RSM Australia, an audit and tax consulting firm, has appointed Louis Quintal as the new head of manufacturing.
RSM Australia has appointed Louis Quintal as the new Head of Manufacturing, succeeding Jessica Olivier.
“I’m thrilled to step into this role and drive our manufacturing sector strategy forward,” said Quintal.
“My goal is to expand our capabilities and address the evolving needs and challenges of the sector.”
Olivier, with almost a decade of experience at RSM, has now moved on to become a national executive at the company. Quintal aims to expand RSM’s manufacturing service capabilities.
“Jessica and I are currently managing a handover and transition for projects. Jessica is wrapping up the projects she started, and over the coming months, we will gradually transition other relationships,” he said.
“This includes the one we are working on now, as well as two or three other key relationships.
“It won’t be a hard cutoff; instead, Jessica and I will work together over the next six months to ensure a smooth transfer of knowledge and expertise.”
Speaking on her departure from the role, Olivier said: “For me, the National Executive role is the next step in my career and in a firm where I want to be part of its long-term future.”
“It is also a way for me to lead by example and support others in our firm to follow a similar career path, should they so want.
“I am also excited to work as part of our National Executive to implement our 2030 Strategy, part of which includes servicing our clients with our ability to offer deep industry expertise and client-focused solutions.”
As Olivier transitions out of her role, RSM is ensuring continuity in their projects and client relationships.
“Louis Quintal, Ross Dixon and I have already worked together on the Manufacturing Strategy for FY25 and beyond, and in line with RSM Australia’s 2030 strategic priorities more broadly,” she said.
“In addition, I will continue in my role as R&D Partner and will also remain on RSM’s National Manufacturing committee and as a strong advocate for this sector.”
With a career spanning over 20 years, Quintal began at the RSM South African office, where he spent 18 years before transitioning to the Australian market for the past two and a half years.
Throughout his career, Quintal’s primary focus has been on the manufacturing sector. In Africa, which has a low-cost base and significant production activity, he built his expertise and clientele in this field.
Once in Australia, he continued to concentrate on the manufacturing sector, further developing his career and client relationships.
This focus on manufacturing has been a cornerstone of his approach, which aligns with RSM’s broader strategy.
“The first step for us at RSM has been building our capabilities and expertise across various multi-discipline service offerings within the manufacturing sector,” said Quintal.
“Our newest areas include the digital space, cybersecurity, ESG, and CFO advisory services.”
Now that RSM have a suite of offerings, its focus is on marketing and branding these services within the industry.
As mentioned in their mission statement, RSM is committed to aiding Australian manufacturing businesses by serving as trusted advisors and providing tailored solutions to boost capability and success in a post-pandemic landscape.
It supports a range of manufacturers, from small firms launching new products to large global entities optimising their operations.
Leveraging its industry expertise and personalised approach, RSM helps companies with their compliance requirements, cut costs, enhance efficiency, and drive profitability.
“We want to showcase a lot of case studies demonstrating how we’ve helped clients in the manufacturing sector through different stages of their business lifecycle,” said Quintal.
“This includes helping sole practitioners grow into SMEs and supporting them as they continue to expand.”
For example, Prinova, a manufacturer of ingredients and premixes for the food, beverage, and nutrition sectors, established a subsidiary in Australia in 2019 to meet rising demand in the APAC region.
To support this expansion, Prinova engaged RSM to assist with local Australian compliance and payroll, given the absence of a dedicated finance team.
RSM provided services, including advisory on entity establishment, Xero implementation, taxation related to imports and mergers, transfer pricing, and compliance with local regulations.
Quintal explained that RSM wants to effectively partner with clients to drive change and growth.
“Our key objective is to highlight our capabilities and how we can partner with clients to lead change. We aim to be the service advisor of choice, providing proactive and integrated support to our clients as they evolve,” he said.
Having established a strong foundation in manufacturing through his experience in both South Africa and Australia, Quintal’s understanding of the industry has now led him to recognise and address the current challenges faced by Australian manufacturers.
Quintal’s impression of Australian manufacturing
Reflecting on the past two and a half years, Quintal has found the Australian manufacturing market to be challenging relative to the previous markets he served.
The high labour costs in Australia set it apart from the global market and increased cost of energy leading to higher input costs.
Additionally, property rentals rates compared to other countries are higher, making it more costly to manufacture products in Australia compared to regions like APAC.
Further challenges to the sector include geopolitical matters, increased complexity in the regulatory environment, a lack of incentive to make new investments by government in the sector.
Quintal identifies the key challenges for the manufacturing sector as including the adoption of automation and robotics.
Traditionally, the sector relied on labour-intensive machinery, but modern automation presents both challenges and opportunities, says Quintal.
“The sector needs to focus on achieving efficiencies and producing high-quality products at a lower cost through advanced automation and robotics,” he said.
In addition to addressing labour shortages, Quintal points out that another challenge is complying with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) requirements.
“Manufacturing processes naturally involve carbon emissions, making it crucial for the sector to adapt to these compliance standards. This is a pressing issue not only in Australia but globally,” he said.
“However, despite all these challenges, I believe that Australian manufacturing, overall, offers high-quality products comparative to global competition.
“The higher cost base results in a product quality that often exceeds expectations, which is a key differentiator.”
Quintal has also observed several key trends within the Australian manufacturing industry, namely, automation and improving operational efficiency.
He explained that automation could eventually become a solution to many of the challenges facing the industry and see less of Australian products been sent offshore for processing to only be imported back for consumption.
“The manufacturing sector is broad, encompassing 141 sub-sectors,” said Quintal.
“Food and beverage automation is evolving, while other sectors, such as submarine manufacturing, face unique challenges.”
“The faster automation technology advances, the quicker industries can adapt.”
Quintal said that the challenges of labour charges and cost of living are difficult to address, primarily due to supply and demand in the Australian market.
“The best solution is to embrace and adopt automation, robotics and tools to improve efficiencies and profitability margins,” he said.
“In my view, this is a key factor for the sector at this point.”
Envisioning the future
While addressing these industry challenges, Quintal is also looking towards the future of manufacturing and RSM’s role within the sector.
He envisions manufacturing becoming one of the leading sectors in RSM business and is focused on transforming RSM’s role in the industry.
Quintal also wants RSM to be recognised as the provider of choice, particularly in terms of service, understanding the client business and instilling change.
“We need to embrace change and build strong partnerships. Personally, I am a hands-on type of person, and I enjoy seeing things evolve,” he said.
“I am passionate about innovation and take pleasure in seeing people grow and benefit from these advancements.”
To achieve this vision, Quintal explained that RSM will be focusing on increasing its presence in industry-specific sectors by partnering with key organisations and sponsoring events.
“For example, we have partnerships with Manufacturers’ Monthly and Robotics Australia,” he said.
“Our goal is to engage with sector-focused bodies and enhance our branding through these sponsorships.
“Our ultimate mission is to not only adapt to changes within the industry but to drive and instil them, positioning RSM as the partner of choice for the manufacturing sector.”