Thought Leaders 2023: Ben Ciardullo

What are the three biggest challenges or threats facing your industry in 2023?

The three biggest challenges facing the ICT and manufacturing industries, which is probably consistent across many industries and businesses, are supply chain disruptions, cost increases and employee satisfaction.

The first two issues impact manufacturers and their ability to remain competitive in a dynamic and global environment. Even though many of our finished products are made locally, there are some components or raw materials that need to come from overseas or local suppliers. Delays from suppliers, freight and shipping delays, as well as trying to source materials in a global environment, all create challenges.

In addition, inflation and cost increases have been seen on a regular basis on many raw materials, from sheet metal to plastic components. This is compounded by the additional cost of moving freight, which is having a big impact.

We’ve been able to absorb some of these costs, as well as find efficiencies in the business; however, some of these cost increases need to be passed on, which affects our customers and other end users.

The other issue, which I feel sometimes doesn’t get talked about enough, is how all employees are feeling and coping during these times. At WBT, we prioritise the health and wellbeing of our employees, but after having conversations with many others in the industry, this is a general comment that we need to care more about people. No matter where you are, or what you do, people are the business and people are our customers.

In the drive and quest for profits and efficiencies, we need to be aware and alert to how our employees are coping, inside and outside of work. We don’t want to see people breaking apart and burning themselves out, as there are a lot of other pressures in life. Being genuine in our concern for one another, having flexible working arrangements, providing constructive feedback and having an open dialogue all help contribute to employee satisfaction, regardless of what you do for work.

Ensuring that all employees are healthy physically and mentally helps businesses to thrive, as happy and successful employees will perform better!

Discuss the ongoing impact of the skills shortages on your industry and solutions being implemented in 2023.

The skills shortage gets spoken about a lot in every industry and various reasons are provided. For example, lack of training, people leaving the workforce, retirements, not enough immigration and incoming skilled labour, etc.

However, as alluded to in my previous response, I think that ensuring that our employees are happy and healthy is an important part of keeping them in the workforce. Providing a caring culture will help attract and retain the right people. Technical skills can always be learnt.

We are putting in place various programs, as well as providing access to training for many of our staff. We have discussed this as a management team, and we are looking for ways to continue improving our employee satisfaction.

What opportunities do you predict for the growth of your industry in 2023?

The ICT industry is always full of opportunities and we will always see a need and growth for more telecommunication services. Here’s a couple that come to mind.

Firstly, the growth and expansion of data centres are a major opportunity and have been for the last few years. There are many opportunities for suppliers, as well as jobs for facilities technicians, who want to break into the industry. This is being driven by the requirements for cloud computing (cloud software systems, streaming video content, social media, banking and finance, etc).

Secondly, there will be further growth in wireless infrastructure, both macro sites (more infrastructure being deployed on mobile phone towers), as well as micro sites or small cells. In building, wireless coverage is another area where we are seeing further growth.

Finally, a lot of market research points to ongoing developments for 5G mobile services and further uptake, and development and research has already begun on the next-generation 6G! We will have to wait and see what that looks like.

How are you ensuring supply chain resilience during times of global uncertainty?

Sourcing local and keeping manufacturing local is key for us. When you manufacture locally and run your own facilities, you have greater control over the costs, quality and lead times. We have also built resiliency into the supply chain by utilising other facilities we own offshore, such as the Philippines, which has many of the same capabilities that we do in Melbourne.

We sometimes don’t know what’s around the corner or what other challenges may arise; however, I think that we are well equipped as a business to prosper into the future.

Ben Ciardullo is Head of Sales & Marketing at Warren & Brown Technologies. Ben leads the marketing strategy, brand and communication management, product marketing and digital marketing for Warren & Brown Technologies. Furthermore, he is responsible for sales, technical solution development, account management and customer service across the Enterprise, Telecom Carrier, Data Centre, Infrastructure and Telecommunications markets.