There's no question that the emergence of Asia, the surging dollar and a once-in-a-lifetime mining boom have weakened Australian manufacturing, but it's not all doom and gloom. At M+K our manufacturing team is passionately committed to ensuring Australian manufacturing stays viable, strong and most importantly here. And because most of the team come from manufacturing backgrounds they know what it’s like out there and how they can help you.

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Experience

Thinking outside the box

A client identified a competitor in the marketplace manufacturing similar products and marketing them in a similar way. Court proceedings were commenced to protect our client's interest. However, rather than waiting for the Court to rule as to whether our client's intellectual property was being breached, or seeking compensation from the competitor, we assisted our client to resolve the dispute through acquiring the other business.  Most importantly, we were able to structure the deal to purchase its specialised manufacturing equipment at a discount to the ordinary value of the competitors business.  This had a huge impact on strengthening our client's position in the market place.

Curbing industrial action

A large agricultural manufacturer with perishable product faced lengthy industrial action that threatened to ruin farmers and badly impact its profitability and brand. After undertaking a communications process with farmers, workers, unions and clients, our team began developing contingency plans to reduce the risk of industrial action. We then applied to suspend industrial action and instigated other conciliation strategies. The matter was finally settled in the company’s favour with only half a shift lost.

Resolving “back charging”

A Eurozone manufacturer of industrial doors for aerospace and defense installations encountered difficulty with illegitimate “back charging” designed to progress claims on an Australian site. Ultimately, we resolved our client’s issue under contractual dispute resolution – and preserved a valuable commercial relationship.