According to the exterior lighting company WE-EF, there are three key players in any lighting project: the lighting designer who uses creativity and technical knowledge to conceive lighting solutions, the luminaire manufacturer who produces the tools needed by the lighting designer, and the object or space to be illuminated.
For their part, WE-EF aims to be the ultimate supplier of tools that enable designers to realise their visions of creating beautiful places at night. And in Australia, more than anywhere, that means outdoors.
What many people don't realise is that their experience of many of Australia's iconic places - such as the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Olympic Park and Adelaide Oval's stadium to mention a few - is made possible by WE-EF's exterior luminaires.
However, you're just as likely to see a WE-EF product in a standard installation, as many are workhorses of the lighting industry, deployed in carparks, walkways and especially areas in extreme conditions. "There was one I saw in Tasmania which caught me by surprise," says Production Leading Hand at WE-EF Australia, Trevor Marchant. "There was a carpark out in the middle of nowhere," he says.
A visit to the company's assembly and warehouse facility HQ in Braeside, Victoria, proves to be an eye-opener. While its engineering and manufacturing excellence create a reputation that precedes WE-EF in Australia, WE-EF's success in this market really comes down to the people that make the projects happen.
Some employees have been with WE-EF almost since its establishment in 1994 and are able to provide a fascinating picture of how the organisation has grown. It began more than 20 years ago with three employees and high expectations. Today there are some 35 employees together with facilities in Melbourne and Sydney.
An initial tour of the modern facility in Melbourne by Liam Benn reveals an orderly workshop space lined with various groups of products in different stages of assembly and testing. Coming from another field to work in electrical assembly, Liam has been with WE-EF for two years. He explains that there is no 'average' day "because we have such a wide variety of products... we have to put together - everything from the wiring to the LEDs". Special rubber mats prevent electrostatic electricity from damaging the LED fittings, along with foot straps that must be tested on entry and exit to the assembly areas, explains Liam.
WE-EF's assembly areas are supervised by Herbert Allet who has been with the company for ten years. He says watching his team grow is probably the most enjoyable part of his job.
Personally, Herbert prefers working on the new generation of lighting equipment using LEDs as it is "more interactive" and has the ability to program the lights using four colours and dimming options. WE-EF is counted among the pioneers of LED applications and with its extensive knowledge and experience has brought a number of technological developments to market maturity.
"It's more interesting to me than just turning a light switch on or off," says Herbert.
Having had a varied career - starting as a motor mechanic, then as a cable TV and telephone installer - before taking up a position with WE-EF, Herbert says, "The products are very good quality... You do get a sense that what you're sending out there is for the long term... I never used to walk around looking at light fittings. Now everywhere I go I can see them, I notice them!"
He wants to see out the rest of his career at WE-EF. "It's just part, I guess, of my culture... I want to see the company grow... I'll be proud that I've contributed to that". Herbert is bolstered by the success of the company. "I think because we look after the customer, that has a lot to do with it," he says.
Herbert works with Nalin Samaraweera, who has been on the assembly floor for three years. Nalin enjoys working on products with complicated wiring such as motion sensors and WCM units and spends a considerable amount of time assembling the company's VFL500 street and area luminaires. Over recent years this product range has provided an ideal choice for communities to convert their street and area illumination to efficient, future-proof LED lighting technology. "This is one of the best products in Australia," says Nalin, "We produce quality products and give a ten-year warranty and we always supply products on time".
One of the longest-serving employees at WE-EF is Trevor Marchant, whose humble nature belies his vast product and technical knowledge gained over 19 years with the company.
Back in the early days, Trevor was running the warehouse and doing some assembly work. "In my role now I'm a bit of a problem solver, so I get involved in the background stuff," says Trevor. In terms of some of the technical challenges he has faced over the years, Trevor recalls working on the lighting for the Crown in Melbourne many years ago: "Myself and a couple of other guys had to actually run around the top of the building which was interesting, the day before it opened."
He says it has been fascinating to watch the WE-EF products evolve "to what they are today and the improvement has been out of sight," citing Frankston Foreshore and the Sydney Opera House as stand-out projects for the company.
You can tell that Trevor just likes working on the floor, as does another 'long-termer' Puna Nooroa, an Assembly Operator who joined the company in 2002 after a distinguished career in rugby league. Puna is mainly involved in building street luminaires and has stayed with WE-EF over the years due to the work environment.
"It's a totally different environment," he says, comparing it to professional sport. "You don't think about sport when you're working... and you don't think about work when you're on the field on the weekends - that really helps me personally. This is a good company to work for," says Puna, "good communication, good people to work with... the training we get is also a huge advantage for us".
Richard Bailey, Warehouse Team Leader, agrees: "WE-EF has always been a family-orientated company in the time I've worked here. They've always done the extra... they've always done the extra for everyone who works here.
"When we go through life we have ups and downs," says Bailey, "It could be family, it could be just getting to work, and they have the understanding and work with you".
Bailey has managed the warehousing and stock areas at the WE-EF facility for nearly ten years. He believes the success of WE-EF in Australia is due to its focus on the needs of the customer. "We really will bend over backwards for them... you can see that in the turnaround we do," he says.
Text by Paula Wallace
