News
| 08 February 2022

Commercial drains should be manufactured locally

Sponsored by ACO

Given their importance to infrastructure and the widespread benefits of local manufacture, drainage products should be made in Australia, says John Sordo, Head of Marketing and Product Management at ACO. 

As a civil engineer by training, I’ve always found it fascinating the way engineering teaches you to see the world. Where other people’s eyes glide over a column or a crack in concrete, for example, I can’t help but wonder if the former is just cosmetic and the latter is wide enough to be of concern.

But even if you work with drainage systems like I do, you can still be surprised by how often you see trench drains. Once you’re aware of them, it becomes literally impossible to avoid them.

Take a 10-minute stroll and you’ll see public walkway drains. Drive in any direction for more than five minutes and you’ll find yourself beside, or going over, road, highway and motorway drains. Catching the tram home from work? Say hello to light rail drainage.

This pervasiveness illustrates a simple truth. In order to prevent a variety of negative outcomes, including slips and splashes to expensive damage to foundations, almost every piece of civil infrastructure in the world requires correct drainage. This universal need makes local manufacturing crucial.

Since COVID-19 hit there have been supply chain disruptions the world over. In 2020, a number of projects were delayed due to a lack of the right materials for construction. There can be compounding effects to this. Take airport drainage systems and drainage systems for wharves, ports and docks. Both not only need to ensure fully drainable aprons, delays to their construction or maintenance can cause further supply chain issues.

As was highlighted (PDF) in the June 2021 edition of Engineers Australia’s create magazine, which I was quoted in, there are well-known benefits to local manufacturing. It ensures products will be made to Australian Standards and to local installation methodologies, that the manufacturer will be closer to the customer, and it boosts the local and national economy.

With more than 25 years of Australian manufacturing experience in Western Sydney, ACO is committed to advocating for Australian made products as well as openly discussing the future opportunities and threats to Australian manufacturing.

ACO recently welcomed the honourable Angus Taylor MP (Minister for Industry, Energy & Emissions Reduction) and Melissa McIntosh (Federal Member for Lindsay) and their respective teams at our head office and Australian manufacturing plant in Emu Plains, Western Sydney to discuss our dedication to making as much of our products as we can in Australia.

Now that you’ve read this piece, perhaps you’ll start noticing these key products beneath your feet as much as I do. They are everywhere, but that doesn’t mean they should be made just anywhere. They’re a critical part of our country’s infrastructure and worth sourcing locally.

Consider specifying an Australian made drainage system for your next project.