Trailer manufacturing company GLT – formerly known as Graham Lusty Trailers – has opened the doors to a 15,000 square metre facility in Carole Park, Queensland.
GLT’s CEO Shay Chalmers said the multi-million-dollar Brisbane site will allow the company to expand its scope and give it greater control over the manufacturing life cycle.
“It’s pretty exciting, because we’ve got everything under one roof now,” she told Big Rigs.
“Before, we were operating out of multiple facilities and didn’t have enough space and infrastructure to do all the things we wanted to do.
“With the new facility, every single process is done in-house, which means we can really manage the quality.
“We’ve also tripled our staff and our manufacturing capabilities, which is arguably one of the greatest milestones in GLT’s history.”
The Carole Park facility boasts a dedicated repairs centre and wastewater treatment area, and sells a range of GLT spare parts as well as products from other brands.
It also features a research and development centre, with a new fabrication team formed within the engineering department.
Chalmers said GLT’s investment in research and development will allow it to design the next generation of products, innovating ways to improve sustainability and productivity.
“We pride ourselves on our lightweight trailers, which means that our customers can carry more payload,” she continued. “That also has a direct impact on the carbon footprint of our customers.
“We’re looking at design optimisations that will allow us to reduce our own carbon footprint as well as the carbon footprints of our customers.
“We’re considering new technologies that are coming out, as well as options for electrification of the trailers themselves.”
GLT’s new facility was formerly occupied by MaxiTRANS, who announced last September it would be closing its operations there to centralise production in Ballarat, Victoria.
At the time, MaxiTRANS blamed post-pandemic pressures including changes in the labour market and growing running costs for the decision, which it said was necessary to ensure the “long-term sustainability” of the business.
When asked whether she had any qualms about taking over a facility that didn’t work out for MaxiTRANS, Chalmers said: “I wouldn’t say that it didn’t work for them.
“I think they made some strategic decisions in their business, to consolidate their manufacturing in one location.
“Managing multiple manufacturing sites is challenging, and if you centralise you can get cost improvements and efficiency improvements. It’s not dissimilar to what we’re doing.”
Chalmers is looking forward to the future of GLT, which has been in business since 2009.
“It’s so nice for our whole team to be under one roof and working together,” she said.
“We’re blessed to have 130 people who are dedicated to our mission, and it really is a pleasure to be on this journey with the business.
“I’m pretty excited for what’s going to happen over the next few years.”