2 | Vekta Automation
Vekta Automation | 3 Vekta Automation is a young, medium-sized business specializing in high end automated machinery for the truss and frame industry. Located in Perth, Western Australia, their dedication to top-of-the-line customer service and technical support has earned them the loyalty of a dedicated user-base, along with a fair amount of industry recognition. The company was first established in October 2009 after the Serrano brothers purchased their first timbre industry equipment. Ed Serrano, one of the brothers and the current Managing Director of the company, was able to sublease a factory from a former employer, and from there Vekta Automation was born. Vekta Automation is still family-owned by the Serrano’s, and Ed says that the company plans to remain that way well into the future. “The three owners are my brother, my wife, and I,” he says. “We each have a different role too – my brother looks after the mechanical engineering, my wife deals with the books and marketing, and I do the
4 | Vekta Automation general, electrical and software design management.” Today, Vekta has a global customer base spanning multiple countries. In addition to servicing companies throughout all of Australia, the company also does business in New Zealand, as well as the U.S. and Canada. Though the global market can be tough, especially for a company as young as Vekta, the Serrano’s have done substantially well for themselves so far. “We are currently setting up a new manufacturing facility in the U.S.,” says Ed. “With the going exchange rate, the only way we can be profitable over there is by manufacturing locally.” In the past, Vekta did “quite a bit of business” in North America. When the recession hit, however, they were forced to scale back a little and wait for the market to rebound. Now that it has, they are reestablishing themselves stronger and better than ever. CATERING TO CUSTOMERS “I think what sets us apart,” Ed says, “is that we are a small company that really caters to the needs of the customers. Our customers aren’t just numbers to us – we work very closely with them to determine what they need both now and in the future. We also act as a consultant for them. We want to build a relationship that lets them feel comfortable to come in and just ask us for advice.” Due to their superior technical knowledge and actual industry experience, Vekta makes a very valuable consulting partner. They have helped plants in all their markets improve their
Vekta Automation | 5 Bullocks Freightmasters International is a Western Australian, family-run business. Established in Fremantle 32 years ago: we are part of the community. We are built on solid local foundations, with the worldwide resources to service all your needs. Proud to be associated with Vekta Automation WE ARE YOUR LOCAL PARTNER WITH WORLDWIDE REACH Bullocks Freightmasters International’s integrated services include: 8 Customs Brokerage 8 Trade & Tariff Consultancy 8 Import and Export Air and Sea Freight Forwarding: 8 Warehousing and Distribution 8 Project Management 8 Logistics Management 8 State-of-the-art Cargo Tracking 8 Local and Interstate Transportation
6 | Vekta Automation
Vekta Automation | 7 production, increase their safety, and grow as businesses. In addition, Vekta’s technical support for clients is second to none. Unlike other companies, they offer customers access to the engineers who actually designed the machinery – not just service personnel. “In terms of our equipment, the fact we are a small company and family owned is also very attractive to our customers,” adds Ed. “We can cater to the needs of their business, if there’s a unique requirement like extending a beam here or shortening it there, we’ll do that where our competitors won’t, because their product is locked in.” “There’s none of that attitude here,” Ed says. “We want to work with our customers and ensure that they get what they want, and that’s what gives us the edge.” Another aspect of their business that sets Vekta apart from other automation providers is their corporate culture, Ed explains. “The work environment here at our factory is fairly important to us. We spend a lot of our time and a lot of our money making sure that our employees feel that they’re part of the team, and I think that’s something that a lot of other companies don’t do.” “We believe in an open-doors policy,” he continues. “We like everything to be transparent. We have our weekly meetings with everybody, going right down to the laborers on the floor. We’re very open – we share everything that’s going on financially with the company, what we’re planning on doing in the future, what our reasons are for doing so, et cetera. We encourage everyone to give their input their opinions and suggestions regularly.”
8 | Vekta Automation
Vekta Automation | 9 “The way we see it, everybody has a different role and a different set of experiences,” he says. “We never want to pass up on the opportunity to hear a good suggestion, and we’ve seen some of our employees come up with some really brilliant ones. If we’d gone with a more traditional management style, we would have never heard them. So that’s something we take very seriously.” Vekta also has the capabilities in-house to develop and introduce new technologies and automation products to the market. Ed uses a new saw as an example – a current design that the company is working on will boast up to five or six times the speed of older “linear” models, but will maintain the same flexibility. Those kinds of products wouldn’t be possible to design without current technology, and as technology continues to advance exponentially, Vekta looks forward to advancing with it. “Ever since we formed the company, we have recognized the need to put out new products,” Ed says. “We have done that consistently. Virtually all of our profits are put into the R&D of new products, and that’s what has allowed us to grow. We intend to continue doing that.”
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