At Workwear Group, we’re thrilled to partner with offshore suppliers who are looking to expand their manufacturing efforts in Australia. By taking steps towards increasing onshore manufacturing, we’re presented with the flexibility to improve lead times, exceed customer expectations, and create onshore job opportunities.

Taking steps towards increasing onshore manufacturing

At Workwear Group, we’re thrilled to partner with offshore suppliers who are looking to expand their manufacturing efforts in Australia. By taking steps towards increasing onshore manufacturing, we’re presented with the flexibility to improve lead times, exceed customer expectations, and create onshore job opportunities. 

Last month, our General Manager of Uniforms and Operations, Matt Blashki, was approached by Ragtrader to discuss Workwear Group’s local manufacturing efforts. You can read the article below:

ragtrader.com.au
Christopher Kelly | 1 September 2023

Australian uniform business Workwear Group is partnering with offshore suppliers in a bid to expand local manufacturing capabilities. 

General Manager of Uniforms and Operations Matt Blashki confirmed the news with Ragtrader, noting his team is currently in discussion with two offshore suppliers. 

“These businesses are already long-term partners who are interested in supporting us on shore, so we’re excited at the prospect of being able to extend our local output with their expertise,” Blashki said. 

“We believe these potential sites will increase capacity for local production and lift the capability of Australian manufacturing.” 

Blashki said if the discussions are successful, Workwear Group will increase the number of units it makes in Australia and potentially shorten lead times within its supply chain. 

Last financial year, Workwear Group manufactured and procured close to one million clothing items locally. Australia is the company’s third-largest manufacturing supply country, according to Blashki, with overseas suppliers in countries such as Europe, South East Asia and China. 

Workwear Group owns the brands Hard Yakka, KingGee and NNT Uniforms, alongside its Workwear Group Uniforms business. 

Its uniforms business services over 150 clients across Australia and New Zealand, including Qantas, ANZ, Westpac, Australia Post, Ambulance Victoria, Queensland Health and Australian Defence Force. 

Blashki said there is growing interest in onshore manufacturing across its client base that is driving Workwear Group’s plans to expand local manufacturing. 

“With the uniforms sector of our business currently responding to the bulk of this [local] output, there is an opportunity to expand local manufacturing further into our brands in the future,” he said. 

“We have a clear strategic plan to actively grow capacity and capability further, including Indigenous participation, with the support of our current and future customers. 

“Products made in Australia are primarily for Australian customers wanting Australian made goods. We’re responding to their preference for uniforms and workwear to be locally made.” 

In recent months, Workwear Group added three internal roles that are solely focused on delivering local manufacturing. Blashki said the company has intentionally built this expertise to support its local manufacturing growth. 

“We have a view to add more depending on customer expectations and appetite for local growth,” he said. “We’ll be working closely with our suppliers on how local jobs will increase for the specific skills needed to increase local capacity and capability. 

“By working with the right people, we intend to support local manufacturing to develop further and become a stronger customer proposition and workplace.” 

Blashki said while a significant amount of Uniforms product requested comes from its branded catalogue products, Workwear Group also work closely with each client to understand their needs and create custom ranges for them via an in-house design team. 

Meanwhile, the company has upgraded its warehouse in Welshpool, Western Australia. 

Blashki said Workwear Group initially identified areas within its Welshpool warehouse that were not effectively utilised. 

“Mindful of cost efficiency, we undertook a thorough evaluation and reconfiguration process,” he said. 

“The result has seen a 30% capacity uplift, improved delivery times for customers, safety improvements for people and machinery and strengthened our overall on-shore logistics proposition.” 

Workwear Group has four warehouses overall, with the other three in Queensland, Victoria, and New Zealand.

Workwear Group is proud to announce we’ve recently increased capacity at our Welshpool warehouse in Western Australia.

Increased Capacity at our Welshpool Warehouse

Workwear Group (WWG) is committed to reducing our environmental footprint by looking for new ways to reduce waste and packaging across our brands.

Unveiling Workwear Group’s New Packaging Standard, Designed to Reduce Waste and Minimise Single-Use Plastic

Increased Capacity at our Welshpool Warehouse  | Workwear Group

Workwear Group is proud to announce we’ve recently increased capacity at our Welshpool warehouse in Western Australia. Our commitment to meeting customer needs, improving delivery lead times and optimising our operations have driven a series of transformative changes for the purpose of enhancing our service capabilities and delight our valued customers! 

These fresh, transformative changes include:

Safety improvements for people & machinery

Initially we identified areas within our warehouse that were not effectively utilised. Mindful of cost efficiency, we undertook a thorough evaluation and reconfiguration process. By strategically relocating and splicing existing racking, we successfully transformed our initial capacity of 8,000 storage locations into an impressive 19,000 storage locations! This significant expansion enables us to store a higher volume of cartons, thereby empowering us to cater to a larger customer base within WA. Most of our WA customers are now serviced from within WA, as we wanted to prioritise local service. Additionally, this has led to a reduction in delivery times allowing us to meet the expectations of our WA customers.

With this total revamp of the space, we can now store stock in a special area up high which can then be accessed via machinery rather than manually. This major revamp has not only optimised storage capacity but also provided a more ergonomic and efficient solution for our dedicated workforce. 

At Workwear Group, our customers are at the heart of everything we do. This journey of improvement and expansion has been driven by customer feedback and their evolving needs. “As we grow in WA we saw the need to expand capacity and capability of our warehousing so our customers have more choices, more volume and faster delivery,” shared Matthew Blashki, GM Uniforms and Operations.

We are incredibly proud of these transformative changes and the positive impact they will have on our customers and our team. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue our commitment to delivering exceptional service and meeting the evolving needs of our growing customers.

Introducing Workwear Group Uniforms

Millions of old uniforms, medical scrubs and workwear will be diverted from landfill and repurposed into valuable new resources, thanks to a new partnership between BlockTexx and Workwear Group.

Blocktexx & Workwear Group doing the hard yakka

We are proud to house some of Australia’s most recognised brands that support our customers in presenting a unified team front, across multiple industries and job functions. Our brands include Hard Yakka, KingGee and NNT, as well as a bespoke and apparel management offering.

As the Uniforms division of our business expands, we wanted to better represent and communicate what we do, to make it easier for our customers to understand and benefit from. We have therefore created a new brand, Workwear Group Uniforms. Through Workwear Group Uniforms, we think it will be easier for our customers to see that they have access to our full uniform program of brands and services.

We are still housed under Workwear Group; that doesn’t change, and our vision and values are consistent with the Group. Workwear Group remains proudly owned by Wesfarmers (ASX Top 20), alongside other well-known Australian brands including Bunnings, Kmart and Officeworks.

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