Australian-made manufacturing

Hardman Bros is expanding its business by collaborating with like-minded Australian manufacturing companies. 

According to the Reserve Bank of Australia, the manufacturing industry contributed 5.7 per cent to Australia’s gross domestic product during the 2023–24 financial year, cementing its place as a significant contributor to the country’s economy. By manufacturing products and goods in locally, more jobs will be created to further fuel the economy and keep industries performing optimally.

A company that understands this is Hardman Bros, a renowned supplier of gears and gear boxes suited to several Australian industries, with mining key among them.

“The Hardman group of companies is a distinguished Australian-owned enterprise that stands as a premier provider of precision machining and gear-cutting services for leading original equipment manufacturers,” Hardman Bros Group of Companies chief executive officer Simon Bell told Australian Mining.

“Boasting a rich legacy spanning over 70 years since its inception in 1953 by the visionary brothers David and Ronald Hardman, the company now thrives in its third generation of operation.”

Alongside its wide range of gears and gear boxes, Hardman Bros specialises in numerous manufacturing capabilities, including gear manufacturing, computer numerical control (CNC) machining, and general engineering.

“In a strategic collaboration, Hardman Bros and R&I Instrument & Gear have united to amplify the scope and excellence of customer services, extending our expertise from precision gear cutting to CNC machining and general engineering,” Bell said.

Hardman Bros can gear cut up to 1.5m and gear grind up to 850mm in diameter. The company can also carry out CNC simultaneous five-axis milling and CNC machining, with CNC lathes up to 1.15m in height and 950mm in diameter.

“We possess the capability to fulfil any additional needs for machining, fabricating, and industrial mechanical assembly,” Bell said. “We are also specialists in general engineering techniques such as turning, milling, grinding, honing, slotting and keyseating. We do it all.”

Hardman Bros has significantly grown since its early days and now operates with an extensive capacity, boasting over 140 machines.

The company has a robust capital expenditure plan that will see new machines introduced over the next five years, increasing capacity and capability to ensure Hardman Bros remains at the forefront of the industry.

“Hardman Bros has built a strong reputation through the dedication and expertise of its skilled personnel,” Bell said. “The company consistently reinvests in quality plant and equipment, ensuring that our manufacturing capabilities remain at the forefront of industry standards.”

Hardman Bros also credits its growth to building strong relationships with other like-minded companies, such as Eilbeck Heavy Machining.

With an Australia-wide presence, Eilbeck Heavy Machining is a fourth-generation family-owned manufacturing and engineering company that specialises in CNC machining, gear cutting, fabrication, painting, refurbishment and reverse engineering, assembly and turn-key solutions.

Eilbeck has a gearing capacity of 500mm to 5000mm. Hardman Bros recognised the strength of Eilbeck Heavy Machining’s offerings and reached out to work with the company in February.

“Hardman Bros and Eilbeck Heavy Machining share parallel visions as to what they want to do and achieve within the Australian manufacturing space,” Eilbeck Heavy Machining head Charlie Eilbeck told Australian Mining.

“Both companies sell Australian-made products for a wide range of industries and possess similar capabilities and turn-key solutions.”

While the companies share many similarities, they also complete each other’s knowledge and skill gaps.

“Hardman Bros has some capabilities that we don’t have, and vice versa, so by collaborating we can fulfil the needs of larger projects together,” Eilbeck said.

Both companies also believe in adopting a modernised, high-end approach to manufacturing.

“Hardman Bros’ main objective is to expand our high-value offering to like-minded partners and developing growth for the industry as a whole,” Bell said.

“The company is investing heavily in new equipment geared towards expanding capability, quality and speed to market. This is opening new doors across the mining, rail and energy sectors, where we can use our scale to penetrate and build our presence.”

This feature appeared in the July 2024 issue of Australian Mining.