Since its humble beginnings in November 1997, TWC has undergone an amazing growth spurt, which has seen its full-time employee numbers swell from 20 to 185. The wholesale blind manufacturer, located in the suburb of Hopper’s Crossing in Melbourne’s west, was the brainchild of founder Greg Campbell.

TWC now finds itself positioned as one of the largest wholesale blind manufacturers in Australia. Success didn’t happen by chance. Visitors to the company’s factory say that the manufacturing set-up rivals that of any hightech manufacturer in Europe or the US.

The company has also put a lot of resources into what general manager Mark Watson describes as its “greatest asset”: its staff. Full-time workers at TWC are the recent recipients of federally-recognised TAFE certificates in Process Manufacturing, thanks to a training scheme subsidised by the Federal Government.

“As concerns about a downturn in the Australian economy grew, we decided to focus on our best asset – our staff – and put the work into the training that is required,” Watson tells WFA. “As a result, workers at the Hoppers Crossing factory were given the chance to complete their Certificate III or IV in Process Manufacturing. “For many of the workers at TWC, it was the first opportunity they’d had to undertake any sort of formal qualification.”

The nine-month courses finished in August this year and Watson and the TWC team decided to celebrate this achievement with a ceremony attended by the Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. “Our story fitted the various portfolios she is responsible for almost completely.

“TWC has 13 ethnic groups working within the company and many of our senior positions are held by women,” Watson adds. The investment has paid off, with the training’s effect on the TWC workforce even greater than anticipated.

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