Ararat Advertiser August 10, 2007 

AME Celebrates 30 years  It was celebrations all round at AME Systems in Ararat this week with the company now being part of Ararat for the past 30 years. AME’s longest serving team member Greg Hinchliffe and AME Systems general manager Christian Carthew joined in the celebrations.

Company AME Systems this week celebrated 30 years in Ararat.

From a humble team of five this multi-million dollar company now employs a total of 340 people and is Ararat’s largest employer.

AME Systems General Manager, Chris Carthew said he was proud the company had reached this milestone.

“I don’t think the last generation really expected it to get this big,” Mr Carthew said.

AME Systems started out in a garage located in the outer suburbs of Melbourne in 1972.

In 1977 the small team of five relocated to Ararat.

Christian’s father Peter Carthew , AME Systems managing director decided to relocate the business to Ararat.

Peter and his then partner looked all around the state at many regional locations and decided on Ararat,” Mr Carthew said.

They came up and had a look at Gasons and spoke to the Ararat council. They found Ararat had a real willingness to support them.

“The education system and the facilities of Ararat gave them confidence and being on the highway to Adelaide was also very important, giving access to markets.

“Having said all that the biggest driver to decentralise was basically a quality of life choice – a great place to bring up a family.”

Ararat Systems first Ararat site was in Queen Street , then the business moved across to the council shed on the corner of Beveridge and Lowe Streets in 1978, before moving to the current site in Gordon Street .

Today the 340 Staff, come from Ararat, Stawell, Beaufort, Moyston, Great Western, Maroona, Rhymney, Ross Bridge , Concongella, Mt.Cole, Westmere, Willaura, Warrak, Elmhurst , Streatham, Pomonal, Avoca and Trawalla to work at the company.

In addition to the local team, there are 15 employees working from AME’s Melbourne office.

“We chose to go into good niche markets,” Mr Carthew said.

“Now we are the biggest (producers of electrical wiring harnesses, power and signal distribution systems) in the Southern Hemisphere.

“What we do is quite unique, we produce lots of low volume parts.”

AME Systems produces more than 2,200 different parts last year, in total it shipped around 420,000 different parts.

Over the years AME Systems has received many awards for it’s commitment to quality product and quality employment, the business was even inducted into the Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame.

Mr Carthew said the business success could not have been achieved without its employees.

“AME Systems is a family business, and we like to think of everyone with a role in the company as being part of that family,” he said.

AME managing director is Christian’s father Peter Carthew and the family connection doesn’t end there, on the factory floor there are many relationships.

“Being in small town, there were all sorts of crazy relationships,” Mr Carthew said.

“There are husbands and wives, mothers and daughters, at one stage we even had twins working in the same section!”

The AME Systems family celebrated the company’s Ararat birthday with cake and donuts.

Mr Carthew said in celebrating the company’s Ararat birthday he wanted to say thankyou to all the people that helped AME reach the milestone.

“Congratulations and happy birthday to the current team and also those who have contributed to the organisation over the years,” Mr Carthew said.

“A lot of people have come and spent time at AME and all contributed to what we are now. We look forward to adding value to the community through seeking and gaining future opportunities that will keep us busy for the next 30 years and beyond.”

 Mr Carthew put AME Systems’ success down to three things.

“Good decisions over the years, having a good team of people and a touch of good fortune,” he said.