WD Moore & Co has followed up last month’s win in the State’s Family Business Awards with a national Fourth Generation FBA award.
WD Moore & Co has followed up last month’s win in the State’s Family Business Awards with a national Fourth Generation FBA award.
WD Moore & Co marketing manager Eliza Moore said the majority of the company’s customers – farmers – were also generational businesses.
“This will help us tell them: ‘Look, we’ve been around for four generations too, and you can rely on us’,” Ms Moore said.
The windmill, parts and solar pump manufacturer has little time to appreciate the award, heading towards the peak summer period.
This followed a winter that had not brought the usual slowdown.
Ms Moore said this was most probably due to droughts and the Federal Government’s renewable energy water rebate.
Apart from planning for seasonal and three-year cycles, WD Moore & Co monitors wool and grain prices, as well as weather conditions including drought, floods and cyclones.
The company coped with the “bumper-good-awful” three-year trend by adjusting its manufacturing, stock orders and labour force, Ms Moore said.
During a re-assessment of all its operations over the past two years, the company had taken its sales staff off the road, and increased its telephone, Internet and newsletter communications, she said.
The company’s initiative to establish a windmillers’ association, in response to the ageing of Australia’s windmill contractors, was received enthusiastically, Ms Moore said.
At the inaugural annual meeting in Adelaide last month the group decided on a name – the Australian Windmill Contractors Association.
The association comprises not only contractors, however, but also customers and manufacturing and sales competitors.
“The association has created a comprehensive network, strengthening the Australian industry,” fifth-generation family member Ms Moore said.
Family Business Association WA chapter chairman George Kailis said it was all the more interesting that a fourth generation WA business had won a national award, given that many perceived WA as a young State.
"We have quite venerable family businesses here which have been successful in sustaining themselves through the generations," he said.
WD Moore & Co had kept itself competitive since 1862, Mr Kailis said.
Ms Moore attributed the company’s success since William Dalgety Moore opened for business in Fremantle to adaptation, innovation and succession planning.
Sealanes, another Fremantle area company, won the national third generation FBA award in 2000 and in 2001. The original Moore building now houses art exhibitions.
