Manufacturing in Australia has its rewards in higher sales, writes Russ Williamson.
Australian businesses are reaping the rewards of local manufacturing with increased sales and customer loyalty.
Research strongly suggests Australian consumers prefer to buy Australian-made goods and products, and that preference is resulting in strong sales for companies that promote their Australian origins through carrying the Australian Made logo.
Australian Weaving is one such company. It has bucked the textile industry trend by remaining firmly committed to manufacturing in Australia and is the only large-scale towel manufacturer in the country - using mostly Australian-sourced cotton. 
First established in 1927, the company counts iconic brands dri.glo and Dickies in its stable with towels produced in a weaving mill in Wangaratta in Victoria's north-east.
Australian Weaving marketing manager Sanja Lalic says manufacturing in Australia gives the company 100 per cent control over the quality of its products and it is that Australian-made quality that customers appreciate.
"From our retailers to the end consumer, everybody sees the Australian-made component as a very strong selling point and so do we, because we do see it in our sales," Ms Lalic says. "It is a stamp of approval to say this is made to our standard.
"And as long as we can be price-competitive, consumers are happy to choose our product over imported products in the same price point and category."
Ms Lalic says that it is also important for companies to promote their Australian origins and manufacturing to give consumers as much knowledge as possible.
For Timothy Lannan, director of Melbourne-based The Health Food Guys Co, ensuring customers know their products are Australian-made has helped to open up new markets locally and overseas.
Mr Lannan and his partner James Annabel started developing and making Raw Protein bars from organic fruit, nuts and protein from their kitchen and selling them locally into health food shops more than five years ago. But after some social media marketing drew traction, they decided to get serious and two years ago launched three Raw Protein bars commercially.
To ensure the highest quality and freshness, given the products contain raw ingredients and no preservatives, Mr Lannan says it was imperative the products were made in Australia, and manufacturing locally has also been instrumental in their success.
"When we first launched the product just two years ago there was less of a selection in the organic and health food market and most of the stuff was imported from the US," Mr Lannan says. "So to see something made locally for our sector in our market and being proud and putting an Australian Made logo on it was very important to consumers and the stores.
"We are a small independent producer and we are not in big chains - our biggest markets are a few health food chains and IGA - so it is really important to these stores to be supporting local companies."
The company has now added Raw Protein bites to its range using wild Australian ingredients. Mr Lannan says promoting the products' Australian origins through the Australian Made Campaign and carrying the logo has also been vital for accessing export markets.
The company now exports to Singapore and is about to enter the North American market.
"Made in Australia is very important to both of these customers that we are working with," he says. "People perceive, and there is truth and reason behind it, that products made in Australia are very high quality - in terms of their organics and the craftsmanship that goes into the product - so the Australian Made logo has a lot of clout behind it."