It’s been 14 years since Xiong Xue left his home land to pursue a career in a new country.
After landing in Australia, Mr Xue promptly landed a manufacturing job at The Davey Group in Toowoomba, which was looking to expand.
The Davey Group’s managing director, Tony Davey said Mr Xue, otherwise known as Cher, was already quite skilled but thrived with the new training opportunities provided to him.
“Cher now works to build road transport equipment in our Toowoomba facility and is an incredibly hard-working and loyal employee,” Mr Davey said.
“When he first moved here we bought his family bikes so they could commute around the local area.
“We pride ourselves on strong family values at The Davey Group so it was only fitting that we did everything we could to help him settle in.”
Cher lives in Toowoomba with his wife and two children and appreciates the opportunities Australia has provided to him and his family.
“Australia is a beautiful country and I have a good life,” he said.
The Davey Group is an internationally competitive civil, structural and mechanical engineering group offering solutions across a range of products and industries.
The business began in 1998 with 30 people and has grown to more than 150 employees.
Mr Davey said there was a big focus on training, with the company currently employing about 20 apprentices.
“We’ve always found that the more we look after staff, the more they look after us,” he said.
TSBE general manager for Energy and Infrastructure, Lance MacManus congratulated The Davey Group on its extensive list of long-serving employees.
“Toowoomba’s manufacturing sector is booming at the moment so it’s great to hear how companies like this are taking care of their employees and offering them opportunities to grow,” Mr MacManus said.
“The global workforce shortages mean that we want to attract more workers to our region to work on some major projects that are in the pipeline.”
The manufacturing industry in Toowoomba is a major contributor to the local economy.
With 609 businesses in the city identifying as manufacturers who employ more than 6600 full-time staff, the sector was among the top five most productive industries in the region in 2020/21, generating $1.352 billion.
