Delivering comprehensive workwear solutions to australian industries

F

or decades, Blackwoods has been the supplier of choice providing workwear apparel solutions across Australian industries. Customers in the mining sector depend on a supplier that can not only deliver critical industrial and safety equipment, but providing an end-to-end clothing and uniform solution, is something that very few suppliers can effectively manage.

Blackwoods has an extensive workwear range, which is a result of partnering with market-leading brands including Hard Yakka, King Gee, as well as creating their own brand, Workhorse. This provides unrivalled choice to customers and offers the latest in design and innovation by a dedicated apparel team on hand to work closely with customers to ensure fit-for-purpose solutions.

Industry proven knowledge of Australian working conditions has led to Blackwoods having the right range to meet the unique demands of the mining industry. From the hot and humid conditions experienced by employees above the 26th parallel to the cooler climates of Tasmania, whether it is maternity wear, bespoke smelter clothing or fire-retardant styles, Blackwoods has the right apparel offer to meet the needs of end-users.

A dedicated apparel team with over 130 years of combined workwear experience is committed to bringing the best workwear to its customers. The apparel team is at the forefront of new product development, in-house embroidery capabilities, technology and innovations within the industry that improve wearer safety and comfort whilst ensuring industry standards are strictly adhered to.

An in-house capability to both design and source allows Blackwoods to provide fit-for-purpose products to suit a wide range of mining applications for men, women and maternity. From off-shelf to fully customised solutions, the team provides a compliant solution that customers need to stay safe.

A full range of embroidery services are available including logo embroidery, ironed/sewn on badges, name embroidery, customised and special events embroidery.

Backed by a national footprint with five dedicated embroidery operations that are structured to manage high volumes, means customer apparel and embroidery requirements are conveniently stocked in one place. Blackwoods also offers branding services including logo digitising, screen printing, screen and digital print transfers.

As Australia’s largest supplier of MRO, industrial and safety products, Blackwoods is proud to be a business at the forefront of supporting women in the workforce. It continues to work with its suppliers and customers to develop broader clothing and footwear ranges that meet the needs of a modern workplace.

It’s been proven that having a gender-neutral workforce has many benefits for an organisation and its employees from improved workplace safety, increased productivity and profits to improved workplace culture and employee mental health, all of which add to business viability in the long term. With this, there is an increasing demand for stylish, female specific safety clothing, which means long gone are the days of gender-neutral clothing, where choosing a women’s work shirt often simply meant choosing a small men’s size.

By working closely with established safety brands such as Workhorse, Oliver Footwear and KingGee, Blackwoods has influenced the production of safety clothing tailored specifically to the fit and style preferences of women in the workforce.

More importantly, these lines allow female workers to feel as comfortable and confident in their PPE as their male counterparts, but a significant development to come from these advancements is the resulting improvement to safety. These better fitting garments are encouraging people to always wear their PPE as intended, eliminating the need for alterations or the desire to forego their safety gear completely.

Blackwoods’ Australian developed brand, Workhorse, recognised this shift and has the expertise of ex-Country Road designer Cahal Callanan, heading up the ANZ Apparel Program. “Across the industry we’ve seen a significant shift in the number of non-work-wear brands now offering work-wear ranges, but it’s important to not underestimate the technical specifications that need to be incorporated into high quality safety work wear”, says Callanan.

Sarnia Hobson, Head of Quality, Compliance and Sustainability for Blackwoods, talks about the governance and supplier due diligence program that is embedded within Blackwoods.

“Understanding our suppliers’ commitments and performance across multiple operational areas such as responsible business practices, quality and sustainability, allows us to better support our customer expectations and coupled with our in-house technical expertise and site visits, delivers on our customer objectives,” said Hobson.

Blackwoods is committed to continuously improving the quality, ethical & social compliance practices within their exclusive brand manufacturing facilities, to deliver sustainable solutions that protect our brands and the well-being of workers and their communities. This is also echoed in the engagement and messaging with strategic National Brands.

"Blackwoods opposes the use of modern slavery practices and are committed to the ongoing journey of reducing and eradicating the risk of modern slavery practices in our supply chains" says Hobson, who adds “As part of our governance framework, KPI’s such as audits, remediation of compliance criticalities and training deliverables are reported annually, and published via the Wesfarmers Sustainability Report which is independently audited.”

Blackwoods

1 Bellevue Circuit

Greystanes

NSW 2145

Tel: +61 13 73 23

Web: www.blackwoods.com.au 

Email: sydney@blackwoods.com.au