Embodying the determined spirit of the shopfloor where Freighter Group was first forged, Brad Givvens, General Manager of Manufacturing, discusses how the company utilises innovation and continues to set new standards in safety and reliability for Australian transport.
READY TO MOVE AUSTRALIA
Tough, reliable, and ready for the road, Freighter Group has been synonymous with transport in Australia since its humble beginnings in 1946.
Ever since, the company has been expertly delivering high-quality, locally manufactured, heavy-duty road transport trailer solutions through its plethora of market leading brands.
Throughout its storied history, Freighter Group has also provided ongoing support wherever and whenever needed.
“Our company has been operating for over 75 years, and throughout the duration, we’ve continued to progress with an ongoing commitment to our customers, employees, and the transport industry to deliver safer, more efficient, and reliable transport solutions,” opens Brad Givvens, General Manager of Manufacturing.
From general freight to bulk transportation, it offers a trailer solution for just about every haul.
“We pride ourselves on offering an extensive dealer network conveniently situated across major transportation hubs throughout the country, whilst our capabilities cover every aspect of our customers’ requirements,” he introduces.
As such, Freighter Group possesses a wide range of heavy-duty trailer solutions available and ready to assist with specific freight tasks, achieved through the manufacture and distribution of its brands Freighter, Maxi-CUBE, Lusty EMS, Hamelex White, and Trout River, as well as exclusive distribution of AZMEB.
“Whether it’s transporting timber, grain, machinery, or temperature-sensitive cargo, Freighter Group has a product suited to particular freight needs including semi-trailers, curtain-sided trailers, bulk tippers, and refrigerated and dry freight vans.”
In this way, the company has single-handedly transformed the national transport industry and continues to provide perfect opportunities for partnership in this vital domestic sector.
“We pride ourselves on offering an extensive dealer network conveniently situated across major transportation hubs throughout the country, whilst our capabilities cover every aspect of our customers’ requirements”
Brad Givvens, General Manager of Manufacturing, Freighter Group
A LEGACY OF PRIDE
The company’s proud origins hark all the way to the end of World War II, and its influence across Australia has been growing ever since.
Establishing itself as truly national before any other manufacturer dreamed it was even possible, Freighter Group didn’t limit itself to being simply the best in truck trailers.
Over its expansive journey, it also made boats, buoys, buses, forklifts, caravans, starting gates for racing tracks, wood heaters, and even spent a brief period building its own road vehicles.
Furthermore, throughout Australia during the 1970s, nine out of every 10 heavy-duty trailers on Australian roads were produced by Freighter Group and, to this day, its considerable influence on the industry remains undeniable.
At present, Freighter Group is celebrating its seventh decade as the nation’s longest-standing trailer producer.
Whilst the business has gone through significant changes, the brand continues to deliver on its promise of high-quality, high-performance trailer equipment with an unmatched network of national backup support.
“A common theme over the years has been finding innovative ways for our customers to get more out of their equipment, allowing them to increase productivity with outstanding reliability so they can focus on continuing to deliver on the needs of the nation,” Givvens excites.
“Close to 80 years in operation is a significant milestone, not only for the Freighter Group brand, but for the wider transport industry.
“Supporting Australian businesses and locally manufactured products has made it possible for the brand to continue thriving,” he states.
ENHANCING AUTOMATION
Thanks to several key factors, the business has continued to cement its formidable reputation as a leading player in the Australian transport and logistics sector.
“At Freighter Group, we invest in innovation to help keep the transport industry moving forward, playing our part to deliver great outcomes for our customers,” Givvens prides.
“This is what continues to keep us ahead of the game,” he confirms.
The company itself has recently gone through a major transformation which started when the trailer business was purchased by a group of local private investors in 2021.
Since then, the company has remained focused on setting the business up for long-term sustainability, with the aim of creating a new era for the future of Freighter Group and the trailer manufacturing industry in Australia.
The journey started with an AUD$50 million investment into its Ballarat manufacturing site, located in regional Victoria. This investment has seen the introduction of a range of state-of-the-art equipment and an expansion of the overall footprint of the facility, transforming it into a streamlined, modern manufacturing environment.
This process of becoming more streamlined includes implementing automated storage systems, software-supported production control, and robotic welding solutions to align its processes with global best practices and enhance its overall capability.
Part of this transformation and setting a new era for the business also included changing its previous company name from MaxiTRANS to Freighter Group in October 2024.
“The Freighter Group name not only connects with our rich heritage but, more importantly, with our vision of ‘Freight it for Life’, which signifies a total commitment to supporting customers for the life of our product.”
Throughout this transformation, Freighter Group collaborated with Schmitz Cargobull, a leading European manufacturer of semi-trailers with a focus on temperature-controlled freight, general cargo, and bulk goods.
“The partnership with Schmitz Cargobull allows our businesses to collaborate on technology, scalability, and processes that can then be implemented into our operations.”
“The backing of Schmitz Cargobull, coupled with Freighter Group’s own investment, allows us to streamline our processes, deliver global supply chain benefits, and continue to focus on delivering outstanding quality and support for our customers,” Givvens explains.
In addition, this successful partnership provides access to worldwide trends and technologies that Freighter Group can utilise and leverage in the Australian market.
“At Freighter Group, we invest in innovation to help keep the transport industry moving forward, playing our part to deliver great outcomes for our customers”
Brad Givvens, General Manager of Manufacturing, Freighter Group
UNMATCHED CAPABILITIES
Providing a range of innovative solutions and services for the road and transportation sector, Freighter Group’s myriad brands are well known within the industry.
This has helped the company forge an enviable reputation as a leader in supporting the entire value chain and life cycle of road, bulk, and refrigerated transportation across Australia.
As part of its major announcements in October last year, Freighter Group shared that it was also venturing into spare parts. Since then, this has seen the company service and deliver genuine trailer parts designed for its own products, as well as supplying ancillary parts, through its Hitcher Parts brand.
“You don’t have a business without a customer – it’s a long-term relationship. Working with our customers is key to our success, and we will continue to improve how we do that by taking the steps required to meet their needs,” he divulges.
“Our expansion into spare parts, combined with our national aftermarket service support offering, is a further demonstration of our total commitment to supporting the needs of our customers and being ready to assist when needed.
“The completion of the facility upgrade and expansion of our service offering puts the business in a perfect position to continue evolving with the changing needs of our customers long into the future,” Givvens adds.
In addition to the Ballarat upgrade, Freighter Group has also been investing significantly in its dealer network to better serve the needs of the trailer industry, moving to larger, purpose-built sites in both South Australia, New South Wales, and most recently, Victoria.
All sites have significantly expanded their capabilities to meet the growing demand for servicing and maintenance, as well as parts support for customers in these regions, enabling the company to deliver ongoing uptime for clients.
A CULTURE OF GROWTH
A major goal for Freighter Group is supporting the ambitions of its employees to further their careers by making opportunities for growth a priority.
“When new staff members join the business, they are joining a team where creativity, diversity, and innovation are encouraged.
“Every member of the Freighter Group team enjoys the opportunity to follow their dreams, face new challenges, and aim for the impossible,” Givvens affirms.
Indeed, the core purpose of the company is to partner with operators and support them throughout the life of their product. The overarching mandate is to design, build, and service quality trailers that are fit for purpose.
“We’re ready to build big things at Freighter Group and, to achieve this, we strive to do everything with a focus on our values and culture,” he tells us.
Furthermore, the company understands the importance of a work-life balance for its people.
“We strive to make it possible for everyone to excel in their career and to achieve the balance required to meet this.”
At Freighter Group, a wide variety of positions are on offer that allow staff to leverage more flexibility, be this a part-time role, full-time from the office, or a role where that enables work from home.
“So far, we’ve been successful in evolving our culture from a traditional blue-collar environment to a more enhanced, healthy place to work,” Givvens elaborates.
DEVELOPMENT AND DIVERSITY
Across every facet of Freighter Group’s operations, the company resolutely supports its employees’ ambitions to further their career within the business.
Furthermore, providing opportunities for its people is a priority.
“We have several programmes in place to recognise our talent, and we are further implementing a professional development initiative for our frontline and senior employees in leadership roles,” Givvens sets out.
“We enable and empower our teams to grow through our performance and development process, encouraging our employees to get better every day through regular coaching conversations,” he outlines.
Undoubtedly, Freighter Group continues to pride itself on its cultural diversity as it strives to be an employer that breaks the mould.
“Our leadership team is committed to creating a workplace that is even more diverse and inclusive. Through our flexible work practices, the business offers support for those who value both career and family, creating a supportive environment for all our employees.”
SETTING THE STANDARD
Throughout Australia’s vast transport industry, Performance-Based Standards (PBS) offers an alternative regulatory system which allows heavy vehicle combinations to achieve higher productivity and safety through innovative and optimised vehicle design.
The basic principle of PBS is matching the right vehicle to the right task.
As stated by the National Heavy Vehicle Register (NHVR), PBS-approved vehicles are designed to perform their tasks as productively, safely, and sustainably as possible, and to operate on networks that are appropriate for their level of performance.
“Under the guidance of PBS, vehicles are assessed according to 16 minimum vehicle performance standards to ensure they are stable and can turn and stop safely on the road,” Givvens assures.
“Our in-house PBS experts are dedicated to matching the right trailer solution for the task at hand. As a leading PBS solutions provider, our customers have access to expert knowledge to help them develop a trailer combination that will deliver them the best possible outcome,” he concludes proudly.
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