Minister for Industry Support and Recovery, the Honourable Ben Carroll MP, joined more than 700 members of Victoria’s business community last night to honour the leadership and innovation of exceptional manufacturers across the state at the 20^th Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Awards.

Proudly delivered by the Victorian Government in partnership with the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the awards acknowledge and celebrate the outstanding achievements of manufacturing businesses and individuals across the industry, and the key role manufacturing plays in Victoria.

The Victorian Chamber congratulates Planet Innovation which took home two awards, including Large Manufacturer of the Year and the newly created Outstanding Responsiveness to COVID-19 Award, and commends all winners and finalists across the remaining 12 categories.

The 2022 Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Awards winners are:

Individual Award Winners:

• Patrick Boland and Pat McCluskey, ANCA: Honour Roll – Service to Industry
• Benjamin Cheng, Eagle Lighting Australia: Young Manufacturer of the Year
• Andrea Del Ciotto, Osteon Medical: Woman Manufacturer of the Year

Company Award Winners:

• Integra Systems: Company Induction to the Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame
• Amaero Additive Manufacturing: Small Manufacturer of the Year
• Care Essentials: Medium Manufacturer of the Year
• Planet Innovation: Large Manufacturer of the Year
• Coolon: Leader in Industry 4.0
• Integra Systems: Leader in Workforce Skills Development
• Foodmach: Leader in Innovative Product Development and Commercialisation
• Nissan Casting Australia: Leader in Global Supply Chain Partnerships
• NCI Packaging: Leader in Low Carbon Economy
• Planet Innovation: Outstanding Responsiveness to COVID-19
• Elastomers Australia: Leader in Diversity and Inclusion

On behalf of the Victorian Chamber, Chief Executive Paul Guerra presented the Medium Manufacturer of the Year Award to Geelong Manufacturer, Care Essentials.

Mr Guerra congratulated all winners and finalists for their advanced manufacturing capabilities and solid commitment to business excellence.

“We congratulate all the winners as well as those other businesses nominated for the 2022 Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Awards.

“As a $30 billion industry that supports more than 260,000 jobs, manufacturing is the cornerstone of the Victorian economy and the sector can be rightly proud of its many achievements.

“The Victorian Chamber is delighted to support the awards which showcase Victoria’s manufacturing capabilities, and we look forward to the sector continuing to go from strength to strength.”

This year’s theme, ‘Made it in Victoria,’ highlighted the importance of local manufacturing and the breadth of products, technology and equipment produced in the state. The awards recognised individuals and companies that embrace new technologies and techniques, are export-focused and excel in business innovation.