Seeley International is planning to become a billion-dollar company
by the year 2020.
The billion-dollar target is part of a 10-year plan which includes increasing market share in Australia and undertaking significant expansion overseas. Seeley founder and executive chairman Frank Seeley admits it is an ambitious target but believes it is achievable.
Seeley International already exports to more than 120 countries and has just invested in a product testing facility worth more than a million dollars.
The facility is in the final stages of NATA accreditation and is based at Seeley’s manufacturing plant in Lonsdale, South Australia.
The plant’s focus is on innovation and R&D. Out of its 50 engineers, a dozen are part of the Imagineering team which focus solely on innovation and product development.
Another focus at Lonsdale is continuous improvement. Seeley manufacturers most of its own parts including electric motors, pumps and other major components.
In the past five years the program has undertaken 1240 projects that have improved safety by 35 per cent, productivity by 12 per cent and generated savings worth $65,000.
Monthly reviews are held to ensure projects are on time. Processes are so vertically integrated that Seeley can respond to customer orders within two hours at the plant which produces up to 260 evaporative coolers per day. Seeley said the focus on excellence is central to the company’s billion-dollar plan.
To meet rising demand over the next decade, the plant has increased production hours and will soon be operating around the clock.
There are six full-time engineers who provide manufacturing engineering input into design, technical advice and ongoing support to ensure new products are designed to incorporate best practice technologies, and cost-effective assembly methods.
Another game changer for Seeley International is the release of the CompuComfort app which allows users to accurately calculate and select the right ducted gas heating and evaporative cooling products for their home.
Seeley described the CompuComfort web-based app as a ‘game-changer’ that would give domestic customers confidence that they were being recommended a ducted evaporative cooling or gas heating system that was best suited to their home.
“The days of a quick, back-of-envelope calculation that prompts a hit-and-miss recommendation on what system to buy are long gone with the release of our CompuComfort app, because now customers can receive a detailed report as part of their decision-making process,” Seeley said.
“A heating or cooling system is a significant household investment and we wanted to make sure our sales consultants had the best technology available in the field to support our customers and help them make an informed choice based on
a range of variables.”
The app proposes a solution after taking into account key features of the home, including the main thermal characteristics, climate location, the number, features and sizes of various rooms, heating zones, and ceiling heights.
Moreover, data collected in the field by Seeley International dealers can be downloaded back in the office and exported to common software applications like Microsoft Excel.