesses state-wide awarded grant money from the government through the IMT program.
1120075-CA08-14
CUTTING-EDGE technology and foray into an international market is on the horizon for Montrose’s Precision Shower Screens, after a $130,000 legup from the government last week. Eastern Victoria MP Edward O’Donohue and Liberal candidate for Monbulk Mark Verschuur visited Precision’s factory in Montrose on Friday 17 October to announce a technology grant for the business. Through the State Government’s Investing in Manufacturing Technology (IMT) program, the two politicians announced $130,000, which would help Precision to purchase a $500,000 mirror line machine. Precision director James Woollard said the machines would be a first for the company, and that it would be able to make mirrored glass splashbacks - a product that is widely made overseas. “People are well-and-truly into glass splashbacks, and people want a mirror behind their kitchen, but the mirror has to be an A-grade safety glass, and it has to be toughened glass,� he said. “We process the glass here, we toughen the glass, we run it through the machine and silver the back, so it looks like a mirror. “It’s exactly the same (as a mirror), except it’s a safety mirror.� He said the significance of the development was that, once the machine was installed, Precision would be able to compete for the Australian market share for the special glass. “At the moment, a lot of this product is coming out of China,� he said. “We’re hoping to give that a bit of a nudge, and try and pull it back the other way - we want to try and break into that market, and try to keep it here in Australia.� The mirrors created by the new machine can be used for commercial and residential properties, and Mr Woollard said he hoped the business could also supply trade-workers with the materials. In addition to expanding its product offering, Mr Woollard said the business would be able to employ between two to four new people, adding to the current 47-strong workforce. Mr O’Donohue said the ability to
BOX Hill Institute’s new Lilydale Community Campus, which will open for classes in early 2015, will be located at a former car dealership in the centre of Lilydale. The new campus will be located on the corner of John and Hutchison streets in Lilydale, only hundreds of metres away from the former Swinburne Lilydale campus. The education provider confirmed the details on Friday 17 October, and CEO, Norman Gray, said the location was chosen based on a number of criteria. “It needed to be close to the centre of town, within walking distance of public transport and close to local high schools,� he said. “We also needed more than 1000 square metres of internal space for our teaching delivery and other facilities, as well as ample parking - this site ticked all these boxes.� Two full-time staff will be employed by the provider, which is also recruiting internally for a campus co-ordinator, who Mr Gray said will communicate with the wider community to ensure the campus is “meeting the needs of the outer east.� He said that teaching staff at the new campus would be determined by class sizes. Around 20 classes will be offered initially in 2015 - with enrolments currently being accepted - though Mr Gray says the campus may offer more classes, depending on the demand. The provider’s move to the town was announced earlier this month, and bolstered by $2.25 million from the State Government. Labor’s Deputy Leader, James Merlino and Evelyn candidate, Peter Harris, however, dismissed the announcement as an “insult� to the community, with the Swinburne site still empty. - JESSE GRAHAM