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ASSOCIATION OF ROTATIONAL MOULDERS AUSTRALASIA LTD • ARMA
From the President – Trudi Duncan
As 2021 has come to a close, I am sure that we all hope it will be with greater flexibility, less confinement, greater health and a positive outlook that we welcome in the year 2022. The last year has been filled with un-expected occurrences, on-the-fly decision making, navigating a world of online conference calling... which reminds me, if you haven’t checked out Zoom’s “A Video Conference Call in Real Life” video, it is a brilliantly dry take on what the last 12 months of “working from home during a crisis” has looked like for many of us. Check it out here https://youtu.be/JMOOG7rWTPg You would be forgiven for thinking that, alongside a changing of the guard, 2021 would have been about survival mode for ARMA, however, I am pleased to bring you a positive update on recent and planned activities. Much of it has been spent navigating the dynamics of an “online only” board and being remotely isolated from our ever-capable CEO Michelle. After navigating the complexities, not to be diminished, of moving from an incorporated society to a Limited Liability Company, ARMA undertook to develop the association around 5 key elements, from which there have been many highlights. It seems an age ago that the impact of COVID-19 felt perhaps a ‘temporary’ blip on our radar. At the time of writing, New Zealand is in its longest lockdown yet and from across the ditch, it has felt like Australia has spent most of the year in lockdown as the ever-important vaccination targets remains just out of reach.
If there is one thing for certain, it is that we have never felt more disconnected from the world. Previously, an online purchaser only briefly considered the country of origin, fast was the process of international fulfillment and freight. Life is different now, shipping delays, uncertainties surrounding production capacity in varying parts of the world, and compounded global shortages are creating headaches everywhere. With these threats, however, come great opportunity and reports of large numbers of businesses receiving enquiry to bring manufacturing back to domestic shores heralds the new wave of business, if only you have the time to recognise it.
My summary of ARMAs 2021 year • Rising to the challenge • Agility • New opportunity • Shoring up of systems • Setting industry-wide targets • Collaborating with others for industry-wide benefit • Utilising networks for support and advice
For now, I hope to see you in person in the not too distant future. We have some catching up to do.
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ASSOCIATION OF ROTATIONAL MOULDERS AUSTRALASIA LTD • ARMA
From the CEO – Michelle Rose
It’s been a massive 12 months for ARMA with COVID-19 impacting in ways that none of us expected. At the end of 2020 we all hoped that we would enter a very different 2021 but it soon became more of the same for a lot of us. As I write this, being based in Victoria, we just hit a world record that no one wanted, the longest locked down city in the world. But even though personally we all went through our own struggles, most of the rotational moulding industry has managed to thrive. From discussions with members, some companies are extremely busy and struggling to find and retain staff. While this is not the case for all, especially for those that had to close completely in some countries, the biggest hurdle has been how to manage social distancing, masks and sanitiser, staff that are working from home and the constantly changing rules and regulations that the government makes with little notice. Last year I was posting out face masks and this year they have become a normal part of everyday life. While the industry overall is doing well, the impact on ARMA, has been more obvious. In December, I stepped into CEO role and 2021 brought not only a “changing of the guards” but a complete change in structure, moving from an association incorporated in Queensland to a Company Limited by Guarantee. This also meant an update of all our policies and procedures, in line with our new Constitution and structure. Along with this, we welcomed ARMA’s first female President, Trudi Duncan, and together we have worked through these adjustments and, along with the rest of the Board, focussed our strategic direction on the basics of ARMA and what we provide here in the Oceanic regions.
Of course, while all of this was happening, we were still working hard on all our other projects. The Masterclass at the Machine series was professionally filmed within 3 rotomoulding factories in Victoria and the finalised videos were released on our new training platform. And even though we were unable to conference, we did manage to hold networking events in Auckland, Brisbane, and Melbourne, providing the chance to see some friendly faces for the first time in 2 years.
Our 2 active sub-committees have hit the ground running this year, with major progressions around safety and the environment, and our QUB research project has developed further with a focus on the application of robotics using graphics.
We also recently launched our Online Member Portal which provides our members and supporters with the ability to keep company details up to date, to add and remove contacts, pay invoices, and access the Technical Library, both from a desktop and their mobile phone app.
The future of ARMA looks bright! Even with a change in management, we strive to offer great service and benefits for all members and have worked hard to manage our resources to ensure we can maintain confidence through these turbulent times.
I have had the pleasure of knowing a lot of you through my 15 years with ARMA and would like to take this moment to say thank you, not only for your support of ARMA, but also for your support of me personally as I have stepped into this new role.
I look forward to what the next 12 months brings and to hopefully seeing you soon.
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ASSOCIATION OF ROTATIONAL MOULDERS AUSTRALASIA LTD • ARMA
Meet the Current ARMA Board of Directors
PRESIDENT Trudi Duncan, Gyro Plastics
After failing to find a job as a postgraduate, my now husband got tired of me riding horses for a living and I defaulted to working in the family business. After years of having my shoulder looked over, I eventually took full helm, made some good decisions, and some terrible ones - if you have any great hiring tips, I’m all ears. My life is characterised by a perpetual need to locate my cellphone, and when I eventually do, I’m usually out of reception. Yet, despite this, I love this industry, the people in it, and our company and I get passionate about how I can make a difference.
VICE PRESIDENT Chris Glenn, Bushmans Group
Chris has been the Managing Director of the Bushmans Group since 2009. Bushmans manufactures a wide range of tanks and associated products across Eastern and Central Australia. Prior to Bushman’s, Chris was the Managing Director of ASX listed Coventry Group and prior to that, senior roles in international companies. Chris brings to the board a wide range of experience in business operations, corporate governance, and finance.
PAST PRESIDENT Graeme Hall, Viscount Rotational Moulding
Graeme Hall is the Applications Development Manager for Viscount Rotational Mouldings Pty Ltd, part of the Pact group of companies. He has worked in plastic associated manufacturing in engineering functions, operational management, and product/materials development for over forty years, specifically specialising in rotational moulding for past twenty-three years.
BOARD MEMBER Karen Durkin, Safescape
Karen Durkin is the Production Manager for Safescape. Safescape is the designer, manufacturer and supplier of, rotationally moulded, mining safety products, Laddertube, Edge Protector, and Multibund. Karen began working for Safescape in 2012 when they first set up their roto moulding facility in Western Australia. She has 10 years’ experience on the factory floor and managing the production team. Karen’s passion is to foster a happy and healthy workplace and focuses heavily on innovation and continual improvement in the areas of safety, quality, and the environment.
TREASURER Ian Gough, Gough Plastics
A country kid from Ingham, travelled a bit and came to work in the family Roto business in 1992 and has been loving the industry ever since.
BOARD MEMBER Mark Medew, PFG Group
Mark Medew is the Operations Manager for Victorian based PFG Group, previously known as Kiel Industries. Mark has 16 years’ experience in the roto industry completing his Certificate 3 in Plastics in 2008. In conjunction with his mechanical trade qualification, Mark has the perfect mix of factory floor practicality and leadership skills which make him a valuable contributor to his organisation. His passion to improve roto-moulded processes and to push the boundaries of what is possible have helped make his work site a perfect location for custom required products.
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ASSOCIATION OF ROTATIONAL MOULDERS AUSTRALASIA LTD • ARMA
BOARD MEMBER Anant Yuvarajah, ASC Water Tanks
Anant Yuvarajah is the Managing Director of ASC Water Tanks and parent company ASC27 PTY LTD. Anant has been in the rotomoulding industry for over fifteen years and serving on the board of ARMA for the last three. Being a part of the ARMA board, along with the Pump Industry Association (PIA) and the Rainwater Harvesting Association (RHA), is important for Anant to ensure the industry continues to develop and head in a net positive direction. In his role at ASC Water Tanks, Anant heads marketing and procurement, both domestically and internationally.
SUPPLIER BOARD MEMBER Grant Palling, Matrix Polymers
A Mechanical Engineer by background, Grant has over 20 years’ experience in manufacturing, predominantly in the packaging and food industries. Grant has worked for global manufacturing firms Amcor, Orora, Mars, and PACT. While relatively new to the Roto Industry, Grant is enjoying getting to know the people and businesses that make up the Rotomoulding community. He is focussing with his team on bringing innovation in Rotomoulding Powder technology to the industry and offering a point of difference in supply to moulders.
and Marketing.
SUPPLIER BOARD MEMBER Kate McKie, Qenos
Kate McKie is Market Segment Manager at Qenos for the Roto, Film, and Injection Moulding segments. Kate is a Chemical Engineer who started her career in Operations at the Qenos Plastics site in Altona before moving into Strategic Planning
Association of Rotational Moulders Australasia Inc. Tel: +61 (0) 7 3812 1450 www.rotationalmoulding.com CEO: Michelle Rose Cheif Executive Officer: Michelle Rose michellerose@rotationalmoulding.com
Association of Rotational Moulding (Central Europe) e.V. (ARM-CE) MAUS GmbH - Rotationsgießformen Am Viehweg 9 - D-76229 Karlsruhe Amtsgericht Mannheim, HRB 103433 Tel.: +49 (0) 7 21 / 9 48 74 12 Fax: +49 (0) 7 21 / 9 48 74 44 Mr. Oliver Wandres, ARM-CE Chairman info@rotational-moulding.de www.rotational-moulding.de Association of Rotational Moulders Southern Africa PO Box 6966 Birchleigh 1621 Gauteng, South Africa Tel: +27 82 772 3769 Fax +27 12 541 1738 Chairman: Grant Heroldt info@armsa.co.za www.armsa.co.za
British Plastics Federation Rotational Moulding Group 6 Bath Place Rivington Street London EC2A 3JE United Kingdom Tel: 020 7457 5000 Fax: 020 7457 5045 Chairman: Mr. Philip Maddox PhilipM@LeafieldEnv.com IT-RO Italia Rotazionale Katia Zoppetti Via E. Brigatti 12 20152 Milano (MI) Italy Tel: +039 348 7652560 www.it-ro.it
The Nordic Association of Rotational Moulders Executive Board Chairman: Mr. Ronny Ervik ul. Zielona 8, 61-851 Poznan, Poland Tel: +48 607-126-004 Fax: +48 61-858-8611 info@rotomoulding-europe.org www.nordicrotomoulding.org www.rotomoulding-europe.org Society of Asian Rotomoulders (StAR) 40/145, Ground Floor, Chittaranjan Park New Delhi 110019 Tel: + 91-11-41630157 Fax: +91-11-41634952 Mob: + 91- 9810305356 sb.zaman@staraisa.org arnacz@satyam.net.in www.starasia.org
