2022 - 30 Years of Success for Leitz Australia

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Founded in 1876 in Oberkochen, Southern Germany, the Leitz Group is the worldwide leading manufacturer of tools for industrial processing of wood, wood derived materials, plastics, compound materials and non-ferrous metals.

The end of the 1970s saw the Leitz family business enter new markets outside of Europe, and they continued to expand internationally in order to guarantee a high level of customer service alongside their products. In 1979 Leitz Brasil was established, with the US subsidiary in 1983 and Leitz Japan in 1988. Leitz Australia was founded on the 31st of January 1992 with the opening of the Sales Office and Service Centre in Bayswater, Victoria. Leitz now has over 120 Service Centres across the globe.

The foundation of Leitz Australia occurred at the same time Leitz was spearheading change considerably in the wood machining sector worldwide. In this same year, 1992, Leitz premiered the profile cutterhead-system ProfilCut, and in 1993 Leitz introduced the closed hydro clamping system into furniture production. In 1994 Leitz displayed its dynamism again launching tools embedded with electronic memory chips.

This culture of being at the forefront of change and tool technology was embodied in the new Australian subsidiary, with its success resulting in further expansion across the country and into New Zealand. Two years after the Melbourne office opened, the next Servicing Centre was opened in Smithfield, NSW, closely followed by Welshpool in Western Australia (now Malaga) and Hillcrest in Queensland. 2011 celebrated the opening of Leitz New Zealand in Penrose.

Over the last 30 years, Leitz Australia has contributed to some great successes not only for Leitz Tooling, but for the woodworking and advanced materials processing industry. Some of these highlights include;

Success in the Australian market with the Leitz Katana blades developed specifically for the timber milling market, improving customer production speeds and quality throughout the industry
2011 winning the AWTE Gold Star Award
Running a Saw Doctor apprenticeship program across all states and New Zealand
Rolling out a locally made line of Router Bits using high quality carbide and 2 Australian made ANCA FX7 machines, proving extremely popular with the Australian Market.
Diamond sharpening service centres in Perth, Brisbane, Sydney and Auckland for quick turnaround for all customers
Voltage optimizer and Solar panel installation at Melbourne head office for quality power, installation of green cooling systems in Sydney and Brisbane factories (uses 80% less electricity than conventional air-conditioning)

Sam Czyczelis, Managing Director of Leitz Australia and New Zealand, aims at continuing the growth strategy for the company, as well as increasing Leitz corporate social responsibility over the next few years. This includes the introduction of a carbide and used tool recycling program, with money raised from material recycling donated to local charities to support the community, as well as initiating green energy strategies across the service centres. Sam also sees education as one of the most important tools in the Leitz toolbox, with 5 apprenticeship positions across Australia and New Zealand, and advanced training for employees available. Sam says, “When you are number 1 in your industry nationally and internationally, the importance of quality in service and our solutions for customers is paramount. Our vision is to continue to grow, to stay ahead of market demands and be on the forefront of new technologies. Investing in our people and sustainability initiatives is key to achieving this in today’s environment”, reinforcing Leitz Tooling in its position as the world leader in customer-oriented development of tool Systems. Leitz Australia and New Zealand stands by the company’s motto ‘Solutions in New Dimensions’ and are looking forward to seeing the new dimensions that Leitz Australia and New Zealand lead in the coming years.

LEITZ TOOLING SYSTEMS PTY LTD

PH: 1300 135 127

www.leitz.com.au