Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954), Saturday 18 August 1945, page 9


EXPANSION OF S.A. INDUSTRIES

Many Firms Have Big Extensions Planned

Big industrial expansions in South Australia during the next two years are foreshadowed by decisions which have already been made by a number of firms to make further extensions to their factories and to undertake

new manufactures. South Australia's industrial potential has been greatly in-creased by demands imposed on its factories to meet defence production requirements, and as a result, they are in a position to manufacture a wide range of consumer goods, which were previously imported. The provision of additional employment is an important aspect of these developments.

The Premier (Mr. Playford) is endeavoring to obtain new indus-tries for South Australia, and im-portant among these is the manu-facture of electrical equipment by the Philips Co. This organisation is considering taking over Hendon munition works, and an Australian representative of the firm is on his way to London to discuss details. The huge factory of General Motors-Holdens, Ltd., at Woodville will be rearranged and, where necessary, modernised for the pro-duction of the new Australian car proposed by the GMH organisation. The bulk of this work it is proposed at present will come to South Aus-Stace the outbreak of war 150,000 square feet of factory space has been added to the Woodville plant, and the company is considering taking over part of the Finsbury munition works to assist in meeting its future production needs. The floor space of the Keswick and Mile End plants of Richards Industries, Ltd. has been increased in size by a third during the war, and further extensions are planned. The company has new manufac-tures under consideration and it is also preparing to handle big orders for motor car bodies New Factory Metters, Ltd., propose to build a new factory at Mile End as soon as the necessary permit can be ob-tained. The cost of the building will be about £50,000. and a heavy outlay is also planned in the pro-vision of new plant and machinery. The new factory will be more than double the size of the company's present works at Thebarton. At the Mile End factory the firm will engage in the manufacture of porcelain enamel goods, and the major part of Its present manu-facturing undertakings will also be transferred there. A big exten-sion of its manufactures of agri-cultural implements and its pro-duction of general lines, including heating and cooking stoves, is planned. Horwood, Bagshaw, Ltd., has made big additions to its Mile End works and has modernised the plant to cope with orders for agri-cultural implements. The works director (Mr. A. Smith) said that the firm had exported consign-ments of farm machines abroad, and the sales director (Mr. H. R. Horwood) had men making in-vestigations overseas for future trade prospects. The Perry engineering Co., Mile End, is building 200 railway trucks for Ceylon. The covered area of the firm's engineering works and foundry has been doubled since 1939, but the question of further extensions will depend on indus-trial developments in Australia and particularly in South Australia. British Tube Mills, Kilburn, is another firm which has found it necessary to double the size of its plant, and it expects that it may be necessary to make further ex-tensions later. Its staff has trebled since it began operations here in 1909 Other Big Increases Adjacent to me BTM works Stewarts & Lloyds (South Austra-lia Ltd.) have erected a factory at a cost of several hundreds of thousands of pounds for the manu-facture of raw steel pipes. Produc-tion has just begun. The pipes are used at the BTM works for the production of the precision steel tubes. Previously the pipes were shipped from Newcastle. Pope Products Ltd. expect that its production for civilian use will be 400 p.c. above its pre-war out-

put. New products will include tools, household goods, and re-frigerator fittings! The floor space of its Beverley factory has been increased from 55,000 square feet in 1939 to 170,000 square feet. Possessing its own foundry, the firm is able to carry on practically every phase of light engineering production under the one roof, which is probably unique in Australia. Two representatives of A. Simp-son & Son, Ltd- are overseas investigating new manufactures and processes. Their investiga-tions are expected to lead to the firm undertaking the production of new lines, which may necessitate additions to its already large new plant at Dudley Park. Big exten-sions of the firm's manufactures of general domestic requirements, in cluding washing machines and electric and gas stoves, are planned. Early additions to its Dudley Park factory at an estimated cost of £58,000 are planned by Beckers Pty. Ltd.. chemical manufacturers, so that It can engage in the re-covery of by-products now being lost to manufacturing processes. These products will be for indus-trial use. Kelvinator Australia. Ltd.. is re-organising its Keswick works in preparation for a full-time return to the manufacture of refrigera-tors for civilian use. The manag-ing director of the company (Mr. W. Queale) is overseas studying the latest production methods. He will return to Adelaide at the end of this month or early in September. Coldstream Refrigerators, Ltd.. Unley, plans more than to double its premises almost immediately, and its manufactures of refrigera tors will total more than five times its pre-war output. Most of its manufactures will be of the com-mercial refrigerator types. The weaving shed at the Actil cotton spinning mills at Wood-ville is being enlarged to house another 100 looms. The new sec-tion is expected to be in production by March. Engineering Projects Gerard Electric Manufactures, Ltd, of Bowden, plans to develop further the use of plastic materials. The firm started work on plastics in 1930 with one press. Now 29 presses are in operation, and two of the latest type for plastic moulding are on order from America. Gerard Industries manufactured certain bicycle accessories—tyre levers, spanners, and cable brakes —before the war. and intends to carry on with these lines. It is likely that some kitchen utensils will again be made mere when con-trols are lifted. The Litchfield Engineering Co.. Ltd.. of Angas street, expects that the production of an all-Australian car and a boom in the use of motor cars will benefit in-dustry. Mr. D. E. Litchfield said that his company had handled large army orders for cylinder liners during the war, and was al-ready producing automotive tools for garage equipment. In the past the firm had also mechanised pro-cesses, which had formerly been done by hand, in such undertak-ings as box-making, boot-making and cordial factories. Mr. F. Gibb. of Gibb & Miller Ltd., engineers. Port Adelaide, ex-pects to leave for America within a month to complete arrangements with two large American firms to make their products under licence in South Australia. He said be would also study engineering me-thods in America. L. G. Abbott & Co hope to ex pand plant for the handling of paint and glass as soon as a permit to huild can be obtained.