This pet bed factory is as eco-friendly as their products
When one of Australia’s biggest pet bed manufacturers moved into a new building in Melbourne’s Cheltenham, they saw that as the perfect opportunity to work with their landlord on a fit-out that would exactly embody their ethos.
That meant as well as making their Snooza HQ as eco-friendly as their products, they’d be offering their manufacturing staff exactly the same amenities and comfort as their office and sales workers.
“That’s an important part of our culture,” said marketing director Luis Albornoz. “Our building is our workshop, shopfront, HQ and manufacturing base, so we needed a multipurpose environment. We built a kitchen that everyone has access to and used a glass wall as you walk in so they could see into the office and showroom, just like customers could see the products being made.
“There’s no demarcation, and it’s all about transparency – literally! In our old building, in summer, it was often warmer in the sheds than outside, but now we have created an environment that’s much more comfortable for everyone, wherever they work in the building.”
While they’re located at 59 Grange Road, the whole of the Cheltenham suburb is a great area for industrial property, say agents. A major centre, closer to the city than the major industrial metropolis of Dandenong, it’s much more convenient for businesses and customers.
“Its real strength is its location relative to the affluent suburbs of Brighton, Sandringham, Hampton and Beaumaris,” said Sam Hibbins of Colliers International Melbourne East, who’s leasing a 2800-square-metre factory and warehouse in Cheltenham at 363-369 Warrigal Road for $295,000 net per annum. “So it’s great for both industrial and a showroom.”
Jeffrey Richardson of Richardson French agrees it’s an excellent industrial area. “Most of the old industrial real estate in the older part of Cheltenham has been in redevelopment or bowled over for new houses or commercial, so there is a limited supply,” said Richardson, who’s leasing a number of sites, including a 249-square-metre factory or warehouse at 140-148 Chesterville Road for $2750 a calendar month.
“It’s an incredibly popular area. It tends to now be more modern-day users in modern factories or the services and distribution industry rather than old-fashioned hardcore manufacturing.”
Snooza certainly fits into that category, as they’ve been manufacturing their beds for dogs and cats – and any other creatures that need a comfortable sleeping place – since 1989 and are now considered the market leaders in Australia.
With the pandemic turbo-charging the pet industry, they’ve now also just produced their second season of dog apparel, in addition to their beds, compostable poo bags and wipes.
But the contemporary fit-out of their new premises, just five minutes away from their previous base in Bayside, has proved a triumph in giving staff a greater sense of space, natural light and unity and visiting customers – both humans and dogs – a much more streamlined experience. In addition, they provide a showcase for eco-friendliness in the commercial and industrial space.
The whole building is powered by solar energy, with the welding instruments the only items that have to use gas, and 90 per cent of the furniture and equipment in the office have been upcycled and diverted from landfill, including the glass, desks, tables, lights, air-conditioning units and PA and music system.
“We’re very proud of that,” said Albornoz. “We wanted our building to reflect how environmentally friendly our pet beds are. too. We encourage people to preserve the life of their products and offer a repair service for our beds, since some dogs love their beds to death.
“We also make them high quality and modular so that people can replace the parts that can’t be repaired. Some of our products also use recycled drink bottles, and we use Australian wool or jute, which is sustainable and compostable, and locally produced steel.”
The beds are welded, sewn and assembled on the premises, with pet owners often bringing their puppies or dogs in to try the beds, while the cat beds were developed in consultation with the Australian quarantine services, which tried and tested them out.
As for the workplace, everyone couldn’t be happier. “It’s created this really open sense of space where the guys making our products aren’t out of sight and out of mind at all,” Albornoz said. “Instead, everyone is seen as being integral to the success of the company.
“We wanted to create an environment, too, where people would want to come to work. Providing a comfortable workplace for everyone was very important.”
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