Skillsone goes and learns where those common household whitegoods we all have at home actually come from – and who puts them together. Where do those whitegoods in our home actually come from? Who puts them together and how do they do it? We’ll meet a couple of people who work at the Electrolux factory in Orange, both at different stages in their careers, who are involved in putting together those machines in our homes that we all use every day.

About Electrolux:

Electrolux is a leading household appliances company that markets its products under several brands – Electrolux, Westinghouse, Simpson, Chef and Dishlex. The Electrolux Group is one of the world’s largest producers of appliances for both domestic and commercial use.

While some products are imported into Australia from Europe, China and South-East Asia, many are produced right here in Australia at their factory in Orange. The factory in Orange is dedicated to manufacturing fridges and freezers only.

About Chris Cameron:

Chris is a Refrigeration Mechanic for Electrolux and studied industrial design at Uni, eventually getting his masters in engineering. The job at Electrolux came up in mechanical engineering. He applied and was offered the role, and decided to leave Sydney and moved to Orange for it. He works mostly with parts looking at cost reduction, which involves looking at new low cost suppliers, re-designing parts to be more efficient and better value. He’s been there three and a half years.

About Chris Preen:

Chris is a Tool Maker at the factory, focusing on tool modification and manufacturing. He did a four year apprenticeship with Electrolux and is now into his second year as a qualified tool maker. He thinks it was a great place to do an apprenticeship as there is a variety of work to do and many highly skilled people to learn from. He’s always enjoyed working with his hands and his father, grandfather and uncle are also tool makers. He believes it’s an excellent apprenticeship for young people as it gives you a solid base from which to build a career on. While he’s happy with what he’s doing at present, he knows there are opportunities for him to progress higher within the factory or even move into engineering.