Beyond business as usual: a 21st century culture of manufacturing in Australia

economies, including Australia.8 Beyond Business as Usual: A 21st Century Culture of Manufacturing in Australia | 3 The environmental challenge: Today the world is poised on the brink of an environmental crisis that has the potential to threaten the livelihoods and security of millions around the world. [...] Manufacturing and the burgeoning consumption habits of a growing world population are implicated in the Great Acceleration of economic growth and environmental degradation that has taken place since the 1950s.9 What and how we produce the stuff of life is now under examination. [...] Resero Group reinforced the product design and manufacturing ethos of Sebel, and the company began to refocus on products as the key platform for success and growth, a strategy that the current owners ardently support (and that is discussed in more detail in Section 3.3). [...] The company’s first tag line was “good to wear, made for good.” The Chair of the Board says, “We can’t compromise the quality of the product, and so we need a certain level of skill in terms of manufacturing the clothes.” This means that employees with strong existing sewing skills are recruited directly into the business; while others are recruited through the training programs. [...] The Managing Director notes that the external directors are important as they “bring a necessary skill into the company to help guide it.” The sheer determination to stay in business and continue more than a century-long history of producing quality equipment is what led to a wholesale overhaul of the company in the early 2000s (and this is discussed in Section 3.2).