As companies and manufacturers continue to adapt to a new environment that changes almost daily, one Australian manufacturer is strength in the adversity that is COVID-19.

Ness Corporation, which is headquartered in Seven Hills, NSW, has seen the demand for Australian manufacturing increase as many new and old customers turn to local suppliers and a safe pair of hands.

Ness marketing manager Peter Mohan, and general manager Larry Circosta, believe the subcontract manufacturing area may well see a resurgence.

“Ness is receiving serious enquiries from companies in other fields, anxious to come back home to a safe and reliable Australian-owned manufacturer, most significantly in the medical area.”

The company’s online ordering system has also seen a surge in business.

While the majority of the research and development team is currently working from home, communicating daily via Zoom, a manufacturing company does not have that luxury and Ness has put considerable measures in place at its plant to ensure workers’ safety.

“Our plant is over 5000m squared and is segregated,” says Peter, adding that the manufacturing section is segregated from other areas with a rear entrance for employees. Other sections remain strictly separated until the crisis is over.

Hand-washing, sanitising and social distancing are all being diligently performed and, given that Ness is a specialist Hikvision CCTV distributor, it is using its own products for additional screening of incoming personnel with the latest in-demand fever screening cameras.

No unnecessary visitors are being permitted into the site and the plant itself is an ISO9001 accredited facility with daily cleanliness ramped up even further.

Ness employs 130 people across five branches around Australia, with most staff based at Head Office and manufacturing in Sydney. It is particularly strong in medical, mining, security products and automation, boasting a wide range of award-winning products and solutions.

Among those products, designed and manufactured in-house, are: the Ness D8 and D16 control panels in PSTN and cellular modes, the Navigator touch screen keypad and various LCD keypads, and the M1 Series controller boards, as well as their own range of PIRs including wireless PIRs.

A large part of Ness’s production is devoted to the Smartlink medical alert division, the iCentral System One intercom system, Mezzo automation controller and the APCS division’s line-up of industrial signal conditioning devices.