Summary

Registered in New South Wales in 1954 as W.E. Brambles & Sons (Transport) Company Pty Ltd. Later in that year the company was converted to a public company. And in 1958 the company changed it's name to Brambles Industries Ltd.

Details

The company was founded in Newcastle (NSW) in 1875 as a transport company. The company was registered in Sydney as W. E. Bramble & Son (Transport) Company Pty. Limited in March 24, 1954 and converted to a public company in November 1954; name changed to Brambles Industries Ltd. on May 30 1958.

In October, 1956, the company joined with Heckett Engineering Co., of Butler, Pennsylvania, USA to form Breckett Pty. Ltd., which obtained a contract for the recovery of steel scrap from open hearth slag and the refuse at B.H.P steelworks at Newcastle and Port Kembla. A similar process commenced operations at the Whyalla Steel Works in October 1964.

In 1958, after purchasing the Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool Pty. Ltd and Morrison & Bearby Ltd., Newcastle engineers, the company's name was changed to Brambles Industries. Ltd., on May 30.

During 1959, the transport businesses of Edmund T. Lennon Pty. Ltd. and Ewens Transport Lee Transport Co Ltd., of Adelaide were acquired.
In the 1960s the company acquired several companies including shipping, steel and engineering supplies interests in Australia. In 1970s the company's interests overseas expanded and in the 1980s the company acquired railroad operations interests in the United Kingdom. In 1988 Brambles was the UK's largest private rail operator.
During 1988, the company acquired the protective coatings, property services, industrial services and asbestos removals divisions of the Gardner Perrott group, reorganising operations in 1990/91 and closing its Victorian property maintenance division.
Restructuring in 1989 created four operating units: GKN-Brambles, Brambles Europe, Brambles North America and Brambles Australia. A joint venture company, GKN-Brambles, was formed to take over Chep's pallet pooling activities in the UK and the Chep Canada and US pallet operations.
In the 1990s the company's transport and waste management operations continued to expand in Australia, the United States and Europe.
In June 2000, the Security (armoured car) business was sold to Chubb Australia as part of the group rationalisation program.
In April 2001 the company unveiled a dual-listed company merger with GKN PLC. Under the deal Brambles will become a holding company with 57% stake in the new company.

Related entries

Timeline

 1954 - 1958 W.E. Brambles & Sons (Transport) Company Limited
       1958 - Brambles Industries Limited

Published resources

Books

• Manuel, D.L., Men and machines: the Brambles story, North Sydney, New South Wales, 1970. Details