Murray Now

What does a company established nearly 100 years ago think is the most important component in business? Mawsons supply concrete and quarry product from 22 concrete plants and 6 quarries throughout the Murray region. The answer to their success is ‘Building Partnerships.

‘At Mawson’s building partnerships is as important to business as the actual human resource itself. Building positive relationships with employees, customers and suppliers is critical to achieving quality outcomes according to Mawsons’ philosophy. It’s that philosophy that encourages Mawsons to strive to become one of the best companies to work for and deal with in the region.

Geoff Hall, Marketing Manager of Mawsons, talks to Murray Now about the reputation of the company and how employees, even outside their immediate workplace, are ambassadors for the organisation. “If one of our employees goes into a deli to buy a sandwich at lunch time, how they behave reflects on our image and our reputation. So we are very conscious of encouraging each member of our staff to behave in accordance with our corporate values and philosophy” Geoff states.

Mawsons conduct in house training and courses with accredited facilitators to continually build on the professional development of staff. Programs such as “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” are ways that Mawsons keep their reputation as industry leaders. “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” focuses on helping staff to become more proactive rather than reactive. When an issue arises the employees often relate back to one of the seven habits.

Mawson’s business ethos has elevated the company into a leading building materials supplier across the Murray and Hume regions. Geoff is always looking at ways to improve and build partnerships with other businesses. In reference to Mawsons OH&S policies and procedures, every member of staff is trained and empowered to practice these standards to the best of their ability.

“When coming on to customer’s worksites our policies and procedures are respected. In turn Mawsons recognise the importance of conforming to their customer’s O H &S policies and procedures and often implement into their own business new aspects which have been identified in this customer contact”.

Mawsons also see the benefits of partnering with local government, and have most recently been working through “ipro live”; which involves having a central website whereby both Mawson’s and City of Shepparton can address project management issues on projects within the region. This includes using the website to share information on OH&S, quality control, policies and procedures and insurance certificates of currency. Both parties share this information and have access at all times. This is just another example of partnership in action.

Another program working well is the “O4 i” Opportunities for Improvement program. “It assists in identifying areas of how we can improve, Geoff says. “It creates an opportunity to give honest feedback and to identify any areas of business where we have made a mistake or have a weakness as a company. This program has made us more aware of the importance to address changes and explore various areas of improvement.”

The O4 i program is utilised throughout the Mawsons’ team; from truck drivers to board members; especially from the truck drivers. Often they are the first point of contact for customers. “This is crucial to our marketing efforts, “Geoff explains. “The difference with Mawson’s is that it begins and ends with the people. We rely on these people to drive the business and make it an enjoyable and worthwhile organisation to work for.”

Mawson’s also have strong alliances within the community. They believe in giving back to the community and supporting the local region and the people who live there. This support differs from town to town. It can be anything from financial support to local hospitals, football clubs or church organisations to filling sandbags. Recently the Cohuna plant supported the ‘Cohuna Bridge to Bridge’ sporting event in aid of the Royal Children’s and Cohuna District Hospitals. Mawsons community support is very broadly based and is influenced by what is needed most, such as the natural disaster relief provided free of charge by Mawsons when flooding recently occurred in Northern Victoria.

Looking to the future Mawsons will continue a policy of opportunistic growth. With a business that will be celebrating a centenary in 2012. It is a foregone conclusion that maintaining and growing business partnerships is critical to a long and sustainable business.

For more information visit www.mawsons.com.au