In episode three of @AuManufacturing Conversations, Brent speaks to Jon Bulman, Director of Manufacturing at the greatest Australian manufacturer you’ve never heard of, Finisar.
We featured a story this week on our recent visit to Finisar’s Rosebery factory, a few kilometres south of Sydney’s CBD. As promised, here is the extended interview that informed that story.
Jon talks us through his career in high-tech electronics after moving here in 1994 from London, assembling Wavelength Selective Switches and the complex supply chain that feeds into this, the team of 250 at Rosebery, how skills shortage and supply chain issues have affected the company in recent times, and what he sees as a resurgence in high-tech manufacturing in Australia.
Relevant links
A story on Finisar on @AuManufacturing
https://www.aumanufacturing.com.au/the-sydney-factory-with-a-hand-in-half-the-worlds-internet-traffic
Federal department of industry story on Finisar's winning the Prime Minister's Prize For Innovation in 2018
https://www.industry.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-10/2018-prime-ministers-prize-for-innovation-the-finisar-team.pdf
Prototype devices from the Powerhouse Museum collection and article from 2011 describing Engana's origin story and technology
https://collection.maas.museum/object/418990
Finisar WSS's website
https://finisarwss.com/
