Published 21-11-2017

AUSTRALIAN MADE CERTIFICATION DRIVES SUCCESS FOR TANKER MANUFACTURER

21-11-2017

Australian Tank Engineering (ATE Tankers) has been engineering and manufacturing tankers in Australia for nearly two decades. But whereas most vehicle manufacturers have seen sales decline in recent years, ATE has elevated itself through the trend with a transformative mindset that has enabled the company to grow year on year.

The country’s only certified Australian Made tanker manufacturer says its people are the cornerstone to its success. From the initial stages of the company entering the manufacturing industry, a major focus has been on engaging and nurturing Australian talent, developing positive and high-energy teams and partnerships.

“ATE’s core values are based on three pillars – that of honesty, integrity and transparency. With this, we have selected both our people and suppliers that hold firm these values and built a customer-centred Australian business,” says ATE Tankers Managing Director, Dan Mejak.

“To become a customer-centred manufacturer, design needs to be central to everything.”

“Without a smart technology platform, changing our underlying design process and culture would not have been possible,” says Mejak.

“Focusing on design means bringing design into every element of manufacturing, including the design process, the customer experience and so on. We have a totally integrated approach to manufacturing - end to end.”

ATE believes that localised production allows for free-flowing communication and significantly lower barriers to change.

“Every client has varying needs and a different vision, and at ATE, we’re prepared to purpose-design anything and everything on a tanker. To do this, we need to be able to control the manufacturing process and the client needs the opportunity to get involved as their investment takes shape.”

Each tanker that is engineered and manufactured at ATE’s plants in Victoria rolls off the production line carrying the Australian Made certification trademark.

“Local manufacturing is critical to our business model, and we are proudly committed to retaining manufacturing in Australia well into the future,” says Mejak.

ATE’s Australian Made accreditation is promoted across all marketing and communication materials, on the shop floor and in the head office foyer.

“Australian Made carries weight with our clients, who, much like ourselves, want to support locally made products and industries. The Australian Made logo is associated with extremely high standards and provides our product with a strong competitive advantage.”

ATE Tankers has worked hard to question the cultural fabric of its organisation, and plans to expand and diversify the business within the next 24 months – leveraging its Australian Made certification to do so.

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