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MEMBER PROFILE | Anthony Innovations
ANTHONY INNOVATIONS CELEBRATE 70 YEARS
From a tin shed to an advanced manufacturing facility – innovating every step of the way.
As an Australian third-generation, family-owned manufacturing business, Anthony Innovations has a story that mirrors the tales of many great Australian manufacturing companies – overcoming adversity with a commitment and determination to innovate.
Anthony Innovations was started in an engineering workshop (little more than a corrugated iron shed) on Bell Street, Preston, by Sil Anthony in 1951. In many ways, the business walked in lock-step with the best of Australian manufacturing – surviving, evolving and prospering in challenging conditions because of a willingness to do more than just fall back on business-as-usual.
Exterior view of the corrugated iron shed that housed the Preston workshop in 1955.
Initially known as Anthony Bearings, the company was powered by the skills and talents of European post-war migration in the 50s and 60s like many Australian manufacturers. The company grew rapidly thanks to an innovative process developed by Sil himself, producing custom short run bearings perfect for use in industrial conveyor rollers, as well as large sliding doors and windows.
The 70s and 80s were a time of growth for the company as the country prospered. The demand for bearings grew and internal capabilities broadened to meet the needs of a loyal and widening customer base. As the 90s arrived with a mixture of recession, deregulation and globalisation, many of those loyal customers started closing their doors. The business was faced with the challenge that many Australian manufacturers struggled with at the time: evolve or die.
In the end, it was the innovative spirit of Sil’s son Phil – following in his father’s footsteps as Managing Director – that saw the company make the decision to refocus its operations to meet the needs of this changing environment. As the new millennium began, Anthony Bearings evolved into Anthony Innovations, stepping back from making bearings for industrial applications and focusing more on the manufacture of rollers for sliding doors and windows.
This evolution saw the company broadening its knowledge base, investing more into local engineering and design skills, to develop more advanced products and innovative materials, while establishing relationships with overseas manufacturing to develop a more competitive supply chain.
By 1965, Anthony Bearings had expanded to a site on Perry Street, Fairfield, Victoria.
At the same time, the Anthony Innovations team also looked to new markets for their products in North America and Europe while shoring up existing domestic markets with their new, superior product range for the doors and windows industry.
By 2009, the Anthony Innovations team were ready to innovate again – maintaining an overseas supply chain but bringing more of the control in-house. So they set up Anthony Innovations Changzhou, an Australian business located in China that runs as a highly-mechanised factory. This provided Anthony Innovations with more influence on quality control measures and in protecting their own and their customers’ intellectual property.
Despite the challenges that have presented themselves over the years, Anthony Innovations has become a multinational company, operating across Australia, North America and Asia, and have cemented themselves as a leading manufacturer of sliding door and window hardware. With the leadership mantle being passed onto the third generation, Ben and his brother Drew, this Australian success story is ready to face the future and continue to innovate for years to come.
Anthony Innovations | 68 Keon Parade, Thomastown, Victoria 3074 | 03 9460 1166 | www.anthonyinnovations.com.au
