List of top 100 manufacturers in Australia released

Australia’s leading manufacturers for 2020 have been announced, with Thursday’s release of Advanced Manufacturing Expo’s Top 100 Manufacturers in Australia. Caltex Australia has topped the list for the second consecutive year ahead of the Fonterra Co-Op Group, BP Australia, Perth Mint and Viva Energy Group.

This announcement comes as Australia’s $413.9 billion manufacturing industry passes the midway point of forecasted 0.5% growth period by 2022, with the industry made up of almost 104,000 business and employing over 964,000 Australians (IBISWorld). The compilation of the Top 100 Manufacturers in Australia is based on data gathered by IBISWorld, through primary research of ASIC-lodged company reports for the previous financial year, submitted by manufacturers operating in Australia.

The Top 100 Manufacturers for 2020 have a combined revenue of $319 billion, consist of 29 ASX-listed companies and 37 locally owned companies, with 49 companies based in New South Wales and seven of the top 10 based in Victoria. The leading industry categories of the top manufacturers for 2020 are Food Product Manufacturing (18), Pharmaceutical Product Manufacturing (6), Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing (5) and Non-metallic Mineral Manufacturing (5).

According to Aaron Vaserman, Enterprise Researcher, IBISWorld Australia, the leading industries of this year’s Top 100 are reflective of Australia’s recent investments in advanced manufacturing, reputation for high-quality production and the depreciation of the dollar.

“The Top 100 Manufacturers for 2020 have experienced strong revenue growth in comparison to previous years, namely due to the restructuring of business processes to incorporate automation and an increased focus on boosting productivity,” he said. “This also appears to have been spurred by the 2017 Federal Government Advanced Manufacturing Fund that provided grants to small Australian manufacturers to invest in automation, of which the benefits are starting to be realised. While at a macroeconomic level, the depreciation of the Australia dollar over the last year has increased demand in Australian exports, supporting revenue growth for manufacturers and increasing global competitiveness.”

This year’s list of the Top 100 Manufacturers also reveals an interesting and outlying trend for Australia’s petroleum and coal product manufacturers and petroleum refining and petroleum fuel manufacturers, who are experiencing growth despite global challenges in recent times.

“Contrastingly, the expected decline of the world price of crude oil over the past year appears to have had limited impact on Australia’s large petroleum refiners and producers, who have performed strongly over the past year,” Vaserman said. “Caltex, BP Australia and Viva Energy Group have all posted increases in revenue despite a highly volatile market, which is largely attributed to their successful investment in efficiencies, strong domestic demand and global political instability.”

The Top 100 Manufacturers for 2020 are demonstrative of Australia’s growing competitive advantage over international competitors as a result of advanced manufacturing adoption and highlight the opportunities available to Australian manufacturers that are able to produce highly specialised products across a broad range of industries.

“Previously, Australian manufacturers have had difficulty competing with their Asian counterparts, predominantly due to their much lower cost of labour,” Vaserman added. “Now, our manufacturers are adapting or have adapted by focusing on highly specialised areas, which is evident in industries from medical product manufacturing to paper product manufacturing, with companies like Visy and Paper Australia experiencing revenue growth despite the wider decline of the pulp, paper and paperboard manufacturing category. In short, Australian manufacturers are taking advantage of opportunities for growth by focusing on the premium areas of the market.”

In forecasting where changes to Australia’s leading manufacturers may occur over the next 12 months, Vaserman said the increasing focus on high-tech and advanced manufacturing would create opportunities and currency depreciation as encouraging future growth.

“Australian companies have developed a key competitive differentiator between themselves and their nearby competitors within the Asia–Pacific region, by adopting advanced manufacturing processes through the continued investment in automation, high-tech and productivity enhancing technology. Australia’s reputation for pristine environments and high-quality production in food and beverage products is also expected to boost revenue for manufacturers within this industry segment.”

As first-time presenters of Australia’s Top 100 Manufacturers, Advanced Manufacturing Expo will offer manufacturers insights and exposure to the latest in advanced manufacturing production solutions, practices and strategies to support their continued growth. At the expo’s sister event, National Manufacturing Week, over 42 companies within the Top 100 Manufacturers were present in 2019, either as speakers within the conference program, on the exhibition floor or as visitors.

“Numerous factors shape manufacturers’ ability to be successful; however, adopting advanced manufacturing production processes, such as investing in automation or high-tech solutions, is continuing to pay dividends for Australia’s leading manufacturers. Therefore, it is fitting that Advanced Manufacturing Expo is being launched in 2020, with the expo’s express objective being to provide manufacturing and industrial professionals with an evolution and productivity focused forum, which supports them in maintaining this crucial competitive advantage over international competitors,” detailed Jono Whyman, Exhibition Director of Advanced Manufacturing Expo.

Australia’s top 10 manufacturers (by trading name) are:

1. Caltex
2. Fonterra Co-op Group
3. BP Australia
4. Perth Mint
5. Viva Energy Group
6. ExxonMobil Australia
7. Amcor Pty Ltd
8. BlueScope Steel
9. CSL
10. Visy

Image: ©stock.adobe.com/au/tum2282