Ari Zaharopoulos is celebrating a significant milestone of 25 years working with Street Furniture Australia.
Throughout his career he has processed an estimated 1.5 million battens.
“If you have sat on a Street Furniture Australia seat or bench – anywhere around the country and overseas – the battens were likely processed by Ari,” says Head of Operations Christopher Morgan.
Ari joined the company in 1995, when the factory was “much smaller,” he says, and located in Bourke Street, Alexandria. Production later moved to Buckland Street, Alexandria, before the upgrade to the Regents Park premises in Western Sydney.
“There’s a lot more room to move now,” Ari says, “and the way we do things has become more and more efficient.”
Batten drilling, for example, was originally done manually, with one hole made at a time. Ari now performs the job via a jig that allows for multiple holes at a time, and can be programmed to different product requirements.
Innovations like these have helped the factory go from producing around 15-20 seats a day in 1995 to a capacity of 70-100 seats in 2021 – though this would only occur for very large jobs, as each product is made-to-order just before dispatch.
This ‘just in time’ manufacturing is a component of the Toyota LEAN philosophy, which Street Furniture Australia has adopted to eliminate waste and maximise efficiency on the factory floor.
The factory is often used as an exemplar case study by Best Practice Network meetings for NSW and interstate manufacturers looking to improve their own production facilities and processes.
Ari in his 25 years with the company has worked in just about every area of production – starting in the welding area, moving to assembly and assisting in spray painting – however batten processing has always been his favourite.
“We have a really good team in the batten area, and on the floor right now in general,” he says. “One of our newer employees, Dom, wants to try for 2 million battens and take my title. He’s got a long way to catch up, but I think that’s a really good sign for the future of the company.”
To celebrate the unveiling of the Piatto Chair at our annual product launch party with AILA NSW in Sydney, Jazz at The Mint, clients were invited to enter this quirky contest. The competition called for teams to incorporate Piatto Chairs into an ‘Awkward Family Photo’ portrait, for a chance to win Piatto Chairs of their very own. Congratulations to the creative crew from Yerrabingin, who delivered the strongest awkward family vibes on the night. Highly commended goes to the entrants below, and the full photo gallery from the event is available for viewing. Please contact marketing@streetfurniture.com if you would like to request a high res file to print and frame for your best room.
Clients from Sydney, Adelaide, California and Texas joined Street Furniture Australia and AILA NSW to celebrate the unveiling of new products on March 14, 2024, with margaritas and live music. Jazz at The Mint is an annual product launch held at The Mint, an iconic site in the heart of the Sydney CBD. It is an elegant affair and a unique opportunity to connect with landscape architects and built environment professionals at a global scale. This year’s party featured the new Linea Planter System and upcoming Piatto Chair, a single-seater hybrid between cafe and robust public space furniture – available now for specifications. The gathering was opened by Uncle Allan Murray, representing the Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council, with speeches from: Ben Stockwin, AILA CEO, acknowledged the 10 year relationship with …
The Street Furniture Australia factory, in Regents Park, Western Sydney, is both a manufacturing hub and R&D studio for our Australian-designed and made street furniture products. We run fun and informative group events for customers throughout the year, to share how products are designed, tested and built, and the latest products and projects. This tour is open to design specifiers such as landscape architects and architects, and place custodians including Councils, government agencies, developers and other place managers. Director of Tract Julie Lee said: “It was a great opportunity for our team to look behind the scenes and understand the innovation, research and climate positive outcomes Street Furniture Australia is focusing on. Thank you for having us!” Place Design Group Associate, Liam Isaksen, said: “The factory tour is a fun …
Industry publication Architecture & Design reviewed Street Furniture Australia’s sustainability practices and “comprehensive approach to responsible design, waste minimisation and recyclability, repair and spare parts, and sustainable timber.” Our team was thrilled to see the below article published on September 9, 2020. All standard products are made-to-order at our Australian factory, under an environmental strategy centred around only bringing quality products into the urban environment. Streetwise and sustainable Public places are an essential space for so many different reasons and activities. They help to connect and refresh while often providing respite from the daily workplace routine. Public places are also highly accessible and evolve over time as communities and individuals enjoy the positive qualities of urban landscapes. Yet these spaces involve more than sharply designed lawns, concrete or paving punctuated …
Street Furniture Australia is launching a new Integrated Management System to include ISO certifications in quality, OH&S, sustainability and the environment. The system certified by QAS International is designed to meet the requirements of PAS99:2012 including Quality Management ISO 9001:2015, Environmental Management ISO 14001:2015, and OH&S Management ISO 45001:2018 and AS/NZS 4801:2001. The certification will further strengthen our program of continuous improvement, says Christopher Morgan, Street Furniture Australia Operations Manager, with 24 small audits leading up to the annual audit in 12 months’ time. “It’s not a rubber stamp that’s awarded once, it’s a system you need to continuously upgrade and improve,” he says. The three months of work leading up to the certification has brought the entire team closer, he tells StreetChat. “ISO is a great process as it …
See a pdf of the Company Director article, ‘This urban space designer attributes 3 factors to its 30-year success’. The July 2018 issue of Company Director Magazine features an interview with Street Furniture Australia founders Bill Morrison and Darrel Conybeare. The article looks at Street Furniture Australia’s continuous development and innovation over our 30-year history and today with smart city projects and additive manufacturing. The digital version begins, “This urban space designer attributes three factors to its 30-year success: keep your focus on the customer, make the most of data and commit to R&D.” The magazine is published by the Australian Institute of Company Directors. ‘Word on the Street’ article in the print edition of Company Director Magazine, published July 2018. See a pdf of the Company Director article, ‘This urban space designer attributes …
