CIMC acquires General Transport Equipment (GTE)

FOCUS - CIMC
CIMC VEHICLES GROUP CONTINUE TO EXPAND
INTO THE AUSTRALIAN TRANSPORT MARKET
T
he growth continues at CIMC
Vehicles in our country with the
recent announcement that the
company has acquired a major player
in Western Australia.
China International Marine
Containers (CIMC), parent company of
CIMC Vehicles Group and consequently
all its subsidiaries around the world, has
announced the acquisition of General
Transport Equipment (GTE). As the
news of this acquisition filters through
the Australian transport industry, it
is clear that CIMC Vehicles are here
to stay and no doubt serious about
expanding even further their presence
in Australia.
CIMC Vehicle Australia caused a
stir in the market back in 2006 when
they first started off promoting their
skeletal trailers into the Australian
Transport Industry.
“People were quick to judge when
we first came into the market, but
we have proved them wrong,” says
Managing Director Hector Ojea.
“The saying is absolutely true.
You can’t judge a book by its cover.
We have justified our existence in
the marketplace faster than anyone
expected, and if we tap and dig
deep into the Australian Trailer
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manufacturing history, we can proudly
say that to date we have been the
fastest growing organisation via a
combination of both natural growth
and acquisitions of local quality
manufacturers. Today, we are a
powerful contender with a magnificent
group of people,” states Mr Ojea.
“In 2007 CIMC, our organisation
acquired leading Road Tanker
specialists Marshall Lethlean
Industries (MLI). Over the past
40 years, MLI have manufactured
over 6,500 road tankers, including
aluminum, stainless steel, bulk
pressure vessels, LPG, ISO and
demountable equipment. Marshall
Lethlean has earned their stripes with
honours and today the company has a
highly regarded and recognised name
which is synonymous of quality in the
road transport industry which makes
Marshall Lethlean undoubtedly a
leading player.
For quite a while, CIMC Vehicles
have been cautiously observing their
competitors’ moves to pick their mark
in Australia and with great finesse
have wisely taken serious decisions
to go ahead one step at a time. The
acquisition of GTE (General Transport
Equipment) in Western Australia
has not been an accident neither a
mere ad-hoc decision. In fact, this
acquisition has been delicately studied
and analysed to ensure the business
acumen and opportunity would fit
within the CIMC Vehicles strategy.
This tactical expansion will certainly
add substantial infrastructure to the
current Australian operations of the
group, particularly on the western sea
board of the country. This progression
and intelligent geographical positioning
will automatically enhance CIMC
Vehicles’ products portfolio. CIMC
Vehicles will now be able to offer
to their entire clientele base around
Australia equipment such as Low
Loaders, wideners, extendible drop
decks, specialized trailers and the most
wanted End and Side Tippers both in
aluminium and steel as well as a myriad
of other trailer/tanker type and models.
According to CIMC Vehicles Group’s
strategic development plans, its core
business strategy for the next five
years is to further ‘Develop New
Markets and New Business Models’.
Australia is the most important
country in Oceania. It covers a
large area and is the world’s sixth
largest country, about 50% bigger
than Western Europe. It is not only
a large country, but also the most
economically developed nation in the
southern hemisphere. It is the world's
fourth largest exporter of agricultural
products, and also the biggest exporter
of many key natural resources.
Resource-rich Western Australia
takes up a third of Australia’s land
mass. In recent years, in order to
satisfy world’s insatiable appetite for
natural resources, Western Australia’s
mining industry has become a critical
supplier to the global markets. The
considerable growth of Western
Australia’s economy is largely
attributed to the financial investments
in the developments of the region’s
resource reserves. Although global
demand for Western Australia’s
raw materials declined slightly last
year, the outlook still remains quite
optimistic for the future, providing a
solid business environment for GTE’s
expansion of products and services.
The acquisition of GTE is certainly
a compelling value proposition which
falls in line with CIMC Vehicles Group
strategic plans to cement their No.1
position as ‘The Largest Trailer
Manufacturer in the World’ and with
the aim to conquer the same outcome
in the land down under.
Established in 1979, General Transport Equipment (GTE), are the leading
manufacturers and suppliers of customized road transport equipment and services in Western Australia and beyond.
Over the years, the company has
}
Today, we are a powerful contender
with a magnificent group of people
slowly grown from a small operation
to a well-recognised and respected
semi-trailer manufacturer in Western
Australia. The growth of the company
has been very steady and over the
past 34 years GTE continued to
perform strongly.
With a very professional team
and a client focused approach, GTE
provides a high range of customised
semi-trailers, chemical tankers and
rigid truck bodies, which are tailored
to suit specific load requirements,
client requests and road conditions.
GTE provides quality equipment
and services for every major form of
medium to heavy transport in the rural,
general freight, chemical tanker and
mining industries.
GTE’s array of customers come
from a diverse range of industries
and with the existing clients of
CIMC Vehicle Australia and Marshall
Lethlean Industries, there is no doubts
that the CIMC Vehicles brand will now
become stronger than ever in the west
and the rest of the country.
GTE has two different locations in
the heart of the Kewdale industrial area.
The main site is located on the corner
of Abernethy Road and McDowell
Street dedicated to the manufacture
of Road trailing equipment and larger
tanker/trailer repairs, whilst the other
premises on Tipping Road are solely
dedicated to service, maintenance and
smaller repairs.
“As things have now settled, it is
paramount to mention that it has
been a pleasure to work together with
the three ex-directors of GTE, Russell
Fletcher, Barry Moon and Adrian Page.
Furthermore we are delighted to
announce that the entire management
team and all personnel are very excited
about this new venture and the great
opportunity for GTE to be now part of
the largest trailer manufacturer in the
world,” finishes Mr Ojea, who has now
been appointed as Managing Director
of GTE by CIMC Australia’s Chairman
Mr. David Li. ■
159 McDowell St,
Kewdale WA 6105
T: 08 9352 4000 or 1300 20 CIMC
JAN/FEB 2014 | WATM
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FOCUS - CIMC
}
Hector Ojea Managing
Director CIMC Vehicle
Australia
CIMC Vehicle Australia now
ISO certified
CIMC VEHICLE AUSTRALIA is one
step closer to achieving its goal of
becoming one of the leading semitrailer manufacturers in Australia after
successfully completing ISO 9001
certification.
According to Managing Director
Hector Ojea, the young business now
is one of the very few semi-trailer
manufacturers in Australia allowed
to call itself a ‘Quality Endorsed
Company’.
“Given the fact that our parent
organisation, CIMC, has already
been ISO/TS 16949 accredited for
many years for all the products
manufactured for numerous different
markets around the world, this
certification really means a lot to CIMC
Vehicle Australia,” he said.
“Whether it is trailers, rigid bodies,
containers, cement mixers, fire
trucks, garbage trucks or any other
piece of equipment, the name CIMC
is a byword for high quality and
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international integrity.”
Starting off from a ‘greenfield’ site
in 2005, Hector Ojea has grown CIMC
Vehicle Australia into an acclaimed
national trailer manufacturing expert in
less than a decade. “I have watched the
company grow from a small office in
Kew with myself as the sole employee
into a thriving manufacturing
business that today employs over 50
staff,” he recalls – revealing that the key
to success was not just his personal
commitment, but the dedication of the
entire CIMC Vehicle team, “alongside
the willingness to continuously excel in
everything we do.”
With the ISO 9001 certificate now
lifting the bar once again, CIMC is
looking forward to a new chapter in
the company’s development.
“We had to overcome more than
one obstacle to get to this point,” said
Hector, revealing the fact that CIMC
Vehicle Australia belongs to a globally
known Chinese corporation certainly
Whether it is
trailers, rigid bodies,
containers, cement
mixers, fire trucks,
garbage trucks or
any other piece of
equipment, the name
CIMC is a byword
for high quality
and international
integrity
caused a stir in the market when he
first started off promoting the product.
“People were quick to judge when
we first came into the market, but we
have proved them wrong. The saying is
true; you can’t judge a book by its cover.
We have justified our existence in the
market faster than anyone expected,
and today we are a powerful contender
with a great group of people.
“As an organisation, we have
become a viable alternative in the road
transport game and we are excited
that we are now fully certified. But
that’s just the beginning,” he added.
“We want to be the number one in the
market, and we have the potential, the
people and the product to reach that
goal. In fact, we are well on our way
already and together with our sister
company, Marshall Lethlean, we will
continue to grow.”
According to Hector, Marshall
Lethlean Industries has been ISO
9001 certified for “many, many years”
and still is the only certified tanker
manufacturer in this country. “This
is quite remarkable and confirms
the magnitude of a very competent
quality tanker manufacturer. Together
as sister companies, we are a power
house in this country."
So, what is next in the life of the
CIMC world? Hector Ojea: "Well, time
will tell." ■
CIMC Vehicle Australia
T: 1300 20 CIMC
www.cimc.com.au