Laminex celebrates its 90th anniversary

In 1934, Robert Sykes founded Laminex with the onjective of producing and supplying Australians with decorative laminates. Now in its 90th year, the company has an extensive product range including modern laminates, acrylic surfaces, wall panelling products and more.

Over nine decades, the company has grown and established several brands under the Laminex umbrella including Formica, Surround by Laminex and Hi-Macs.

Laminex manufactures 97 percent of its products in Australia at seven manufacturing plants across four states - Victoria, New South Wales (NSW), Western Australia (WA) and Queensland (QLD).

The first plant was established in 1952 in Cheltenham, Victoria. Today, the Cheltenham plant produces high-pressure laminate, compact laminate, and wet-area panelling. In Ballarat, Victoria, develop decorated medium density fibreboard (MDF) for cabinetry doors, prefinished doors and benchtops. The Bathurst, NSW, plant produces a range of partitioning and locker systems, while in Dardanup, WA, and Gympie, QLD, raw particleboard and MDF are manufactured.

"As a proudly Australian-owned and operated company for 90 years, local manufacturing is paramount to us at Laminex," said Sacha Leagh-Murray, general manager of sales and marketing at Laminex. "It is evident now more than ever that manufacturing in Australia is crucial to the success of our economy, with the added advantage of shorter supply times, greater opportunity for quality control and the ability to support local communities and create more jobs for Australians."

As Laminex has expanded, its dedication to sustainability and responsible manufacturing practices has also grown. In 2005, the company was the first Australian manufacturer to have products supported by a Green Star rating. The company has made efforts to reduce its energy consumption and environmental footprint by establishing several solar farms at strategic manufacturing sites, including Gympie, Bathurst and Ballarat.

Laminex now also facilitates collaborative projects with design studios, tasking the practices to creatively experiment with Laminex products and incorporate them within various environments. Both YSG Studio and Studio Doherty have collaborated with the company on such projects.