Most South Australians would have touched one of Magena’s products without ever realising it, company director Adam Krawczyk reckons.
The SA metalworks business started by his father in 2016 supplies handrails, balustrades and perforated screens to commercial builders across the state and has almost tripled in staff members.
Magena’s work can be found across hospitals, aquatic centres, aged care facilities and other commercial projects across the state.
“There’s a very high chance you’ve seen what we’ve done. You just wouldn’t have known it,” Mr Krawczyk said
The company had stayed deliberately South Australian, working solely on commercial projects rather than residential, and had fabricated metalwork for major hospital upgrades, aquatic centres and shopping centre developments across the state, including works at Mount Barker.
Supplier delays drive change
Covid-era supplier delays pushed Magena to rethink how it operated. Along with co-owner and operations manager Ben Taylor, the company mapped every process into standard operating procedures, invested in its own spider crane and CNC machine to cut reliance on outside suppliers, and cross-trained staff so responsibilities weren’t held by a single person.
Bringing more work in-house
That included bringing drafting in-house, with three full-time drafters working from the shop floor so design issues could be resolved in minutes.
Mr Taylor, who joined the business on the tools in 2018 before moving into operations, said better planning tools had made projects run more efficiently from start to finish.
Finance helps unlock growth
The pair credited Commonwealth Bank, and their business banker, with helping the company manage an industry where payment terms routinely stretched to 70 days past completion.
“I’ve had a couple of loans through them that have just been really easy, quick. Done within a week. It’s the difference between us saying yes or no to a job,” Mr Krawczyk said.
Recognising practical innovation
Magena’s story reflects the kind of practical innovation CommBank is looking to recognise through its Business Innovation Awards, which celebrate Australian businesses putting ideas into action.
The Awards are open to eligible businesses across Australia, whether they bank with CommBank or not, with categories covering businesses from early-stage through to established operators. Free online innovation training is also available to help businesses build capability.
Applications are now open for the CommBank Business Innovation Awards and close September 30. To apply and for full T&Cs visit commbank.com.au/innovation.
This story was first published by The Advertiser and is reproduced here with permission.
