“I had to read the fax several times to make sure we had won our other contracts with the Defence Materiel Organisation. I was ecstatic. I was on a high,” he said.
Ronald, 27, single, with degrees from the University of Western Sydney and the University of Sydney, left a salaried position with a construction firm several years ago to take on the entrepreneurial challenge of the smallest of businesses.
And a very small business it is. Ronald, who has given himself the title of business manager, of Stantron Pty Ltd, in Castle Hill, is its only employee.
“It was daunting to take on the job; running a business on your own. Fortunately I have someone to call on for advice.”
Looking for opportunities, he checked with AusTender, the Australian government’s procurement information system, and found the Department of Defence personnel were looking for pumps to measure air quality during training exercises and while working on equipment.
He submitted three competitive tenders and won two for personal air sampling pumps and personal sound level metres, or noise dosimetres, manufactured in the UK by Casella Measurement, a leading global specialist in industrial hygiene and occupational health monitoring equipment, for which Stantron is the Australian distributor.
“They needed a kit that offered sufficient charging capabilities to allow the pumps to operate continually away from mains power for at least 12 hours, as well as the ability to sustain simultaneous charging of all pumps – the TUFF pump met those requirements and more.”
The design of the Casella unit was a key point in its favour, since its ruggedness allowed Defence personnel to take it out into difficult environments in the field.
It can be carried around easily by an individual or set up in a stationary location to carry out measurements.
In a media release Defence had this to say in awarding Stantron the contract for 180 pumps and 180 dosimetres: ”Robust design, high levels of accuracy and intelligent battery monitoring help ensure tender win for [a] prestigious contract”.
Ronald said beating high-profile competition was a genuine first step in “re-growing” the business which had faltered before his involvement.
“Stantron is a small player and the contract adds to our credibility in the marketplace,” he said.
Along with running the company, day-to-day, and planning its growth, such as, with its established clients at the top end of the mining industry and identifying new opportunities with smaller firms in the sector, Ronald’s drive demonstrates the get-up-and-go attitude characteristic of small business people.
“It is a 24/7 commitment. I am a one-man band. I’d love a secretary,” he said wistfully. As for work/life balance? “We, my girlfriend – who is 100 per cent understanding of the demands of my job – and I, do find time to go cycling and indoor rock climbing. But I am always on a timer, having to be somewhere, do something at a certain time.”
Stantron, in addition to being the Australian distributor of Casella Measurement, is the Australian and New Zealand representative for Hamamatsu and NF Corporation, with established customers including research and development organisations with government, universities and private sector companies in both Australia and New Zealand.
The Defence Materiel Organisation is part of the Department of Defence, and exists to meet Australian Defence Force’s military equipment and supply requirements as identified by Defence and approved by government.
