Meet Leitz Tooling Systems
Family-owned global manufacturer, Leitz, nears 150-years of providing quality services to customers
One of Bayswater Business Precinct’s (BBP) objectives is to understand the businesses in the precinct and connect with opportunities throughout the region. The BBP hosts students who are interested in manufacturing, marketing and supply chains. Today we visited Leitz Tooling System’s Australian head office, located in the BBP, to find out what they do.
Founded in 1876 by Albert Leitz in Oberkochen, Germany, Leitz is a family business in its fifth generation that manufactures and services tools for the wood, plastics and advanced materials processing industries. While still headquartered in Germany, the business is now operating globally in over 150 countries and is the world leading manufacturer of quality saws and cutting tools. Leitz has 100 servicing locations and over 1000 employees worldwide. In 2022, the Leitz Australia and New Zealand head office in Bayswater recently celebrated it’s 30-year anniversary of operation.
Leitz has a robust supply chain, linking with the company’s international headquarters in Germany where industry leading tools are made in Leitz own factories. However, to enable speed to the local market, the Bayswater head office has the facilities to manufacture a selection of tooling onsite, to the same high-quality specifications set by the German parent company as well as being accredited with the Australian Made logo. Leitz pride themselves on their exceptional customer service with tooling solutions tailored to each customer’s requirements by experienced Technical Representatives and tool servicing complete within a week’s turnaround.
The business primarily focuses on supplying the construction industry and has strong relationships with its client base, consisting of both smaller operators as well as many multinational construction brands. In the past few years, the pandemic has not dampened Leitz’s growth. In fact, just the opposite, the construction boom has contributed to their increasing market share.
During the tour, we saw the innovative machinery used at Leitz, learnt about their quality control for precision tool sharpening, as well as methods towards being an environmentally sustainable business. Plastic packaging has been replaced with paper and cardboard all of which gets reused or recycled. The factory has also invested in renewable energy generation and monitors this throughout the peaks and troughs of the energy cycle to provide stable energy to the machinery facilities. Most recently, Leitz has implemented a carbide recycling program throughout Australia and New Zealand, where customers can submit their old carbide tools for recycling (which normally would have gone into landfill) with all proceeds of the recyclable material donated to a local partner charity.
Leitz Australia’s head office is located in BBP – Bayswater Business Precinct view their website to find out more Leitz in Australia | Leitz
Written by Antony Scarborough.