Battery inverters with a local flavour

Many people will be surprised to learn that Victorian manufacturers are adding value to the state’s solar and broader renewable energy sector.

Published:
Friday, 13 March 2020 at 4:11 am
Solar worker installing solar battery

Selectronic inverters are made locally and delivered globally, says the company’s CEO Rod Scott.

Employing about 40 people at a purpose-built facility on Melbourne’s eastern fringe, business is booming for the 55-year-old, family-owned company which manufacture inverters for residential, commercial and utility-scale installations in Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific region and beyond.

“We make every effort to support Australian manufacturing as a whole and are proud that we use more than 80 per cent of Australian-made components in our flagship SP PRO product range,” Mr Scott said.

“As new energy technologies emerge, particularly in the energy storage market, we’re here in Melbourne looking at local and global markets.”

Mr Scott supports Solar Victoria’s push for customers to go for quality over price.

“We started in 1964, making transformers for black and white TVs before the Beatles got big, and over the decades, we have continued to evolve as an industry leader in power management and energy storage.”

Positioned as a premium product and renowned for quality and durability, Selectronic has also been officially recognised in the industry, being a finalist in the New Energy Technologies category at the 2018 Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Awards.

Mr Scott said people often asked how to remain competitive.

“The answer is quality. We have customers who’ve had our inverters for more than 20 years and call to see if they need maintenance. We say, ‘No, they’re doing fine.’”

Victoria’s manufacturing industry contributes more than $30 billion to the Victorian economy each year. It employs more than 270,000 people and competes globally with $19.6 billion in annual exports in 2017-18.

Updated