Byron Group opens new facility
Australia's leading specialist vehicle manufacturer with a staff of 320 and annual turnover of $50M, Byron Group unveiled its new manufacturing plant at Smithfield in Western Sydney yesterday (Thursday 13 February).
Previously spread across five sites, the multi-million dollar investment in the new Smithfield facility had enabled Byron Group to consolidate its six divisions - Access Transit Specialists, Byron Aviation, DHS Emergency, Emergency Resource Management, Emergency Transport Technology and Special Heavy Vehicles - in the one location.
NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell officially opened the new facility alongside Byron Group Chief Executive Bill Pike. The new 18,000sqm factory will handle the expansion needed for Byron's increasing local and overseas market share.
Pike, whose experience in the industry covers three decades and includes positions with Toyota, Mitsubishi and Komatsu, said despite the parlous state of the larger players in the local vehicle manufacturing market, Byron Group was continuing to increase its pipeline of orders.
"We are Australian-owned, we develop world-class products and we've not only attracted clients from across the nation but also caught the attention of global Original Equipment Manufacturers.
"In fact, Byron Group is the largest designer, manufacturer and exporter of ambulances in Australia.
"Internationally, we are delivering ambulances to Dubai and Qatar in the Middle East, Singapore and Malaysia. Such is the demand for our expertise, we have opened a manufacturing plant in Dubai.
"At home, with the assistance of our network of facilities in NSW, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria, our domestic clients include state governments, the Australian Defence Force, mining companies, airlines and the taxi, tourism, health care and education sectors," Mr Pike said.
Byron Group is currently in the process of completing ambulance conversion orders for the NSW Ambulance Service, Queensland Ambulance Service, Ambulance Victoria and Tasmanian Ambulance Service.
During the past decade it also produced specialised four-wheel drive ambulances for clients in the mining sector, including BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto.
An expansion of the business from ambulance conversions has recently seen Byron Group win contracts to supply state-of-the-art prison vans to the NSW Government and the Victorian prison system. The company is actively seeking similar contracts in South Australia, ACT and Queensland.
"Our skills and expertise extends well beyond manufacturing. We are a full service company that also specialises in market research, design engineering, assembly and distribution," Pike said.
Speaking of the new facility, Pike said it had already led to greater efficiencies within the company.
"By housing our skilled engineers and other technical expertise under the one roof we are able to collaborate on projects more easily which helps drive our innovation and productivity," he said.
"Importantly, we are a highly flexible organisation that can quickly respond to customer needs and changes in the local environment.
"This new facility sends a clear signal to the market and our clients about our long-term commitment to high quality vehicle manufacturing and the production of our other specialist products.
"While the larger vehicle manufacturers are struggling and there have been some high profile announcements about exits from the Australian market, we are here to stay and are confident we can continue to grow our customer base and improve our product line.
"And with the falling Australian dollar, we are also poised to expand markets in the Middle East and South East Asia," Pike added.
Backed by Wolseley Private Equity since 2010, Byron Group employs 320 staff and has an annual turnover of more than $50m. It also:
-Is Australia's leading innovator and home grown producer and supplier of hospital, pre-hospital, retrieval and rescue solutions, such as bariatric stretchers, spinal boards and extrication devices.
-Specialises in the manufacturing and maintenance of aircraft furnishings, composite structures and inflight equipment for the aviation and military industries;
-Delivers the latest software and hardware technologies to assist with integrated data management and control systems for vehicles and fleets, such as satellite navigation and communication.
