Australian made, always available: Kreepy Krauly’s local commitment

If you’ve visited the shops recently you will have noticed there are more things than just toilet paper missing from the shelves.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown it triggered have exposed the limits of Australia’s supply chains – particularly our reliance on cheap goods manufactured in places like China.

But with borders closed and international trade slowed to a trickle, all of a sudden retailers and businesses that rely on imported goods are struggling to stay in stock.

A prominent example is Kmart’s popular air fryer, which is being sold out across the country while the chain struggles to source replacements to keep up with demand.

In a statement, Kmart said: “Some of the countries where we manufacture our physical products were also put into lockdown at this time, putting production of some of our goods on hold for a period of time.”¹

Family owned for over 40 years, Kreepy Krauly is proudly Australian made with stock always available.

And as Australia recovers from COVID-19, it’s vital that we heed its lessons, particularly when it comes to the importance of supporting local businesses and manufacturing.

Advance Australian Made

In recent years, many businesses and consumers embraced cheap, overseas made goods. After all, before COVID interrupted our lives, we were all much busier with little time to think about where products came from.

But the price we have paid is that local manufacturing has been eroded, and the quality of many goods has fallen, meaning we buy things cheaply then throw them away.

In the new post-COVID world, efforts are being made to wean Australia off its reliance on overseas made goods in the long term.

But that could take some time. And for the foreseeable future, products manufactured overseas in countries like China will no longer be as readily available as they were before the virus hit.

In this new retail environment, it’s vital for people to stop and think about where products come from, and choose Australian Made wherever possible.

The more locally made products we buy, the more retailers will choose to stock them, and that will create jobs and opportunities that we need to help Australia recover.

But it also feels good to buy locally. Because you know your money is helping local jobs and supporting a quality product that lasts.

After all, when we go to the supermarket, there’s a big push for people to know where their fruit and vegetables and meat comes from, and locally sourced food is being embraced far and wide.

Keep Australia working

A few decades ago, most of the goods we bought in the shops were made onshore. Holdens and Fords were built locally, and everything from the washing machine to the kitchen sink was made in Australia.

Then over the years things slowly changed as international trade opened up, and ‘globalisation’ became the buzzword.

But now, with the shelves stripped bare of overseas made products due to the impact of COVID-19, we can see with clarity just how reliant we have become on overseas products.

At the same time, the pandemic has reminded us of the importance of our families and of having strong connections within our local communities.

As we emerge from this unprecedented time, it’s a great opportunity to make some positive changes in the way we do things – and buying Australian Made is an easy step that can have a big impact.

Products like Kreepy Krauly’s range of automatic pool cleaners are Australian manufactured, which means customers receive better service from local suppliers, and better support from local experts.

And by supporting an Australian Made product, you help provide local jobs that benefit the Australian economy, train the next generation and keep manufacturing and design skills and expertise onshore.

Kreepy Krauly is always ready to work

During COVID, the local team at Kreepy Krauly continued operations safely to ensure we had an ample supply of Australian Made pool cleaning products ready for the next swim season.

Fully stocked, you can rest assured your new Aussie Made Kreepy Krauly will be in stock at your local pool shop.

Because as we embrace this “new normal,” it’s nice to know that some things never change, like Kreepy Krauly’s commitment to local jobs, local smarts, and local service.

We’ve been proudly making our products in Australia for over 40 years and it’s fair to say our pool cleaners have become Aussie icons.

So if you want to change Australia for the better, you can always start in your own backyard – or the pool!

To support Aussie products and local pool shop businesses, click here.