As Hunter Manufacturing Awards (HMA) celebrates 20 years of acknowledging excellence in
the sector, it is initiating significant partnerships to broaden its reach and impact.
HMA has teamed with Industry Update magazine to ensure national coverage for stories
about its finalists and winners. In collaboration with partner Newy Tech People, HMA has
also launched an engineering and manufacturing-themed podcast, sharing the back stories
of HMA winners and showcasing their talent and innovation. Additionally, HMA is working
towards supporting a national awards programme, with its winners automatically qualifying
as finalists.
HMA chair Jacqui Daley, the founder and managing director of The Measured Marketer,
highlights the importance of sharing these stories on a national stage to enhance “Brand
Hunter”.
“In showcasing the outstanding achievements of HMA winners and finalists to a broader
audience, our new initiatives reinforce the region’s reputation for excellence,” Ms Daley says.
“This visibility is vital as we navigate the evolving landscape of manufacturing, energy, and
defence industries.”
Bob Cowan kicked off his business manufacturing lifesaving recompression and hyperbaric
chambers in 1973. He sold Cowan Manufacturing in 2018 to James Fisher Defence, the
leading global subsea operations and engineering company.
“Who would have thought a little sheet-metal company at Warners Bay would invent
something the United States Navy is still purchasing? That’s mind-blowing for me,” Mr
Cowan says.
“I got to a point where I had achieved everything I was after.”
HMA encourages all manufacturers in the Upper Hunter, Lower Hunter, Central Coast,
Lake Macquarie, Newcastle, Port Stephens, and Mid-North Coast regions to enter the
2024 awards. There are 14 categories available.
For all enquiries, please email
in**@hm*.au
or phone 0438 242 899. The registration and nomination period closes on 30 August. Entry is free and manufacturers can find all the information they
need at www.hma.org.au.
(story supplied)
