Shine On: The Future Of Local Manufacturing.
The company which forms the Oceanic division of the world’s largest flooring manufacturer, Mohawk Industries, was first established in Geelong in 1865. Founded under the name of Godfrey Hirst, the establishment was Victoria’s very first textile mill. With time, the shape of the facility – and the brand itself – has evolved, but this rich local heritage continues to inform the outstanding quality of the GH Commercial products, and the company’s strategic and operational trajectory.
Today, GH Commercial’s large local network spans three manufacturing plants and two distribution centres in Australia, as well as four world-class production facilities in New Zealand. “Having such a robust local manufacturing capability, we are able to have full control over how the products are made,” explains Aaron Dawson, Commercial Carpet Manager at GH Commercial. Not only that – thanks to its strong local presence, the company was able to continue offering its high-quality products to Australian clients throughout the pandemic.
“Generally, a lot of our raw materials are sourced from offshore so we were impacted by the logistical challenges of the pandemic," "However, in the midst of COVID, we were able to construct a large facility at our North Geelong manufacturing plant which became our raw material warehouse. Having all the material already in the country and on site, our exposure to what happened globally was dramatically reduced. In addition, being a local manufacturer with a bigger local logistical imprint, we were able to get around some of the hurdles that a lot of the importers faced through that time.”
GH Commercial’s local manufacturing facilities play a crucial role in advancing the organisation’s sustainability, too. “The company is investing heavily in its sustainability journey with resources, training and knowledge,” Aaron explains. “And with carpet manufacturing relying so heavily on electricity and gas, everything we can do in the renewable energy sector will help us maintain a viable and sustainable product portfolio.”
Reducing Our Carbon Footprint Through Solar Energy
Reducing the company’s carbon footprint through solar energy plays a pivotal role in pursuing these ambitions. The facilities in Truganina and Laverton, with 220 panels at 100 kw and 216 panels at 99.36 kw respectively, were the first ones to be fitted with solar energy systems. The warehouses’ robust footprints, as well as extensive flat rooftops, created the perfect conditions for panel installation and today, the systems power around a half of the facilities’ energy use.
This year, however, GH Commercial completed the largest solar power project to date in their North Geelong carpet tufting facility. Aaron explains that the plant in Geelong is a heritage building with an original roof, which is why the panels couldn’t get installed any sooner. “In the old mills saw tooth roofs were useful because they let light into the factories,” he adds. “But the shape of the roof makes it difficult to install solar panels, and so we had to prepare the building first”.
