Paradigms: We Can’t Manufacture Here

I’ve come to understand our paradigms are not always accurate. They can, however, be held to be the “truth” by many and often become the unquestioned truth.

My paradigm example is, “you can’t manufacture here in Australia, it’s simply not feasible, you must go overseas”. We’ve all heard that one and there are many people reading this nodding ‘well yeah!’

If this is true, how come I keep meeting companies in Australia, manufacturing high-tech parts for overseas manufacturers? A company manufacturing parts for Boeing and the Learjet in Cleveland Brisbane for example. A manufacturer in New Farm Brisbane making a technical part for local hero, Cochlear.

Numerous people I have met in Adelaide who, when I asked why are they not promoting this truth, tell me they have ten year forward orders so why bother promotion. Let that sink in.

Cook Medical, a US-owned medical device company in Eight Mile Plains Brisbane, manufactures custom aortic stents for the world market. I met a company only last week, a very impressive Melbourne based startup, going forward with the plan to control all of its inputs with a truly vertically integrated strategy.

The good news is I am seeing a shift. The paradigm for domestic manufacturing was you can’t. Now I’m seeing it shift to we must as the global picture changes. Globalisation is under threat, international supply chains are broken and markets are closing, or perhaps closed.

The next paradigm shift? It’s time to ask the question, is the paradigm relevant? Are our standards, perspectives, ideas relevant anymore? The new paradigm must be we can and we will!

I’m here to tell you I’m not going to wait or look to government, or to somebody else to prove the point. With my colleagues at Ontogo, we are currently close to taking over commercial responsibility for a medical device with great clinical credentials, born of Queensland ingenuity, that will remain a local based business with manufacturing in Queensland.

Watch this space.