Coast Right Move
Central Coast Herald
Tuesday July 29, 2003
A STRATEGIC MOVE to the Central Coast has given one export firm room to expand and bring even more jobs and business to the region.
Clements Medical Equipment at Somersby moved late last year from two locations in Sydney to be under one roof at its new Central Coast home.
``The main reason for the move was to achieve some efficiencies of scale by getting the two companies [Clements and its 1995 acquisition R.R.Taylor] under one roof and the Central Coast was the ideal location," sales manager Stephen Muller said.
``It still had the locality to Sydney and it had room for expansion.
``We are already looking at building a second factory."
Clements manufactures and markets medical suction equipment, pathology centrifuges, ovens and incubators for medical use.
The R.R.Taylor side of the business turns and mills almost any engineering task from mining equipment to photographic tripods.
The business, which still has one factory in Sydney, employs 85 staff.
``The Coast has got a hell of a lot to offer," Mr Muller said.
``Moving around Sydney is horrendous. To get from one side to other you have to allow at least an hour and a half now.
``Here at Somersby we jump in the car and we're in Gosford in minutes."
However, Clements did strike a hurdle in recruiting the right staff.
``One of the struggles we have had here is finding the skilled labour we are looking for," Mr Muller said.
``Most of our work uses fairly precise machinery and not just anybody walking in off the street can do it. So that was a challenge when we first arrived."
© 2003 Central Coast Herald