KNOWN for its proximity to the Swan River and flourishing inner-city lifestyle, the suburb of East Perth is an unlikely place to find an outdoor adventure gear manufacturing business.
KNOWN for its proximity to the Swan River and flourishing inner-city lifestyle, the suburb of East Perth is an unlikely place to find an outdoor adventure gear manufacturing business.
But, unlike some of the more recent arrivals, outdoor accessory company Sea to Summit is a long-time resident of the area.
The business was started 20 years ago by a couple of mates, one who ascended Mount Everest from sea level and another who created the light-weight climbing gear for his friend’s five-month journey.
On Tim Macartney-Snape’s return to Perth from his climb, he went into business with his designer friend Roland Tyson, and Sea to Summit was born.
The business has been in the hands of general manager Rob McSporran since 2007, who says operating in the WA time zone can be challenging, but the benefits tend to outweigh the drawbacks.
“Being on the same time zone as our China office is really beneficial. And some of our staff structure their hours of work so that they can communicate with our European distributors,” Mr McSporran said.
“The fact we are away from Sydney and Melbourne does present some challenges, but it allows us to give great service.
“A store calls us, they need a product, they’re about to close their shop and it is only three o’clock here.
“They open the shop the next morning and it is there. We use that time difference to an advantage as well.”
Sea to Summit’s revenue has doubled during the past two years and this, combined with the task of manufacturing and distributing Sea to Summit gear to 35 countries as well as importing 30 brands to Australia, keeps the adventure-loving team busy.
In the early days Sea to Summit would design, develop and manufacture all its products on site in East Perth, but when the product range got too wide and the orders too large, the manufacturing side of the business was shifted to China.
“We may have 30 different factories spread around China making different products,” Mr McSporran said
“With our growth, that has been a challenge. We have doubled in the last five years, some of our suppliers haven’t been able to cope with that and we have then had to find some other suppliers.
“That relationship with factories, it takes years to build that up. If one of them goes off the ball a bit, it can be a real challenge if someone isn’t keeping up.
“You can get really poor quality stuff and you can get great quality. That is crucial, which factories we use.”
In addition to finding the right manufacturers for the company’s product range, securing the right distributors had been crucial to the growing success of the company.
Sea to Summit places a lot of trust in its distributors; they are charged with the task of forecasting the demand for the products and ensuing promotion and marketing, training store staff and being the person on the ground to represent the brand.
“As we develop new products it’s their responsibility to do their best and get those products in stores,” Mr McSporran said.
“Some countries have been very difficult in getting a good distributor. We have delayed going into certain countries because we need to be sure we are in a really good partnership with them, that we think the same, we can communicate.
“It’s not about just finding anybody in a country because we have got to make money, that is the last thing on the agenda.
“If you don’t have that relationship with your distributor, forget it.”
While employing the best distribution talent is important, so too is developing individual strategic marketing plans when a company is creating products used internationally.
“If you consider Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore, they are all very close,” Mr McSporran told WA Business News.
“The Singaporeans love to see Westerners in their advertising but Thai, definitely not. Our distributor in the Netherlands says if you want to do business in Holland you go and get a coffee and it is bang bang bang. In Brussels, you have to have a four-hour lunch. It is different.
“We will give templates of product shots, press releases and then they will tailor it to meet the demands of their area.
“It is something we are learning to do better, it is one of our challenges. A lot of our marketing messages have been tailored to North America.
“We approach Australia in a separate way.
‘‘Our international distributors are in charge of distributing to their local community or market.
“Our challenge now is, how do we create these templates and a marketing drive. How can we, from little old Perth, support the rest of the world.”
