THE ENTREPRENEUR
MANUFACTURERS are increasingly becoming the coal firing the Far North’s economic engine room.
FNQ Plastics co-owner Lesley van Staveren said her business had been reaping the benefits of the recent CBD construction boom.
“A lot of the construction companies that need something fabricated or manufactured, now go to local businesses,” she said.
“Before, they were reaching out to our southern counterparts. I think for manufacturing businesses up here, they know there is that demand here now to keep them going, to add to their numbers of staff and so on.
“So there’s quick a knock-on effect (for the local economy).”
The Westcourt-based business, which started 20 years ago, supplies and manufactures plastic products and components for domestic, industrial, commercial, scientific, marine and retail/office applications.
Ms van Staveren, who was named in 2017 as the Cairns Business Woman of the Year, identified the waste industry as an area where there could be further future growth.
“There’s so much opportunity to have more equipment and industry up here, and to have consistent output,” she said. “If we can integrate different industry so we don’t have the peaks and troughs, just more consistent output, that will give us the opportunity to export out and further afield, too.”
State Development Minister Cameron Dick said manufacturing would be a sector that continued to drive Queensland’s economy forward.
“In the 12 months to December 2018, manufacturing was the number one growth sector when it came to employment in Queensland, employing around 7000 people,” he said.
“Cairns manufacturers recently received a $10 million boost with the announcement of a new manufacturing hub.
“The hub will provide a central place for local manufacturing businesses to receive expert advice and support to expand.”