Faces of Local Manufacturing: Scott Stewart, Tufted Designer
Scott Stewart is one of our amazing Tufted Designers, bringing over 40 years of knowledge and innovation to Godfrey Hirst. Scott first joined the company in January 1980, straight from technical school, as an apprentice textile mechanic in the Tufting department. Since then, he has built an impressive career across multiple roles, always with a strong focus on technology, product development, and design.
After completing his apprenticeship, Scott spent several years working as a mechanic on rotating shifts before stepping into a leading hand role. His keen interest in the latest patterning technologies saw him working closely with the Product Development team. This eventually led to Scott officially joining the team after two decades as a mechanic, where he began setting up new products and samples, managing the sampling machine, and later mastering advanced design systems including the Titan Printer and Designer Jet ®.
When asked to describe his current role, Scott explains:
“I would say I take a customer’s concept, match it to a machine’s capability, create the design then set up the machine to run a sample for the customer. I also design new commercial products, keeping with the latest trends.”
Technology has played a key role in Scott’s career, with servo-controlled systems being the single biggest advancement in tufted carpet design - significantly improving stitch accuracy and minimising faults. He credits Godfrey Hirst for continually providing opportunities to learn and adapt to new innovations, and for fostering a workplace culture that has kept him engaged and inspired for more than four decades.
“I have always enjoyed learning new technology and Godfrey Hirst has given me every opportunity to do that, and over the years the people here have been great to work with,” he says.
Reflecting on his journey, Scott points to the growth of the company as one of the most rewarding aspects of his time. From beginning his career when the company operated just 11 second-hand tufting machines, he has witnessed Godfrey Hirst expand into a leading manufacturer with state-of-the-art tufting and printing plants across Australia and New Zealand
