Celebrating Victoria’s manufacturing success

Outstanding Victorian manufacturing companies and individuals were celebrated at the 21st Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Awards last night.

Nine new awards were presented this year including to leaders in key sectors defence and aerospace, food and beverage, digital, health and low emissions technologies.

Elizabeth Lewis-Grey was added to the Honour Roll for services to industry for her work as co-founder and chair of Gekko Systems, a global technology leader in mineral processing based in Ballarat. Elizabeth is also the chair of Gekko Medical, established in 2020 to design, develop and manufacture a ventilator in response to the pandemic.

Other individual winners included Emma Mokalei from Essity and Daniel Malone from ANCA as joint Manufacturing Apprentice of the Year and Swastik Sharma from Alstom who was awarded Young Manufacturer of the Year.

Amiga Engineering took out Manufacturer of the Year for Small Business, while Farm Foods was awarded Manufacturer of the Year for Medium Business and Boeing Aerostructures Australia won Manufacturer of the Year for Large Business. The inaugural Manufacturer of the Year – Regional was awarded to AME Systems.

The awards received more than 75 nominations this year, assessed by expert panels including industry leaders to identify finalists and winners among the high-quality entrants.

The state’s $33 billion manufacturing industry is made up of around 24,000 businesses, supporting more than 250,000 jobs, and providing around 30% of Australia’s manufacturing output.

For a full list of winners visit 2023 Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Awards.