Meet the Team: Matt’s commitment to manufacturing innovation

We sit down with Hychem’s Production Manager, Matt Whittred, who shares his journey working at remote mine sites around the country as a tradesman, to the advanced manufacturing floor at our Brisbane headquarters.

From fly-in, fly-out work in the harsh South Australian coal seam gas plants as a sheet metal worker, to innovating as the Production Manager here at Hychem Infrastructure, Matt’s career is a testament to embracing new challenges.

Today, he leads the team responsible for manufacturing Hychem’s advanced composite systems, combining his trade background with a passion for innovation to deliver solutions that protect Australia’s most critical infrastructure into the future.

A hands-on journey to the cutting edge

Matt’s career began with a sheet metal apprenticeship just two weeks after high school, a trade that would eventually take him to the Moomba coal and gas seam plant in remote South Australia.

After four years of FIFO work, and too much time away from family, he returned to Brisbane where a conversation with mates took his career in an entirely different direction.

“Some friends working at Hychem, who I had known since high school, said they needed another site technician, so I jumped on board,” Matt explains.

“For the next four years, I travelled all around Australia as a site tech. The rest is history, I guess!”

In 2023, Matt was promoted to the role of Production Manager at Hychem’s Brisbane HQ, but his hands-on approach and on-site involvement remain a core part of his role.

“I definitely like a mix of being in the workshop and out in the field, which helps me to ensure our products are being installed correctly and it also allows me to keep thinking about ways to improve how we do things,” he says.

“When we’re producing our FRP products here in Brisbane, I’m on the floor with the team, working alongside them. It’s nice to be there to ensure the product quality is up to standard and I enjoy being hands-on. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Solving the challenges of tomorrow

A commitment to world-class quality is what drives Matt and his team, and he says it’s a passion shared across the business, from the workshop to the engineering department. He and his team are devoted to remaining one step ahead of the curve, creating solutions to the challenges of tomorrow.

“I really enjoy keeping up to speed with not just Australia, but the rest of the world in terms of our product quality,” he says.

“We need to stay one step ahead and look to constantly improve our products, which in my role means looking at innovative new manufacturing processes. It helps having in-house engineers that are equally passionate about the products we manufacture.”

An example of this innovation in practice is the use of advanced materials like carbon fibre, which Matt and the Hychem team introduced to withstand harsh Australian conditions.

“OurPLC 100.6 carbon jackets are an example of our innovative material selection and in that example, it was an Australian-first innovation,” Matt explains.

“In addition to our glass jackets, we now offer a carbon jacket designed specifically for sites where timber piles were used instead of concrete. This jacket allows us to offer a product that’s stronger and will deliver a far longer service life”.

Matt also pioneered the shift from a traditional hand lay-up method to infusion manufacturing form any of their products. This ensures their products have 20-40% stronger tensile and flexural strength, while also enhancing the manufacturing tolerances capable.

“The shift to infusion has so many perks, but really it’s about taking proven systems and making them even better for local conditions,” he says.

The same commitment to innovation is applied to the team’s customer service, striving to find solutions for seemingly impossible challenges. Recently, the team’s dedication was put to the test on a project that required an incredibly fast turnaround for a 95-metre bridge repair in New South Wales.

“We only had seven weeks to manufacture 1.2 kilometres of our PileMedic carbon jacket, as installation could only be carried out during a brief bridge closure,” Matt says.

“Our team stepped up, providing a world-class solution with a quick turnaround for the client, but it was all hands on deck!”

Collaboration is key

For Matt, what truly sets Hychem apart is its people-focused culture, and he believes this translates to exceptional customer service.

“Hychem’s customer service is where we really stand out, and I really think it’s the result of such a passionate, knowledgeable team driving that constant improvement” he says.

“The amount of positive feedback we receive for going the extra mile, whether it’s the sales team getting their hands dirty on site or our engineers doing drawings late into the night, is incredible. We’re a small team, but we all help each other and we’re all here to lend a hand, from management down to the manufacturing floor.”

Matt offers a unique blend of hands-on experience as a tradesman who has travelled the country sharing Hychem’s solutions, as well as extensive manufacturing knowledge as our Production Manager. Needless to say, Matt’s a critical component of Hychem’s local success.

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