Future Prospects

Real Regional Stories

Building a bright future

Whether it’s establishing new export markets or expanding an already comprehensive product range, Toowoomba advanced manufacturer TUFF Australia is ready to capitalise on the next wave of economic growth and prosperity coming to the region. 

CEO Anton Griffiths sees a wealth of opportunities for his business and other manufacturers in the years ahead. 

“What Toowoomba has done over the last 20 years is quite extraordinary and I think what we have planned for the next 20 to 30 years is even more extraordinary,” Griffiths says. 

“With the economic growth that is forecast for the region, things like wind farms, solar farms, the new Boeing facility, Inland Rail, the new hospital - there’s a whole range of new projects and new growth coming to Toowoomba. 

TUFF Australia proudly manufactures 4x4 accessories and a wide range of agricultural and off-road products, using industry leading technology including laser cutting equipment and 3D printing. 

TUFF is breaking into the lucrative American market after successfully exporting its gear to the likes of South Africa, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and parts of Europe. 

“If there’s an opportunity, we’ll take it,” Griffiths says. 

“America is the first market where we’ve taken the front step to push it ourselves rather than waiting for it to come to us. 

“We opened an office in Texas last year, piggybacking off other Toowoomba businesses that have also opened offices in Weatherford.” 

He said it was easy to get boots on the ground in Texas and transport staff from Weatherford back to Toowoomba for training or product development. 

“It’s very easy to send stuff anywhere in the world from here. From a transport point of view,  even for myself getting to Weatherford in Texas, I can fly direct from Wellcamp to Sydney, jump on a 15 hour flight and you’re there.” 

Griffiths says no matter how the new American market goes the company will still make most of its products on the Darling Downs, because of the many benefits of manufacturing locally. 

“We think it’s still much more cost effective to make the product here, we have more control over the quality of the product, more access to easier supply chains in Toowoomba and getting it to America is not going to be hard,” he says. 

Looking to the future, Griffiths believes the quality and diversity of career options in the Toowoomba region will continue to grow. 

“From an industry point of view, there’s so much opportunity because there are so many companies headquartered here or who are putting offices here now.

“My son can finish here at a great school and go and work for Boeing, or come and work at Tuff. By then we might have three, four, five hundred staff. 

“We don’t know what we’ll be building then, we might be building stuff for Boeing, or Boeing could build stuff for us, you never know what’s going to happen. 

“Any individual who has some sense of drive, there would be any role here in Toowoomba - they don’t need to go anywhere else to fulfil that job need.

Reflecting on the growth of his business over two decades, Griffiths says TUFF’s success was a testament to what’s possible in the Toowoomba region. 

“The fact that 22 years ago, a family of immigrants can come over from Africa and buy a business with two or three staff and grow it to a business with over 150 staff, all out of Toowoomba is a credit to not just the staff working here and the management team here, but also the town itself. 

“The fact the town can facilitate business like that growing to that level, and we’re just one of many that have done that in Toowoomba.”