Billy Fishwick’s journey with A&G Engineering began 26 years ago when he joined as one of the first employees at the newly established Mildura facility. Now a seasoned leader in the stainless-steel fabrication industry, Billy manages A&G’s workshop in Victoria, where he has spent nearly three decades honing his craft.
Fresh ideas and original thinking
Reflecting on his early days, Billy recalls the modest beginnings of A&G in Mildura. “We had only a small shed and had to prove that we could build tanks. Within 12 months, we grew from four or five employees to over 30,” he notes. This growth was fuelled by booming demand from the wine industry and A&G’s supportive culture, which encourages fresh ideas and original thinking.
A&G’s culture of innovation is evident in its approach to fabrication processes. From his earliest days with A&G, Billy under the guidance of then manager Ken McLeod were given the freedom to explore new techniques, such as pulse MIG welding, which reduces heat input and enhances the longevity of stainless steel tanks.
Billy’s leadership style is deeply influenced by this culture. He believes in empowering his team, giving them the freedom to experiment and learn from their experiences. “There’s no such thing as a stupid question. We always encourage guys to come forward with their ideas. Fresh eyes on any situation can lead to new ideas and advances”, he says. This approach has not only led to numerous innovations but has also created a dynamic and engaged workforce.
One of A&G’s innovations created by the Victorian team was the development of an independent hydraulic knuckling process, which shapes the radius on the tops and bottoms of tanks. This process, initially conceived in Mildura, was so successful that it was adopted company wide. Such initiatives reflect A&G’s willingness to invest in and scale successful ideas, fostering a continuous cycle of improvement.
Everyone meets at eye-level
A&G’s family-oriented culture also plays a crucial role in its success. Despite being a large company, A&G maintains a close-knit, supportive environment where every employee feels valued. “It’s a large business, but it still has that family feel,” Billy shares. “There is an understanding that different people do different jobs but without the sense of a hierarchy. It’s a group of people who have found a place where we can collaborate and focus on doing our best for customers. Everyone meets at eye-level.”
What truly distinguishes A&G from its competitors is its customer-centric approach. Unlike other fabricators, A&G prides itself on its flexibility and responsiveness to customer needs. Billy says, “We pride ourselves on thinking differently, we say to a client, ‘tell us what you want, and we’ll build that for you.’”
This commitment to customisation and innovation is evident in many A&G projects such as a client that was faced with the challenge of building tanks within the constraints of a historic wool shed with a unique roof structure. A&G devised a solution that involved constructing the tanks in halves, installing the top sections and sliding the lower sections in place before welding them together on-site using plasma TIG welding. As Billy recalls, “This approach enabled the customer to maximise storage capacity, it was a solution tailored to the unique customers situation and would have been difficult for others to have performed this task without the specialised equipment A&G had at hand”.
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A&G Engineering have been manufacturing stainless steel storage tanks and pressure vessels for 60 years. The unmatched combination of experience, flexibility, expertise, and technology combine for every A&G project to minimise production and operational risk and ensure on-time, on-budget, and as-specified delivery.
If you have a technical query or want to find out how A&G can help you with your next project, talk to our expert team by calling us on (02) 6964 3422 or email sales@agengineering.com.au with your inquiry.
We look forward to hearing from you.
