The October 1 opening of Terrain Tamer’s newest warehouse in Stockton, California has marked the 19th branch for the company, and the ninth international location, launching the 4WD Parts brand into a truly global position.
Having been started in Moorabbin, in Melbourne’s south east in 1969, the Terrain Tamer brand has seen consistent growth throughout 55 years in business, and today supplies a range of over 60,000 4WD Parts, all made to original equipment specifications or stronger, to workshops, military, agriculture, emergency services and mining industries, including the likes of BHP and Glencore, in over 80 countries.
With a network of stockists globally and 10 branches locally in Australia, each of Terrain Tamer’s company owned international locations, including Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea (PNG), France, South Africa, and Chile have been strategically chosen with potential connections to local mining industries in mind.
Located in Santiago, the Chilean branch was set up in 2023 to act as a launching pad for the brand into the South American and central American areas, which have previously proven to be strong markets for the export of the Terrain Tamer brand for many reasons, and in particular the extensive mining sector, including many large Australian companies such as BHP.
“Our brand’s beginnings are rooted in outback Australia and the extreme conditions that the terrain offers, and Chile has very similar environments, so it makes sense as a base for our operations in South America,” Terrain Tamer general manager Brent Hutchinson said.
In just over a year, the South American operation has grown to embed the Terrain Tamer brand into the local market and build relationships with important contacts, such as the Victorian Government’s trade and investment director for Latin America, assisting in the simplification of the import and export process.
Prior to Chile, Terrain Tamer’s large-scale South African operation in the Cape Town suburb of Bellville, was opened in 2020 to service the wider African community, and was specifically chosen because of the rich 4WD community in South Africa, including the country’s many different mines.
With the north-western African region already being serviced by the company’s European headquarters in France, the South African operation opened a range of opportunities in the South Eastern African region.
“People don’t appreciate how successful the Australian Mining expertise is on the global stage,” Hutchinson said.
“Australian mining companies, their processes and experience are highly sought after in Africa and South America. With them come Australian people who know and have used Terrain Tamer parts for generations, so to have Terrain Tamer readily available in large warehouses close by, just makes the supply as simple.”
Closer to home, PNG’s strong agricultural and mining industries made it the obvious site for the continued development of the brand, when it became its fifth international warehouse in 2018, following New Zealand, two locations in Fiji, and a facility in France.
Warehouses in both the capital city of Port Moresby and Lae, the largest cargo port in the country, have enabled growth into PNG’s extensive mining network, including some who utilise Terrain Tamer parts for 100 per cent of their light vehicle parts needs, but the new expansion into North America is now offering a completely new territory.
“The USA is a very different market but also one of great opportunity,” Hutchinson said.
“Interestingly in the very short time we have been open, the 79 series has been our most enquired about vehicle even though it was never sold there by Toyota. Old ones are being imported there now, travellers from other countries seek us out and our mining customers convert the 79 series to meet US environmental laws.
“We are excited by this new chapter for the company.”
The Terrain Tamer brand – under its company name, Don Kyatt Spare Parts – will attend the IMARC Sydney Conference and Expo on October 29-31, on stand number S32. For more information, visit the Terrain Tamer website.
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