Digga rises from the ashes

In March 2016, an electrical fault sparked a fire in the manufacturing facility of local machinery attachment specialist Digga, located in Yatala (QLD).

While the blaze was brought under control quickly, the main offices and facility suffered major smoke damage and had to be rebuilt and refurbished.

Almost 11 months later, Digga's new offices are nearing completion and the company will soon be fully back on its feet.

"When we had the fire and everything was destroyed, it could've been easy for the owners to go overseas and produce over there, but they chose to spend the money to keep manufacturing in Australia," says Digga marketing manager, Lionel Smitka.

"It's very expensive to manufacture in Australia, but they're committed to it."

Digga employs over 200 staff in Australia and the company has decided to keep every single employee on the books despite the mishap.

"At the end of the day, it's not 200 people that we employ, it's 200 families that need support," says Smitka.

"It's a great commitment by the owners to keep things running the way they are."

Digga's facility will remain at its original address at 4 Octal Street in Yatala, but with new office space, new warehouse layout, and even new desks and chairs for the staff.

"The biggest change would be the flow of the factory. The way the factory has been set up now means everything flows a lot better and we will be more productive," Smitka says.

"While we still have the same amount of staff and equipment, we'll be able to produce 30 to 50 per cent more than we do currently."

Due to the fire, Digga has purchased new equipment for its facility including new painting machines, robotic welders, CNC machines and state-of-the-art laser cutting machines.

According to Smitka, about 80 per cent of the components on Digga's products are manufactured by the company, while non-crucial parts such as screws and bolts are sourced from other suppliers.

Some of the products Digga manufactures and distributes in Australia include trenchers, augers, buckets, forks, blades and more.

In addition to its facility in QLD, Digga also has smaller facilities in Victoria and NSW, as well as overseas in the UK and US.

Besides machinery attachments, Digga also manufactures the Kanga Loader brand of machinery out of its Queensland facility since purchasing it seven years ago.

Kanga Loaders' equipment caters to hobby farmers and land owners wanting to do a bit of earthmoving work around the property.

The revamped facility is expected to be fully functional by end of February.

"While it's unfortunate we had the fire and it's been a tough 10 months, the future looks great," Smitka concluded.