A while ago, we faced a pretty difficult decision here at Luus.
We had to decide whether we would move our manufacturing offshore, and just assemble products here instead. Unfortunately, many companies were already doing just that – we needed to figure out whether we would follow suit.
It would certainly save us a lot of money. But in the end, we decided – no. We would stay in Australia and continue to build our products here, despite the greater risks, pressures, and challenges we were likely to face.
Why?
Because people are the heart of everything we do.
We can’t be committed to manufacturing if we aren’t committed to the people who work with us. From our tradesmen on the factory floor to our in-house engineers, everyone here is a part of the Luus family.
We believe that we can’t build great products if we don’t have a vision. Sometimes, working in manufacturing can be a bit like putting puzzle pieces together. You’re just building things without really understanding why.
That’s why we developed five key values for all of our staff. Everyone in the organisation is selected, measured and reviewed against these five values:
- People Matter Most. The three C’s – Colleagues, Customers, and Community. Treat everyone with respect, be a “go-giver”, and find win-win solutions.
- Think Long Term. Are you working in a sustainable way? Do your decisions consider the environment, ethical manufacturing, relationships, and contribute to our long-term stability?
- Ask Why? Be curious – even if those questions sometimes force us to rethink how we’ve been working. This leads to discovery, creativity and innovation.
- Lean. Be fast, efficient, and streamlined. Minimise waste and create maximum value. This is especially important if we’re to remain an Australian manufacturer forever.
- Keep Learning. Commit to your personal growth. Be open to new ideas, feedback, and embrace change (even though we know it can sometimes be uncomfortable)
We developed these values a few years ago, and since then the company has grown about 50%. We’d say they’re working out for us, but we’re just getting started!
What’s the culture like at Luus?
We may have outgrown our pure family business roots, but at our heart, everything we do is about our people. This place is about creating an environment where people are inspired to be the best versions of themselves. We’re not just out to make a profit, we actually want to make our community and the business world a better place.
Sometimes that works in small ways, sometimes in bigger ones. Take a look at what we mean:
We celebrate our people
We can’t make high quality appliances without high quality people. And high quality people deserve praise and recognition. Our team loves to hang out together in our break room, playing table tennis and billiards with each other – we make sure to get both the office and floor staff playing in the same teams, so everyone gets to know each other.
Every month we all get together and share some cake to celebrate birthdays. As one of our team members said, it’s not often that as an adult you get a bunch of people gathering around to sing you happy birthday. It’s a nice, small way to reinforce that we’re all part of a family here.
We give back to the community
At our previous building, we had some native bottle brush trees planted. When we moved to our current location, we took the trees with us – and they display proudly in our lobby. Just a little reminder of where we’ve come from, and where we’re going – and that this business is as big a part of the community as anything else.
To that end, our building space is built with the community in mind. Our Look & Cooking Kitchen, function spaces and meeting rooms are free for local businesses, organisations and community groups to use for their own events. Our amazing team have developed skills over their careers that are transferable to others; and we have scheduled workshops later this year for local TAFE students to come in and learn about things like leadership, time management, goal achievement, public speaking and even resume writing.
We are also aligned with RMIT and have taken on an intern. Ao Luu, our General Manager, had a similar opportunity while he was at university, and now it’s time to give back.
We’re all part of the one team
The other reason we love being Made in Melbourne is that all of our team is in the same building. If a customer has product ideas or suggestions, or wants to discuss a customised project, they can speak directly with our engineers – they’re right upstairs!
We want to keep all of that talent here, where our customers can directly benefit from it. It’s additional value that not everyone in the industry can provide, and this is only going to become more obvious as time goes on.
Do you want to work at Luus?
Ultimately, we’re here for good. It’s that love for our people, our vision for the future, and our desire to keep making better products that help keep us grounded.
We’re looking for all types of workers – do you want to join the Luus family? Send us your information – we can’t wait to hear from you.
