By CASEY NEILL
CARL Bizon has joined the state’s business greats on the Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame’s Honour Roll.
The managing director of TriMas Corporation in Keysborough received the award at a black tie dinner at the Crown Palladium Ballroom on Tuesday 26 May.
The Manufacturing Hall of Fame awards were established in 2001 to celebrate manufacturing excellence in Victoria.
Honour Roll induction is a nod reserved for individuals or organisations that have made an outstanding contribution to manufacturing excellence in Victoria.
Industry Minister Lily D’Ambrosio presented 16 awards and said Victoria’s highly skilled manufacturing workforce provided a strong base for the state’s economy.
“The Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame awards recognise the challenges ahead for the manufacturing sector by promoting innovation, growth and excellence in manufacturing,” she said.
Berwick family-owned company Australian Precision Technologies (APT) was named the Small Manufacturer of the Year.
Local finalists included Hallam’s Wastech (Medium Manufacturer of the Year) and KH Equipment (Company Induction) and Keysborough’s Advanced Technology Testing and Research (Professional Services) and Timberwood (Company Induction).
The region dominated in the Young Manufacturer of the Year category with three finalists, Christina de Sousa from Mountain Harvest Foods in Gembrook, Robbie O’Brien from FlexiCut Engineering in Dandenong and Brad Huggett from Rebul Packaging in Hallam.
Corex Plastics in Dandenong and Iveco in Dandenong South were both finalists for the Large Manufacturer of the Year title.
Summer Snow Juice in Officer vied for the Food and Fibre Processing title, Pitcher Partners in Dandenong South was up for the Professional Services award, Chisholm was among five finalists for the International Education gong and Naturastone in Dandenong was a finalist for Company Induction.