Right... This topic has always been a hot potato. Before you click the red thumb just bare with me and read my thoughts.

The major surf sites Coastalwatch and Swellnet right now both have as feature stories tales of the Aussie Industry doing it very tough and major manufacturers closing their doors. This topic deserves a mention here purely that I would estimate that 70-90% of shortboards in the water are Aussie made. SUP's on the other hand are probably 2-5% made in Australia.

I will make no tirade of Anti Asian rhetoric here, this is pro Aussie not Anti Import, there is a difference. Also those that know me also know that I work for a company manufacturing in Asia, we export from Australia 70% of our sales value to our producer in Asia in raw materials. We import to Australia 5% of sales and export manufacturing materials to domestic producers globally who also compete with completed imported products. It's a global economy and I am not ignorant to this fact.

To my point, I know that people need to make money to survive, this includes importers, distributors and retailers. These people are Aussies and feed Aussie families, they are regular good hardworking people spending their money in Aussie businesses. On the other hand there are Aussie manufacturers that share the same goals, many make as good or better product than what is imported yet struggle based on marketing and distribution to really get their product into peoples hands. EDIT: I am suggesting selling both, import and local, not one or the other!

The consumer I believe given an equal option of price, availability, quality and recognised design would happily purchase Aussie made products.

SO...... Here's the challenge: If the very clever people working in our amazing retail stores, distributors and wholesalers were able to work together in agreement with Aussie manufacturers to sell their product and each benefit from a win-win situation is it not possible that we could at least improve the situation for the Aussie manufacturing industry to at least supply 10% of the market???

The margins do exist for this to happen if it is structured correctly, if the consumers support it (very important!) the wholesalers and retailers actually increase sales as they do not access this market presently.

These are just thoughts of course but I know far too many people losing jobs already. If you are a local business owner as well these people are now not spending money in your business, it has a knock on effect and there is a solution to help each other in these times.

Are we prepared to help??


P.S. I have been ill and not surfing, my energy needs to be directed somewhere. Sorry about that.

I see it a bit like this. Stand up paddling is only in its infancy as a sport so people getting into it are more likely to follow and go for well known brands that they see a lot of. As the sport progresses more and more people are going to be looking for equipment that suit their local conditions and specific needs. This is where locally manufactured boards will have a definite advantage. In saying that I think the local industry need to promote their products more and give the public more information if they want to compete.

cmc ,glad you posted your thoughts. its a tough world but we should always try and buy aussie made anything. unlike you,im to surfed out atm to go into my thoughts

I was just talking about this yesterday with a friend.
Names such as George Rice, Trigger Brothers and others are very much part of our heritage, just like Qantas is.
I can see the same happening is Laguna Bay an dale chapman and others.
I still ride a 1960's Byrne swallow tail short board and will never part from my early 90s Gash 6 8 Gun.
Both boards were bought second hand for around $30 but are worth more as collectors items now. Only problem is I will never part from them because there are too many good memories associated with them.
The key is to build a bigger surf industry and to make public the benefits and joy that comes with the sport.
Now that we can Sup anywhere there is water and there are more waves to surf, we can only expect participation to increase.

We use a distinctive flourescent colored stringer. It is impossible to permanently mark a blank given that the outside is removed. All resins and fiberglass are also imported, these are also impossible to label. As I said above as well our business is targeted at container direct business mainly in the Northern Hemisphere that the export of raw materials from Australia benefit from.

We make no misrepresentation of where they are made. When I took the job I visited each local (blank) manufacturer and explained what I was doing. I was even referred customers and have a dialogue with them. As the OP is about working together i try to practice what i preach.

The labeling issue as below is based upon people being led to believe a product is made in Australia or Hawaii etc via branding etc but the product imported. This may or may not happen in SUP as many people have come from a non surfing or windsurfing / kite background and are very comfortable with imported product.

My point here was an inside tip you might say, I wanted to make sure people knew of the laws and certain peoples pursuance of them via media outlets etc. I'd hate to see innoncent people harmed here.

Thanks for the chance to further clarify though Jonwest.

JonWest said...

CMC said...

P.S. Just another little tip for importers here.

It would be a great idea for you to now ensure that your country of origin labeling is up to scratch. As part of this media attention is the non compliance issue. This ball is now spinning and you will be hurt financially if you are not aware.

Here is the customs ruling and below a photo of a very obvious contravention.

www.homeaffairs.gov.au/

A bit like this:

How do you label the blanks you import from Thailand Chris?

Not sure if this might warrant a new thread? (Admins feel free to move)

I would love to see a list of SUP brands made in Australia or designed in Australia, ie any Australian content clearly identified??

I have see a couple of sites claim to use Australian blanks, or Australian cores for their SUPs. Does this mean the board is "made in Australia"? or did they ship a blank overseas then have all the hard work done by cheap labour and imported back to us?

Facts are the Aussie made stuff will never compete with imports on price every one knows this , so the obvious comes down to what you get for the extra $$$ over and above just the satisfaction of buying Aussie. Is it quality , warranty , performance or service?Guarnanteed trade in value maybee?Aussie shapers need to find new ways to sell their products , if they try to sell on price , they go broke.

pandahill said...

Not sure if this might warrant a new thread? (Admins feel free to move)

I would love to see a list of SUP brands made in Australia or designed in Australia, ie any Australian content clearly identified??

I have see a couple of sites claim to use Australian blanks, or Australian cores for their SUPs. Does this mean the board is "made in Australia"? or did they ship a blank overseas then have all the hard work done by cheap labour and imported back to us?

Will never happen until Aussie shapers (or their distribution partner)punt up and advertise here.

I can tell you from a fairly educated opinion that there is nobody shipping shaped EPS cores to China to be glassed and re-importing them. EPS is freely available in many forms everywhere, so are shaping machines. There is no need for this at all.

I read that site and I think they were making a play on words that they designed them in Australia. This is actually an example of the misleading nature discussed in the customs document above, I guarantee that brand imports without the required by law country of origin decals. By telling people that they are Aussie shapes, Aussie brand etc as well it's kind of misleading eh???