Why Local Manufacturing Matters: Insights from Steve Wickens

Steve Wickens is Latham Australia’s General Manager. We recently interviewed Steve as part of our ‘Meet the Team’ series. 

“As the General Manager, my role includes operations, finance, manufacturing, and support of our experienced sales team. I’ve been with Lathams for over five years now, but the company itself has been around a lot longer; over 70 years, in fact. What we do is very specific, but also incredibly important: we manufacture custom architectural fittings, primarily for commercial and public buildings, with an emphasis on flooring systems” said Steve.  

Who We Are. Who We Serve 

Latham is a proudly Australian-owned and operated, multi-generational family business based in Gladesville, NSW. We design and manufacture mechanical expansion joint covers, stair treads and nosings, Neoprene floor strips, tactile indicators, and entry mats. All the detail you see every day in airports, shopping centres, and public infrastructure but probably don’t stop to notice. Yet they’re critical to how these spaces function safely, reliably, and aesthetically. 

Our products serve building owners and occupiers, but our conversations start with architects, engineers, and designers, or the specifiers. They include our products in designs, knowing Latham’s reputation for quality and longevity. Once a project is live, we work with the builders and trades, who install what we manufacture. 

Why Australian Manufacturing Matters 

There’s real value in being Australian made. Because we manufacture locally, we’re not exposed to the kind of supply chain vulnerabilities that can derail a project. We carry a massive and diverse inventory of raw materials, so we can custom-build to order, often at short notice to meet the exact specifications of any job. 

Local manufacturing means we stay close to the quality. We know exactly what’s going into every product. Our warranty isn’t just a piece of paper. It’s a reflection of decades of performance. Throughout my time at Lathams, no client has ever had to redeem a warranty claim on our products, because they simply don’t fail. That’s a powerful claim, and one that we can back with experience. 

A Tailored Fit, Every Time

We don’t mass-produce stock to sit on shelves and hope it fits someone’s plans. Almost everything we make is produced to order, much like a tailored suit. Whether it’s a stair tread with custom abrasive insert colours, a tactile indicator array that blends perfectly with its surrounding surface, or a multi-directional expansion joint for seismic, thermal or geotechnical movement, we make what the customer needs. 

And because we’ve invested in capability, the people who’ve been with us for decades deliver at the highest quality, accurately and consistently. 

Innovation That’s Built In 

We’re a manufacturer, but at our core, we’re design engineers. Over the years, we’ve developed new products in response to both market demand and specific client requests. Sometimes that’s as simple as offering a new finish, like a woodgrain effect on aluminium. Other times, it’s more complex, like creating trench covers for a flight simulator’s control wiring, or drainage-integrated expansion joints for public plazas. 

Innovation at Latham doesn’t mean chasing trends. It means understanding how buildings move, how people move through them, and how our products can quietly support both. 

Some Iconic Installations

Because we’ve been doing this for decades, we’ve had the privilege of working on landmark installations.

Our stair nosings are in the Sydney Opera House. Our joint systems are in the High Court and National Library in Canberra. Overseas, you’ll find our work in Changi Airport across all five terminals, the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, and even at the Australian War Memorial in Hyde Park Corner, London.

This is evidence not only of our worldwide reputation for quality engineering, but for longevity and aesthetic value as well, in these truly iconic installations.  

The People Behind the Product 

We’re not a faceless corporation. We’re a team, many of whom have worked here for 20 years or more. We make things the right way, with skilled hands and smart processes, not just machines. We support jobs, invest in our staff, and treat them well. That’s part of being a responsible Australian manufacturer. 

Working in a family business like Latham is also a point of difference. Adam and Dane Latham, who lead the business today, are smart, steady and level-headed. They provide clear strategy, consistency, and everyone from the directors through to the manufacturing floor share the same genuine commitment to doing things right. 

Looking Forward 

After more than 70 years, Latham is now into its fourth generation. We’ve stayed true to our values: build well, stand behind what we sell, and support those who build our cities and public spaces. With new materials, evolving standards, and ever more ambitious architecture, there’s no shortage of opportunity to grow and adapt. 

And given the strength of our legacy, our local manufacturing roots, and our ability to meet complex demands, we expect to be doing this for another 70 years and beyond. 

About Latham Australia  

Latham has been manufacturing premium quality flooring products in Sydney, Australia for 70 years. End-to-end control and oversight of procurement, manufacturing, and quality control results in the industry’s most reliable and high-performing products.  

The name Latham is synonymous with quality and Latham have been the recipient of over 30 awards including numerous Australian Design Awards. Latham products can be found in many prestigious buildings around the world including the Sydney Opera House, Singapore’s Changi Airport Terminals and the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur.    

To find out more about Latham products, please visit latham-australia.com. To talk to a Latham product expert, call 1300 LATHAM (528 426) or email sales@latham-australia.com