Disabled workers at Rydalmere plant ready for new challenges

Electronic circuitry company Qualitec in Rydalmere are moving out of their comfort zone and into electrical and semi-mechanical assembly.

The company was set up in 1984 by a group of businessmen dedicated to giving a fair go to people with disabilities and has an annual turnover of about $1.5 million from building printed circuitry boards which are used in computer hardware across a number of industries.

Qualitec was taken over by Wesley Mission in late 2005, adding to the Mission's portfolio of businesses employing disabled people and equipping others with the skills to find good paid work elsewhere.

"We're now going out of our comfort zone into electrical and semi-mechanical assembly to broaden our scope of operations and increase turnover," said Qualitec's works manager, Alfonso Morgaga, this week as the company invited existing and prospective clients to a tour of the factory and a briefing on its expansion plans.

Fifteen of the company's 26 workers are disabled, Moraga said. They receive comprehensive training after being taken on by Qualitec and are employed in work including wire-stripping, preparing diodes and resistors and assembling a range of electronic components.