The News in January 1958 is on the set up in Australia and the News in March 1961 is on the closure
This new plant will serve Australia and certain adjacent areas of Southeastern Asia, according to Ladd Goodman, who said, "It is a growing and very highly potential market of the future and because of the international currency of Australia, they have been unable to get enough products form either Portland or Europe to satisfy the market."
Kerrigan's schedule, necessarily tight but flexible, finally allowed him three weeks in the reel room with Clare Cooper, several days in the molding and assembly department, a day in the camera room with Roland Simard, one in the optical department with John McCartney, one in advertising and sales promotion, one with Karl Kurz and Ben Leroy discussing metal stamping, dies, and parts and materials inspections. Discussions with Ladd Goodman and Ed Meyer on plant lay-out problems and production management procedures were sprinkled generously throughout. With so much to cover, the allotted time passed very swiftly.
A commercial photographer for the past 11 1/2 years, 8 of them as manager of the Noel Rubie Pty. Ltd. Studio, Kerrigan joined Perrier Productions Pty. Ltd., a neighboring business firm, producers of movie films, etc., to aid in forming the Sawyer organization, Daug has collaborated with this firm on numerous occasions and, as a result of this association, has manufactured a special type of portable lighting equipment which is very sturdy and lightweight, but folds into a compact, streamline unit. Early training in the field of electrical Manufacturing was of great assistance to him on this project.
Photography was a hobby. While in the service during the war, he photographed subjects of interest to him. Viewing Daug's prints, his buddies desired copies which he willingly supplied for the cost of material. However, this very soon became a burden; weekends were spent in the darkroom.
He was discharged from the service after six years spent in the army infantry, during which he was stationed in various parts of Australia and in New Guinea for two years. The government, eager to place men into industry, assured Daug they would have no difficulty placing him in electrical work due to his previous training. Having decided to change vocations rather than spend another three years completing this training, he carefully considered his qualifications for other fields and found that photography was the only one in which he had any experience. An opening in the Noel Rubie Studio presented the opportunity he was seeking. Operating it at a profit earned him the position of manager very early.
Daug, his wife, Patricia, and their five children, Ellen, 9, Louise, 5 1/2, Ann, 4, Richard, 2, and Margaret, 2 months, are all looking forward to the time when they will be moving to their new home, nearing completion, which has claimed Daug's spare time for the last six years. Located high on a river bank in bush land, 5 miles from Sydney, it has 1750 square feet of floor space and 950 square feet in the basement.
The subsidiary was established several years ago primarily to counteract the efforts of a competitor who was manufacturing an imitation "View-Master" and reels. These spurious items were being sold not only in Australia, but also in other foreign markets, with consequent disruption of Sawyer's own marketing.
Sawyer's had hoped that the Australian subsidiary could also serve New Zealand, Singapore, the Philippines, and other surrounding areas. Instead, it developed that restrictive currency problems made this impossible.
Maintaining a subsidiary to serve only the Australian marketsome 10 million population, scattered over an area roughly the size of the United Statescan be compared to setting up a plant to manufacture for New York City alone, but without the problem of vast size.
Meanwhile, Australia has become a free market, and Sawyer's products can be shipped there in the future either from Portland or from another subsidiary. Kodak Australia will continue to distribute Sawyer's products there, a setup in effect even while Sawyer's Australia was active.
In the near future, Japan will be fully explored as a subsidiary site. In this small area, a population of 90 million is a good market potential.
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