“Great just got better” is one of the taglines Digga use to describe their auger drives when fitted with their new HALO alignment system, but we think it can also be used to describe Digga in 2022.
2022 was the year that Digga settled into its proverbial skin again. The last three years tested many companies and left many in the industry feeling unsteady. It was this that prompted Digga to focus on building greatness from the inside out. From the CEO to the maintenance staff, from green initiatives, staff welfare programs to life changing fundraising “we want to support our people and our customers just like they have supported Digga during this time,” said Alan Wade, CEO.
Australian Made
Digga Australia has been proudly Australian Made for the last four decades and has no plans to change in the future. In keeping their roots firmly planted in Australian soil, the ‘Aussie battler’ spirit came through and kept Digga in production and then some. Currently running the factory 24 hours a day, 6 days a week has enabled Digga to minimise the impacts of the pandemic on their staff and their customers. While this past financial year has seen many Australian businesses fold due to labour shortages, product supply issues and the increasing operating costs, Digga has been able to significantly increase staff numbers and output as demand increased towards a domestically produced product.
As a company, Digga said that it works to embody that tough steadfastness that is reflected in their equipment. Their commitment to Australian Industry, which has remained for over 40 years, allows no room for compromise when it comes to designing and producing equipment that is built tough for the diverse and uncompromising Australian landscape. “We are Australians supporting Australians,” said Alan.
Building on expertise: Product upgrades
In the last year, on top of keeping fully operational in the new world of the pandemic, Digga continued to invest into their research and development of their products. This year will see the release of the new X-series 4 in 1 bucket, which is a culmination of customer feedback and engineering advancements. This bucket is the first release of a new style in 20 years and starts with the Mini 4-in-1 with the other sizes continuing to be rolled out throughout the year. Digga also released a new bale spear and upgraded their existing skid steer hoe, with more exciting product launches scheduled for later in the year. Perhaps, just in time for a Christmas order.
Behind the scenes
“It’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be” is the most common sentence heard whenever anyone steps foot into the Queensland manufacturing facility. Digga released an interactive 360-degree tour of their manufacturing facility, which means that anyone, at any time can see behind the scenes work that goes into building a Digga attachment.
This year also saw the launch of MY DIGGA, an online portal for customers accessible through a QR code located inside the cab. Digga Australia has decided to do away with paper and start the transition to a paper-free and digitised support system for all Digga product owners. MY DIGGA is the centralised hub for all technical and specifics information, accessible from your mobile phone while you’re on the job. In a further conscious effort to offset their environmental impact, Digga invested in solar panels, with over 1300 panels now installed on the factory based at Yatala.
OCRF
This June saw Digga partnering with the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation for a fourth year and the most successful donation drive to date. Digga has an established collaborative partnership with the OCRF after their CEO Suzie Wright lost her battle with the illness four years ago. Digga immediately stepped up to the cause, to help valuable research, including the development of an early detection test.
“By the time women are diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer it is often too late,” said Mr Wade. “Helping develop an early detection test is so important to us because it would save so many lives. Current research testing is so promising that it motivates us to help get these tests commercially ready,” he continued.
Through various fundraising programs Digga have contributed over $400,000 towards ovarian research, while assisting to raise much more money through a donation matching initiative every June.
Digga Australia shows no signs of slowing; with all that they have achieved so far and with three months still left in the year there’s no limit to the possibilities. New products? New machines? New technology? All that and more is rumoured to be on the cards for the remainder of the year.