Face of Nation International : A decade later it built mobile phone antennas for Telstra — before that work moved to China. Then the factory turned to lighting and small-scale construction supply, until — you guessed it — most of that went offshore too. Today Almec, a “bespoke” sheet metal fabrication business, is focused on “filling the gaps in the market” in medical and building supplies — shorthand for whatever work it can find.
This is small-scale manufacturing in 2020 Australia, and according to the company chief executive Lil Taylor, it is hard work.
“The only way to survive is to keep diversifying,” said Ms Taylor, who took over the family business from her father. “Recently we had a point where it was a bit slow, and my dad walked down the road to the Costco supermarket that was getting built and said, ‘we’re a sheet metal company around the corner, can we supply to you?’
“And we got business out of it. “We’re not shrinking, and right now sales are as good as this time last year, but cash flow is tough. [It’s] tough to keep the doors open.” (Source: ABC News – Australia)
