Page 39 - Climate Control News magazine February 2022

Safety in HVACR
Call to prioritise local manufacturing
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT should priori- tise local manufacturers, fabricators and weld- ers for major infrastructure projects instead of overseas firms which have failed to deliver in re- cent months.
According to Weld Australia CEO, Geoff Crit- tenden, local manufacturing is world-class.
He said governments need to have confidence in Australian manufacturing in the wake of sev- eral faults in NSW trams and ferries.
Taxpayers will be stuck with the repair bill but Crittenden said the problem isn’t just economic, it is a safety issue.
He said governments must ensure public as- sets are safe and reliable.
“Australian manufacturing, fabrication and welding companies are globally competitive,” Crittenden said.
“Over the last few years, the Australian fabri-
cation industry has made enormous progress. “In 2018, there were just 15 local companies certified to the international Standard for weld- ing quality. Today, there are over 75 companies certified by Weld Australia as compliant with
the Standard.
“Several local companies are also certified to
the international Standard for welding rolling stock, while still more have passed the most strin- gent welding certification available – the German Standard for welding of armoured vehicles.”
Working with TAFEs nationally, Weld Aus- tralia has helped rejuvenate technical welder training in Australia, so that it is now among the most advanced in the world.
“Many of our TAFEs boast Advanced Welding Training Centres that feature state-of-the-art augmented reality welding simulators,” he said.
“Here at Weld Australia, we continue to deliver
training in accordance with the internationally recognised Standard for Welding Supervisors, In- spectors and Engineers –our enrolment numbers have more than doubled over the last three years.”
He said procurement policies should take into account whole of life costs.
“The cheapest upfront cost is not necessarily the cheapest whole of life cost. Nor is it the most reliable and safe for the public,” he said.
“There really is no reason for our governments not to onshore this manufacturing work – Aus- tralian manufacturers are ready, willing and more than capable.”
According to the Federal Government’s Austral- ian Manufacturing Performance Report, manufac- turing contributes $100 billion to the Australian GDP every year, employs around one million peo- ple, and is responsible for an astounding 26 per cent of all business expenditure on R&D in Australia. ✺
Soldering copper pipes during an air conditioning installation.
AD?
CLIMATE CONTROL NEWS FEBRUARY 2022
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