October 29, 2024
Since a group of local private investors purchased the MaxiTRANS trailer business in September 2021, the company has focused on setting the business up for long-term sustainability. “We embarked on a significant transformation journey when we purchased the trailer business, to create a new era for the future of the company and the trailer manufacturing industry in Australia,” said Greg L’Estrange Freighter Group, Executive Chairman. “The journey started with a $50m investment into our Ballarat site. This investment has seen the introduction of a range of state-of-the-art equipment and an expansion of the facility's overall footprint, transforming it into a modern manufacturing environment. Completing the upgrade puts the business in a position to continue evolving with the changing needs of our customers long into the future.” This is a new era for our business. Changing our name to Freighter Group better reflects who we are as a business and our vision for the future. As the preeminent trailer brand in Australia, Freighter has a rich history, with origins dating back to 1946, and has continued to build a strong…
October 18, 2024
Electric cars are becoming increasingly common on Australian roads, and industrial players are investigating their use in commercial fleets, with one recent study from the University of Michigan finding electric trucks can reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions by between 13% and 35% Research firm IDTechEx expects electric trucks to become a US$15bn industry. Could the same change transform mining? If so, we're a long way off—a 2022 study said only 1% of industry power came from electricity—but plans are accelerating. Several Australian industry players and their supply chain partners are members of the Electric Mine Consortium, a think tank driven by the mission to accelerate progress towards a fully electrified zero-CO2 and zero-particulates mine. As a spokesperson from automation technology provider Rockwell Automation told us, mine site tools are fertile ground for adopting wide-scale electric power. “Most mines are in places with lots of renewable energy, and many are a long way from the grid and have to run generators,” he said. “It's…