WA Premier opens state-of-the-art swimming pool manufacturing plant

WA Premier Colin Barnett officially opened Aquatic Leisure Technologies’ new manufacturing plant in Jandakot, Perth in January, which is being hailed as Australia’s largest fibreglass swimming pool production facility.

Aquatic Leisure Technologies (ALT) had been previously based in Welshpool, but have now relocated to the Jandakot Airport precinct. The new facility manufactures fibreglass pools for key Western Australian brands Aqua Technics, Buccaneer Pools and Sapphire Pools.

The new facility also manufactures swimming pools for their rural, interstate and international agents.

Building in excess of 2500 fibreglass swimming pools annually, ALT was the first company worldwide to introduce and patent Pool ColourGuard, a revolutionary process which guarantees that pools won’t fade.

In opening the facility, the Premier praised the family owned business for innovation and diversity in an ever-competing market.

“A backyard swimming pool is very much part of the West Australian way of life. Manufacturing is not easy in Western Australia and the fact that Aquatic Leisure Technologies have been able to persevere for nearly 40 years and to build this magnificent and very large facility here in Jandakot is a terrific achievement,” said Premier Barnett.

“A great Western Australian achievement by a West Australian company which is still a family owned and run business,” he said.

ALT executive director Lynley Papineau says that to continue to be relevant and competitive in manufacturing in Australia, they needed to build in efficiencies and economies of scale that were becoming increasingly difficult to achieve at their old site.

“This is the sixth manufacturing facility in 39 years of production” says managing director Lew Beale. “It is not a cheap exercise to move your production and the new factory has the capacity to manufacture 3000 pools per annum in a single shift. The purpose built Jandakot facility will be able to service the business growth for many years to come.

“This year, our Western Australian family owned company turns 40 years of age and to open a facility such as this is testament to our drive and innovation towards being the best fibreglass manufacturing facility in the world.”

The planning took three years, but the construction was completed in only seven months build time.

In October 2014 the Welshpool facilities were damaged by fire. However, plans were already underway at that time to move to Jandakot.