Imported Products Versus Australian Made
I've been proudly wholesaling out of the same Australian factory since September, 1994 (so at the time of updating this page, just short of 18 years) & I will continue to do so.
Most other Australian manufacturers and wholesalers are now importing their finished stubby coolers and neoprene promotional products from outside Australia — predominantly China, because they are cheaper. If you are shopping around, I have no doubt that most quotes you will receive will be for Chinese made neoprene products, but you may find the quote or website will not mention this. Since I can longer withstand the onslaught of cheaper imported products flooding in to Australia, I now offer an option of Australian or Chinese made neoprene promotional products. I do understand, that in these hard economic times, that sometimes tight budgets mean that providing the quality is not sacrificed, that the country of manufacture can become less important.
At the Australian factory, many of the raw materials used in the manufacture of our products are imported simply because there are no manufacturers here that make what we need. The labour content of cutting, print set-up, printing, gluing, sewing plus adding the various zips/clips/straps/Velcro meets sufficient Australian government criteria to have our products deemed as being 'Made In Australia'. 22 people work at the factory, which is a modern, spacious 750m² building. Government guidelines concerning the occupational health and safety of the factory for the management and staff are strictly adhered to. The printing and manufacturing machines are the latest technology available and many have been specifically developed to make some of the new products we offer. The staff are paid above award wages including compulsory superannuation (which is a retirement savings plan run by the Australian Federal Government) and contributions to Work Cover (an accident rehabilitation fund run by the Queensland Government). The ATO (Australian Taxation Office) payroll tax payments are all made on their behalf.
At the Chinese factory, their raw materials are all made in China, the staff there work and are paid under the conditions set by the Chinese government. I’ve chosen a factory that has the highest product & print quality, service, social & environmental ethics possible. Specifically, I have received assurances from the factory management, that their staff are NOT working under ‘sweat shop’ conditions & that no child labour is used. These two issues seem to be of the greatest concern to potential purchasers, when choosing to buy Chinese made goods.