"Many opportunities are left untapped when we don’t capture our share of the value."

I have spent my entire career working in and for companies that make things. I have worked around the world on many different projects and have first-hand experience in doing what it takes to be globally competitive.

I have also experienced the brutal reality that market shifts, global competition and disruptive technology can bring to an organisation when internal change has not occurred quickly enough.  

Throughout my three decades-long career I have been told that “Australia can't make things anymore”. That we are too expensive, that we are not able to compete. I think this argument is simple and dangerous, as it limits our ability and our thirst to explore what we can do well.

Australia is an innovative country. We have many clever ideas. But many opportunities are left untapped when we don’t capture our share of the value.

We need to make the most of our innovative problem solving, our world-leading research and development, and our abundant natural resources. To thrive as a country, we need a complex and productive economy that can underpin our future standard of living and reduce our dependency on others.

We must make and support the things that we need. And we must compete on value, not just price.

I’m often heard saying to those that I work with that we can either complain about the game or we can learn how to play it. I have the scars to show I have learnt many of the rules the hard way!

I know that it’s possible to be successful making things in Australia. Using my experience to justify and enable more manufacturing to be done locally is something I remain passionate about.

What you make, how you make it and for and who you make it for are critically important. Focusing on the value creation that matters and ensuring you capture your share is key.

I am not suggesting that we can or should make everything, or that this is an easy endeavour. I would say that it is actually very difficult and not something that you should enter into half-heartedly. But for the industrious few that do this well, the rewards are there.

If this thinking resonates with you, get in touch to see how we might work together.