Fire safety CAPES protect Oz industry

The Council of Textile and Fashion Industries of Australia (TFIA) has coordinated a consortium of manufacturers to promote Australian expertise in the fire safety apparel sector.
The Combined Australian Protective Equipment Suppliers (CAPES) consortium comprises eight onshore manufacturers of fire safety apparel, including fabric suppliers and garment, boot, helmet and glove manufacturers.
CAPES had been borne out of its members' concern over losing business to overseas companies, TFIA executive director Ashley Van Krieken explained.
"The purpose of this group is to show that the Australian TCF industry, by working together, can provide world class products," he said.
"There seems to be a perception that if [a product] comes from overseas it must be better and that a TCF manufacturing industry no longer exists in Australia. This is simply not the case and this group proves the point," he continued.
CAPES allowed the companies to promote themselves as a whole supply chain group rather than individual companies, he added, resulting in "shorter response times in terms of product delivery and greater inclusion of local conditions in developing the product".
Australian manufacturers held a number of advantages over their offshore counterparts, Van Krieken went on, including "the ability to custom design products for the Australian environment, operate smaller supply runs, provide rapid after sales service and a greater degree of security of supply."
"From the TFIA's point of view, there is no reason why other onshore clothing companies should not follow the CAPES model in future," he added.
CAPES presented to an audience of Queensland state and federal government fire service officials in early September and will conduct further presentations across Australia over the next nine months.
The consortium would consider presenting overseas, depending on the final outcome of the national presentations, Van Krieken said.