Mackay Consolidated Industries has recently installed two new 500 tonne presses at its Melbourne based manufacturing facility.
The company is a 100% Australian-owned private company and a major supplier of a diverse range of engineered rubber and bonded metal/rubber composite products for the automotive, defence, transport, construction and industrial markets.
The new compression moulding presses are a direct result of a decision made recently to commence a major upgrade of equipment at its manufacturing plant in Moorabbin, Victoria.
The upgrades commenced with the installation of two 1,000-tonne compression presses around two years ago.
Utilisation of the 1,000-tonne presses is high, with the machines currently working round the clock 24 hours-a-day, five days-a-week. The primary products being manufactured are rubber pads for armoured personnel carriers — part of a three-year defence contract with both the Australian and Singapore armed forces.
The new 500-tonne presses will be used to produce rail suspension components, mining equipment and other assorted industrial items.
“These new ‘operator friendly’ state-of-the-art presses will boost productivity, enhance product quality and provide greater efficiencies,” said Mackay Manufacturing Manager, Noel Hawley.
“They also provide significant safety improvements over the older machines,” Hawley added.
The new 500-tonne presses were supplied by the same manufacturer that supplied the original 1,000-tonne presses, Taiwanese manufacturer TungYu.
Selection of this brand was based on the excellent performance and reliability that Mackay have experienced with the existing TungYu machines, Mackay claims.
In conjunction with the investment in capital equipment upgrades, Mackay has also taken the opportunity to invest in its staff with training designed to improve overall efficiency.
“We currently have twelve staff undertaking a diploma in ‘lean manufacturing’ through a course offered by Ballarat University, 50 undertaking Certificate IV and a further 140 staff scheduled to be put through the course over the next 2 years. We expect to see significant efficiencies as a result of this investment in staff training,” said Hawley.
Over the next 12 months Mackay will also be upgrading its smaller presses with the planned installation of new 50 and 100 tonne machines.
“The significant investment in new equipment and our commitment to staff training are clear evidence of the commitment we have to provide our customers with the highest quality Australian manufactured products coupled with the shortest lead times,” Hawley said.
“It will also ensure we remain competitive against overseas companies in the future.”
Mackay is a first tier supplier to a number of Automotive OEM’s including Ford, General Motors and Toyota. They are also a second tier supplier to a number of other manufacturing companies which provide various products to the major automotives.
Mackay is also a long term supplier to the Australian Defence Industry, providing products such as submarine components (internal & external), signature reduction materials for surface warships, tank tracks, road wheels and pads, ballistic shields and launch silo covers for ESSM missiles for use on NATO warships.
The company’s products are exported worldwide.