Bendigo and Melbourne based apparel manufacturer ADA has defied manufacturing sector trends, reporting a 12.5 per cent increase in staff over the past 12 months. The company is now operating the largest dedicated uniform manufacturing facility in Australia out of Bendigo.
ADA CEO Matt Graham said that ADA’s Bendigo factory has long been a quiet achiever, opening in 1991 with just 40 employees, and now employing more than 100 people all of whom live in Bendigo or within 20 kilometres of the city.
“ADA has a strong commitment to the long-term sustainability and capability of Australian manufacturing”, Graham said. “Our Bendigo factory now manufactures more than 1.5 million garments every year, and has supplied over 5 million garments to clients around the world over the last 10 years.”
“With a 100-year history of creating uniforms designed to keep our armed services safe, we are now also applying our expertise to make work safer for Victoria’s police force, ambulance workers, and utility workers.”
“So we see our future as a Victorian apparel manufacturer as prosperous and exciting”, he said.
While Victoria has traditionally held the mantle as Australia’s textile manufacturing capital, competitive pressure from imports has meant the sector has suffered 25 per cent decline over the past five years.
“ADA has continued to thrive in Australia’s flagging manufacturing sector because we place emphasis on, ideas, innovation and incorporating new global technologies into our business”, Graham said.
“With a 100-year history of creating uniforms designed to keep our armed services safe, we are now also applying our expertise to make work safer for Victoria’s police force, ambulance workers, and utility workers,” he said.
ADA is now a commercial company, emerging from what was previously the Commonwealth Government Clothing Factory – which began operating in 1912 and was responsible for the manufacture and supply of uniforms to Australia’s fighting forces through two World Wars.
Today, ADA continues to support the Australian army with top-quality uniforms, designed for agility and safety. And with the ADF predicted to significantly increase its uniform orders over the next three years, Bendigo Factory Manager, Kerry Hodges, believes that the future for ADA in Bendigo is looking bright.
“ADA’s Bendigo factory is about to enter a period of rapid growth over the next 6-12 months, mostly due to a significant increase in orders from the defence sector over the next three years,” Hodges said.
“We have over 80 seamsters working in our Bendigo factory making ADA uniforms, knowing that their purpose is creating something that helps people get home from work safe each day,” she said.
The tags are one way the ADF can send the message that it's OK to ask for help. Credit: ADA
In an intiative to combat the emotional battles faced by service personnel opon their return from conflict, the company will add Soldier On swing tags to all ADF uniforms.
“ADF personnel will now learn about the free, tailored mental health services available to them, right from the first time they pull on their army gear,” CEO Matt Graham said. “In 2016, we will be manufacturing over 40,000 army garments a month featuring the Soldier On tag.”
Solider On CEO, John Bale, said that the uniform swing tags featuring the organisation’s contact details are essential to spreading the word about the free mental health services and programs they offer.
“Those seeing the tags are likely to know someone who might need assistance, or might need help themselves, and will now have a better idea of how to find it,” Bale said.