WELCOME

The Australian Chain Link Fencing Association is a non-profit organisation formed in May 2003 to encourage and promote the interests of chain link (chain mesh) manufacturers, suppliers and installers in promoting quality products to recognised Australian standards wherever possible.

To find out more about the Association's aims and objectives click on

About Us.

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FENCING SEMINARS

Brian Mullarvey, ACLFA & TFAA Secretary announced at the Victorian Fencing Chapter meeting in November  that the Committee was investigating the possibility of holding separate mid year, single day seminars for both the security fencing and temporary fence groups.  Members will be canvassed to ensure that topics selected to be presented are both relevant and of interest to the participants.

The NSW Fencing Chapter is also considering conducting a similar activity for Sydney fencers. 

Amongst a number of topics being considered for the Melbourne temporary fence seminar is the issue of stability of panels under different wind and weather conditions.

The addition of shade cloth to temporary panels is becoming more and more common but many hirers, builders and developers are unaware of the extra forces involved when shade cloth is attached to temporary and permanent fencing.

Members are asked to pass on their thoughts to Brian on issues or topics they would like addressed.

Contact: brian@wireassociation.com.au

ACLFA Chain Link Newsletter

January 2011

At the October AWIA conference, the Devils Island Project in Tasmania was announced as the winner of the inaugural Chain-Link Innovation Design Award sponsored by fence fitting manufacturer DOWNEE.

Photo above: 

Bruce Allan from Downee presenting an attractive plaque and cheque for $1000 to project designer Mr Bruce Englefield. Judges Peter Kurmis (left) and Mark Schmakeit (far right) look on.

The Devil Island Project is an exciting conservation project to house Tasmanian devils under free range conditions to protect them from the Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), a cancer which has already killed 82% of the devils in the wild in Tasmania. The project is part of the Tasmanian Devil Population Insurance Programme run by the Tasmanian Government.

As DFTD is spread by biting, a double fence system was employed to ensure that diseased devils were kept out of contact with the disease free devils in the enclosure.  Wombats were also unable to burrow into the enclosure.   This was achieved by installing a combined in-ground vertical and horizontal chain mesh apron barrier attached to the bottom of the normal fence. 

Steve Bantick, fencing contactor for the project will share in the cash award.  Steve employed a novel way of placing and fixing the vertical / horizontal below ground aprons using more than 8000 clips over the 20 kilometres of fencing already constructed.

Photo below:

2nd  place was awarded to Ross Straw Field Baseball Backstop Net.   6 metre high with 1 metre cranked extension fence submitted by Glenn Otter, Otter Fencing.

Photo below:

3rd place was awarded to Morton Park Screen Fence, Blackburn.

8 metre high radius, 3.15 heavy duty PVC fencing behind AFL goal posts also
submitted by Otter Fencing.

The Association would like to thank the sponsors Downee for their great support and those companies and individuals who submitted worthy entries. Our thanks also to our award judges Peter Kumis (McNamara Fencing Contractors, SA) Mark Schmakeit (OneSteel Market Mills, NSW) and Paul Scriven (Superior Fences & Gates, QLD) for what is always a difficult job.

INNOVATION - OPPORTUNITY CAPTURE

Below is an article written by Roger La Salle, forthcoming keynote speaker at the AWIA October 2010 conference on the Gold Coast (see Conference tab). Roger will conduct an innovation workshop directed at innovation in small and medium businesses and poses the following question to small businesses.....

Innovation - Opportunity Capture - Is this just for the big boys?

?Roger La Salle 2010

The statistics make it clear

In a recent book by an MIT Professor the startling statistic was revealed that in the 1920's the life expectancy of a US company was 65 years, today it is less than 10!

Companies that do not embrace change, Innovation and Opportunity Capture are destined for the scrap heap; or to be immersed in the mire of competitive bidding where the ultimate winner is always to customer as businesses compete in a downward competitive price spiral.

These are the facts.

But do not despair the solution is at hand. It is real, practical, tried and proven and it's all about understanding what innovation and opportunity capture means, and moreover how you do them.

Further, this is not "rocket science" and the smaller the business the easier it since the political impediments present in large corporation are virtually non existent.

Where to start?

The starting point it to first accept that there is no product, process or service in the world that cannot in some way be innovated. By that I mean, changed in some way to add value. If you wish to disagree with that, what you are really saying is that what you do today will be the same in 100 or more years, this is clearly ridiculous.

So accept that change is essential, and that change is possible and let innovations abound. Further this can be done in a structured way that is virtually guaranteed to yield results and perhaps surprisingly, the risks are almost non existent.

Some Small Business Examples

Some examples where small companies have embraced change and scored massive wins.

• A company in Scotland that had just a single product in a competitive market, canoe paddles. In a singe workshop we "innovated" that product to add a "New Function". The new paddle won international acclaim and propelled the business into the multi-million dollar elite.

• A company in Melbourne that sold just one product in competition with Chinese imports. Tent poles!

Yes believe it or not this was their one an only product sold through some 239 retail outlets. One workshop later the company commenced what we refer to as Channel Enhancement. They now have some five products, all new and all sold into the same channel. Before we started talking innovation and opportunity they had no idea of the value of their channel.

• Another company, a Milk Bar (Convenience store). The owner implemented the innovation of "Complementary Products". Believe it or not within three years the owner tuned his business into a gold mine and later sold it for five times what he had paid for it just a few years earlier.

• A session in Colombia with a company that sold small diameter, 100mm long drinking straws commonly used in that country to stir take away coffee. (A ridiculous stirrer if ever I have seen one). Using the innovation tool of "Frustration" the new stirrer had several enhancements that left competitors in its wake.

Examples of innovation and opportunity capture like this abound and can be applied to every product, process and service in the universe - now there's a big statement!

Just accept it and move on with the task.

**** END ****

Roger La Salle, is the creator of the "Matrix Thinking"T technique and is widely sought after as an international speaker on Innovation, Opportunity and business development. He is the author of three books, Director and former CEO of the Innovation Centre of Victoria (INNOVIC) as well as a number of companies both in Australian and overseas. He has been responsible for a number of successful technology start-ups and in 2004 was a regular panellist on the ABC New Inventors TV program. In 2005 he was appointed to the "Chair of Innovation" at "The Queens University" in Belfast. Matrix Thinking is now used in more than 26 countries. www.matrixthinking.com