5 Reasons Why You Should Buy Australian Made Goods
In the hyper connected world we live in, most material goods are only a click away. You want it? You can have it, at a good price and to your door in days.
For those wanting to go into business, it can be tempting to source and manufacture goods overseas.
It's no secret that many countries in Asia operate as the world's factory. Cheap labour, technical know-how and plenty of available hands means anything you desire can be made and shipped to Australia.
If a business decides to manufacture on home soil instead, they can run the risk of pricing themselves out of the market.
That's because Australian workers enjoy good working conditions, higher wages and job security than the aforementioned countries. And, unfortunately, these employee perks can result in a tight operating window for businesses.
However, while Australian made products maintain a good reputation on home soil, high operating costs when manufacturing in one’s own country subsequently leads to higher prices for the consumer. And while high prices generally denote high quality, in the fast-paced throw-away society we live in, research has unfortunately shown that shoppers have a preference for cheap and single use.
Support for Aussie made is on the increase
In positive news for Australian manufacturers however, market researcher Roy Morgan found that support for Australian made products grew exponentially during the COVID-19 impacted 2020.
“A huge majority of 93% of Australians said they are more likely to buy products made in Australia – up from 87% a year earlier” .
Interestingly, they showed support for Chinese made has plummeted, as research revealed that only 21% of Australians would be more likely to purchase Chinese goods, which was a fall of 9% on the previous year (2019).
Roy Morgan CEO, Michele Levine said of the surge in popularity:
“The closure of international borders and restrictions on travel around the world appears to have helped increase support for Australian-made goods at the expense of overseas products".
You can read the full report by Roy Morgan here.
While these figures show that support for Australian manufactured products is rising steadily, read below to find our thoughts on the benefits of buying Aussie made.
Five Reasons Why Buying Australian Made Is The Best Option:
Customer service & support
When you buy a product made in Australia, you get the ability to call and speak to a local, whether that is enquiring about a product or organising repairs or a refund.
Calling a phone number within your country simplifies the process of getting in touch, which is important for a consumer with queries, requests or advice on any of the following:
- Getting after sales support
- Requesting a custom design
- Technical know how and advice on product use
- Specifications and dimensions
- Requesting repairs or refund
- Stockyard Design Service - designing site specific stockyards to suit your business needs
Guarantee & Warranty
Under Australian Consumer Law, when you buy a product or service, it automatically comes with a guarantee that it will work and do the job you bought it for. If you buy something that isn’t right, you have consumer rights – to a refund, a replacement, or a repair.
In addition to the consumer law guarantee and as a gesture of confidence in the quality of our products, Arrowquip offer additional warranties on their products, such as the 10 Year Manufacturers Warranty on our crush range.
Australian Standards
Australia has some of the strictest manufacturing and environmental standards in the world. In addition to providing safe workplaces for workers, Australian businesses must manufacture to high standards. This provides confidence to consumers as to the nature and integrity of raw materials used in the process of manufacturing, and to the quality of the design and end product.
Arrowquip's Australian made livestock handling equipment fall under the following Australian/New Zealand standards:
- AS/NZS 2312.1:2014 Guide to the protection of structural steel against atmospheric corrosion by the use of protective coatings, Part 1: Paint coatings
- AS/NZS 5131:2016 Structural steelwork - Fabrication and erection
- AS/NZS 1163:2016 Cold-formed structural steel hollow sections
Supports local industries, communities & the economy
When you purchase a product made in Australia, you directly support both job creation and employment, and the future of Australian manufacturing. COVID-19 revealed to many just how reliable we are on international trade, and with the pandemic came delays in shipping, and scarcity of everyday products that people need. If Australia is to be a self sufficient country on the world stage, it needs to maintain a strong economy and that happens when we support our own.
Buying locally made means:
- More jobs for Aussie's
- Money spent in the local community stays in the community
- Self sufficiency on a global scale
- Australia's economic future strengthens by keeping manufacturing local
- Products to sell to overseas buyers, thus generating income from trade
Smaller environmental footprint
Buying locally made products (even better if they're made from Australian raw materials like ours are) is an important step in improving environmental conditions globally. With modern transport options like sea and air freight, goods traverse the world's oceans and skies daily. But with transport comes emissions, and in a world who's climate is changing faster than anyone expected, choosing to support a business who keeps it local and minimises carbon and emissions is the best move for our future.
Each shopper and consumer gets to vote with his bottom dollar. This means by supporting businesses whom manufacture in Australia, you are actively contributing to a sustainable environmental future for all.
Buy local. Support local.
Supporting local benefits almost everyone in Australia, however the choice is always in the hands of the purchaser. If you are looking for quality livestock handling equipment that is made in Australia, by an Australian owned company, with Australian materials, by Australian workers, then look no further than Arrowquip.
Aussie, aussie, aussie. Oi, oi, oi.
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