More than just a stamp

In the final day of our Celebrating Australian Made editorial series, sponsored by Australian Made, we hear from Western Metalworx.

It’s been said that it takes an Australian made design to stand up to Australian conditions. Especially when it comes to the mining industry.

For West Australian, Malaga, West Australian-based steel fabricator Western Metalworx, it’s about the combination of quality, innovation, and Australian skills and capability which means they can design, build, and adapt to the Australian market’s needs that helps sets them apart. 

With a diverse set of teams, the company says it is able to build with a much wider range of materials, and being based in Australia means they can work directly with clients, giving them an end-to-end capability and face-to-face collaboration

“Most fabrication businesses will just do heavy fabrication or light fabrication, pigeonholing themselves a bit,” Western Metalworx General Manager Jared Dale says. 

“We can do both.

“Being able to do more and having those skills here means we can respond to what clients need, talking to them face-to-face to see their challenges or problems and go right from the design stage to conceptualising solutions and fabricating.” 

Dale explained that the quality of the products often had clients assuming they were from Europe or the United States, but they are fully homegrown. He adds that being an Australian company providing Australian solutions for the country’s unique environment is something that foreign companies can’t replicate.

“We live here, we work in this environment, we understand this environment, and we fabricate for that,” Dale says.

He explained that foreign businesses will go up to Western Australia’s Pilbara region and be blown away by how hostile the working environment can be.

“Often, they couldn’t comprehend it, but we get it, we live it, we breathe it, we know it.”

By having an Australian made focus, the investment also stays local, with Dale saying the company is exploring integrating more automation and mechanised processes, which will help reduce costs.

Anthony Chiera, CEO of Western Metalworx, says the Australian Made certification is shorthand for all of this.

“Our clients don’t just want components – they want confidence and durability,” says Chiera.

“Being Australian Made certified isn’t just a stamp — it’s a promise to our clients that they’re getting the very best, from a team that truly understands their needs.”

He says it goes well beyond just being built to stand up to the rigours of Australian environments, adding it’s about peace of mind that comes from knowing exactly where and how everything is made.

Chiera explains that a quality product begins with quality material, and Western Metalworx has spent more than a decade securing a strategic supply network, to ensure its procurement of steel is high end, from a diverse and trusted supply base and is built for the harsh conditions and standards in the Australian mining industry.

Having local suppliers means Australian companies aren’t as impacted by long lead times and overseas component shortages, outside influencers like tariffs, or like the  COVID pandemic, when supply chains were heavily disrupted. This doesn’t even factor in shifting costs like energy and shipping.

“Displaying the Australian Made logo shows our commitment to quality, safety, and local capability,” Chiera says.

“There’s something powerful about being able to say ‘this was made right here in Australia’, especially when you’re building critical infrastructure, supplying remote operations and supplying parts to the world.”

Celebrating Australian Made is an annual editorial series, coinciding with Australian Made Week and commissioned by the Australian Made Campaign to share its members’ stories. For more information on how you can get your products certified as Australian Made, visit this link.