Logan business makes advances on defence with plastic coating

AN Underwood electronics manufacturer has created five new jobs and is making inroads into the global defence industry manufacturing market.

Cameron Dick with staff at Underwood firm Hetech.

• State Development’s lead role in Logan

Underwood electronics manufacturer Hetech has created five new jobs and is more internationally competitive in defence industry manufacturing thanks to a $66,000-plus state government grant.

Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning Cameron Dick said Hetech would use the $66,315 Made in Queensland grant to install advanced electronic coating machinery.

“This new technology will enable Hetech to coat printed circuit boards with a thin layer of plastic, known as conformal coating, which will increase production capacity by up to 50-70 per cent,” Mr Dick said.

“The combination of Hetech’s equal investment with the Palaszczuk Government means their clients will have access to a one-stop-shop — and their 50 employees will have secure, highly-skilled jobs into the future.”

The advanced coating system, which is not readily available elsewhere in Australia, will also allow Hetech to qualify for new high-end projects with blue-chip companies.

Queensland Minister for State Development Cameron Dick.

Hetech is a market leader in Australian-designed and manufactured electronics for a range of industries, including mining, transport, waste management, supply chain control and storage. Mr Dick said it was another example of the strong appetite for innovation in Queensland’s manufacturing sector.

Hetech managing director Mark Steiner said the company had grown by 70 per cent in the past year.

“The grant has helped us meet the upswing in demand for electronics and assists to return the manufacturing skill set from offshore back to Queensland,” Mr Steiner said. Mr Dick said Queensland’s almost $20 billion manufacturing sector already employed 165,000.

The state government announced a 10-year plan to update the state’s manufacturing sector to create more high-paid, skilled jobs.

The second round of the state government’s $40 million Made in Queensland program opened in April and so far, 115 expressions of interest have been made.

The Made in Queensland program also offers matching grants of between $50,000 and $2.5 million to manufacturers looking to adopt innovative processes and technologies to generate skilled jobs.

Manufacturers must go dollar-for-dollar with the government to fund business improvements.