Opening of ANI Group's facilities at Bassendean
State Government incentives to attract new business investment have persuaded the giant ANI Group to centralise one of its specialised product divisions in Western Australia.
State Government incentives to attract new business investment have persuaded the giant ANI Group to centralise one of its specialised product divisions in Western Australia.
"It means more jobs, more contracts for local suppliers, and the chance that other companies associated with the industry will now decide to move here too," Deputy Premier Ian Taylor said today.
Mr Taylor was opening ANI's new facilities at Bassendean, where the company has just transferred the operations of its newly acquired New South Wales subsidiary, Vidaweld Pty Ltd.
The Bassendean site will now become ANI's sole manufacturing centre for wear-resistant steel plate - a specially toughened product used extensively by mining and mineral processing industries both in Australia and overseas.
"Before the decision was made, ANI was weighing up the advantages of moving both Vidaweld and its Bassendean operations to another ANI site in Brisbane," Mr Taylor said.
"We responded with the Investment Attraction Program as originally outlined in the WA Advantage package."
ANI will be receiving a $50,000 grant from the Department of State Development to assist with the relocation.
Mr Taylor said that for Western Australia, the immediate benefits were the creation of 15 new jobs at Bassendean and expansion of a million dollar business enjoyed by local supply companies.
"But beyond that, the prospects are even better," he said.
"Centralising production of these specialised steel products in WA will turn the State into the national centre for wear-resistance technology.
"CRA has already established its advanced technology development unit at Technology Park to develop, among other things, wear and corrosion material science.
"At the same time, we have had the recent decision of Australian Fused Materials Pty Ltd to further develop and expand its fused alumina plant at Rockingham, which specialises in the production of industrial abrasives.
"And in each case there is a strong emphasis on developing new export markets."
