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Our Story

We’re all about Australian manufacturing and love being part of the local scene!

How it all began

Southern Cross Ceramics began life very small. One guy, Peter, worked in a small decorative ceramic tile business producing tiles in the 80’s with transfers imported from English printers. Think Victorian fireplace tiles...

But Peter had a vision for something more, so he broke away, taking two others with him and he launched a bold new ....

Southern Cross Ceramics began life very small. One guy, Peter, worked in a small decorative ceramic tile business producing tiles in the 80’s with transfers imported from English printers. Think Victorian fireplace tiles...

But Peter had a vision for something more, so he broke away, taking two others with him and he launched a bold new start-up, putting his house on the line - and Halliday Tile Graphics was born. The tiles they made really resonated with the Australian market and HTG went gang-busters growing from teeny-tiny to quite substantial almost overnight – well, maybe over a decade. It was the golden era of the 20cm 'listello' (border tile). Happy days!

Peter recruited his friends – people with no background in tiles or factory work – and from there, laughter and learning curves ensued as they forged a unique path - we are half a world away from most of the worlds’ tile makers.

With the turn of the century, fashions suddenly shifted – no one wanted those cute little borders in their kitchen splashback any more – plain glass was all the go and minimalism was king.

The Team

Along the way, Pete employed a geologist friend, who was out of work, but a wiz at coding. He also invited a chef to come and work in his factory – and the chef said ‘yes’ as he was looking for a change.

Another guy – Chris – came to work in the factory as well. Chris is a genius and it turns out that his Chemistry degree came in super-h....

Along the way, Pete employed a geologist friend, who was out of work, but a wiz at coding. He also invited a chef to come and work in his factory – and the chef said ‘yes’ as he was looking for a change.

Another guy – Chris – came to work in the factory as well. Chris is a genius and it turns out that his Chemistry degree came in super-handy. He now heads up the R&D lab.

Over the next twenty years many people have come and gone, - turns out the geologist (Matt) is a born leader with a passion for people and operational efficiency - he took over the reins – and Pete went on to another new venture. Matt was joined by his geologist wife Caro (clay comes from the ground you know).

There we many highs and lows as the rebranded company – now Southern Cross Ceramics – figured out how to be relevant in the changing tile landscape. During some of the low times Matt and Caro got their hands dirty – and not just their hands – sharing the load in the factory printing, packing and firing late into the night. It was a baptism of....

There we many highs and lows as the rebranded company – now Southern Cross Ceramics – figured out how to be relevant in the changing tile landscape. During some of the low times Matt and Caro got their hands dirty – and not just their hands – sharing the load in the factory printing, packing and firing late into the night. It was a baptism of fire – it changed everything.

The chef (Phil) channelled his creative gifts from tiramisu to tiles and found they have a lot in common. He became a self-taught designer and now leads a small design team (training wheels off). He still loves to put his apron on occasionally and cook up a special dinner or some kind of healthy treat. He also keeps the team well caffeinated (caring for the beloved coffee machine).

Gosia has also joined the team – a fiery Polish pocket rocket – who is a trained print-maker. Gosia’s spent some of her teen years in Naples, so she is fluent in Italian and speaks it to Phil every day. Gosia paints and draws exquisitely – she even paints kids’ faces as a side-hustle.

And so it goes on, too many names to mention, but it feels like family.

These days, the factory is a real melting pot of people - tradies, students, mums and dads who all work together with one purpose – to make the best floor and wall tiles they can.

Now here’s the thing – it turns out that people who just fell into a job, can actually fall in love with that job – who would have thought!. And, a unique kind of chemistry forms after years and years and they just get each other. The ideas never stop coming and they realise that no-one understands the Aussie market like Aussies do.

Pete is still a good friend of the company and drops in sometimes to see what’s going on.

The obstacles to manufacturing in Australia are huge, but the team loves a challenge and is excited by the possibilities the future holds.

From Our Factory

We source our raw materials both locally and internationally and we make sure that they meet the highest quality and ethical standards. Our dedicated team of 50 in Melbourne manages every step of the process, from design through to packing and shipping your beautiful tiles.

Most of our tile ranges are digitally printed using special cera....

We source our raw materials both locally and internationally and we make sure that they meet the highest quality and ethical standards. Our dedicated team of 50 in Melbourne manages every step of the process, from design through to packing and shipping your beautiful tiles.

Most of our tile ranges are digitally printed using special ceramic inks. The tiles are then loaded onto trollies where they await their turn in one of our kilns where they are fired at around 1000 degrees!

One of the latest additions to our factory is a 23 m roller kiln from an Italian factory shutdown. Rather than letting it go into landfill, it was loaded into 12 containers and shipped here to be given a new lease of life here in Australia. We are committed to renewable energy. All the electricity used in our factory is generated by the solar panels on our roof!

Opportunities at Southern Cross Ceramics

Discover The Opportunities at Southern Cross Ceramics

At Southern Cross Ceramics, we have a range of existing positions across different fields, including:

  • Engineering: Engaging in innovative projects and improving our manufacturing processes.
  • Design, Research and Development: Crafting creative and impactful ceramic products.
  • Marketing: Developing and executing stra....

At Southern Cross Ceramics, we have a range of existing positions across different fields, including:

  • Engineering: Engaging in innovative projects and improving our manufacturing processes.
  • Design, Research and Development: Crafting creative and impactful ceramic products.
  • Marketing: Developing and executing strategies to enhance our brand.
  • Customer Relations: Building and maintaining strong relationships with our clients.
  • Administration (HR and Finance): Supporting our operations with essential administrative functions.
  • Information Systems: Managing and optimizing our technological infrastructure.
  • Factory Work: Ensuring high-quality production and efficient operations.

If you’re interested in learning more about these roles or our company, please feel free to reach out.
For more information, contact us at: Employment@scceramics.com

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