Article by William Glasson, Regional Sales Manager at Genetec
Harnessing the power of next-generation technologies will help you protect and expand your operations.
Is growing your manufacturing business a priority in the upcoming 12 months? If you answered in the affirmative, more power to your arm.
In 2025, the manufacturing sector will represent a small but vital part of Australia’s economy. According to the World Bank Group, it employs 885,000 people—around 6.1 per cent of the country’s workers—and is responsible for around five per cent of GDP.
That figure has been falling steadily over recent decades—back in 1990, it was 14 per cent—and political parties of all persuasions profess to be keen on reversing the decline. During FY2026, the re-elected Albanese Federal Government looks set to continue focusing its efforts on supporting the sector across a range of priority areas, including transport, medical science, defence, and adding value to resources.
Start with robust cyber security
But before you expand and diversify, it’s vital to get the basics right. No business can be successful if it’s not secure.
Given that their operations rely on the use of plant and equipment, manufacturers have an especial interest in protecting their premises and ensuring they don’t experience downtime as a consequence of loss or damage to these essential, high-value assets.
Until recently, traditional security, in the form of uniformed guards, was the primary means by which Australian brands locked down their facilities and protected business continuity, on the factory floor and across their operations more broadly.
According to latest Seek data, it’s a form of security that doesn’t come cheap: the average annual salary for security personnel in this country is $75,000-$85,000. Round-the-clock cover can come with a six or even seven-figure price tag, depending on the scale of your operations.
Moving past perimeter patrols
Moreover, in today’s times, a uniformed guard or several patrolling the perimeter of your premises is unlikely to be the comprehensive security solution that today’s manufacturers want and need.
Relentless digitisation, the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), and AI-powered automation have made manufacturing far more complex than it once was.
At the same time as these high-tech innovations are delivering unprecedented efficiency and cost savings, they’re introducing a brand new set of physical security demands, ones which old school security regimens may be incapable of meeting.
Securing the sprawl
That’s especially likely to be the case if your manufacturing operations have morphed into something of an eco-system, perhaps one that incorporates interconnected warehouses, production lines, distribution centres and restricted zones.
Then there’s workforce complexity to contend with. Throw flexible or round-the-clock shifts on the production lines into the mix and you’ll need adaptable systems to support them – ones that allow you to maintain an up-to-the-minute record of who’s entering your premises, when and where.
Keeping the wrong people out is only half the mission: it’s also incumbent on businesses to ensure the right people are safe and supported while on the job.
Tools to make the task easy
It’s a lot for a security team to manage and a recipe for failure, in the absence of the right tools, namely unified security technology.
The term refers to an eco-system of security products that can be consolidated to allow them to operate as a single unit.
Implementing a centrally managed array of automated systems and sensors – think video analytics, LiDAR, automated licence plate recognition, geofencing, and drone detection, for example – can augment human oversight and enable a small number of trained professionals to maintain rigorous oversight of a sizeable and complex manufacturing operation.
Meanwhile, proactive security measures, such as alert systems that trigger when shift lengths are exceeded, can be deployed to minimise risk, support OHS compliance, and prevent industrial injuries and accidents.
With smarter systems and a more connected approach in place, assets can be rigorously secured and employees can work safely, efficiently and confidently.
Building a bigger, better future for your manufacturing business
Maintaining the security of their premises and operations will be an imperative for Australian manufacturing businesses, as they tackle the challenges and opportunities the new financial year has in store.
Harnessing the power of unified security technology makes it possible to improve your situational awareness, boost defences, and respond to and resolve security incidents appropriately, whenever, wherever and however they unfold.
If you’re a local manufacturer looking to build a sustainable, successful future for yourself and for the country, it’s an investment you can’t afford not to make.
