The story of Alltruck Bodies is as classic as they come. The business was created back in 1991 by two entrepreneurs, Tony Romano and George Mitrousis, who both shared a dream of bringing high-quality truck body manufacturing to Australia’s competitive transport industry.
Starting in a small, leased factory in Dandenong, Victoria, with only four employees, Tony and George got to work. And, nearly 35 years later, it’s become clear that their humble values around reliability and quality set the perfect framework for Alltruck Bodies.
“Alltruck Bodies has grown into a national manufacturer with facilities in both Victoria and Queensland,” says Alltruck Bodies Head of Sales, Andrew Cardamone. “It has a strong established customer base in the industry which includes major fleets, dealerships and OEMs.”
In recent years, Alltruck Bodies’ Victorian headquarters has been transformed into a large hub for quality manufacturing, maintenance and client support. Meanwhile, its 4,000-square-metre manufacturing facility in Queensland has been built to effectively service growing demand for reliable and efficient truck bodies. Together, these sites house over 130 employees in total which support customers with greater flexibility and assured delivery dates.
While Alltruck Bodies’ founders have taken a step back from the daily management of the business in the last year, a new CEO has joined the company.
“Andrew Hadjikakou has a long history in Australian manufacturing and the transport industry,” Andrew explains. “Our founders still sit on the board and have large shareholdings in the company, but it’s been great having Andrew on board because he has brought a renewed focus into the company. He has driven significant improvements in our operations and attention to customers, and we’ve really been able to sharpen up our value proposition as a result.”
Alltruck Bodies has since discovered newfound efficiencies within its existing manufacturing processes which have led to the implementation of various new methods aimed at lean manufacturing. These have passed the benefits of safety, quality and productivity on to customers.
“We’ve been able to reduce waste, increase productivity and enhance our capability to deliver projects on time by reviewing and refining our manufacturing processes,” Andrew says. “Our in-house production control ensures quality and consistency. Customers can come to us knowing that if they want to build 50 bodies, they’re all going to be of the same high standard. We have strict procedures in place to ensure that.”
This is all complemented by Alltruck Bodies’ high-volume output – something which Andrew says is one of its biggest strengths as a manufacturer.
“We are capable of building over 35 bodies per week,” he explains. “We’re manufacturing them faster so that customers can get them quicker. For us, the ability to ramp up production when needed is a superpower.”
Additionally, Alltruck Bodies can still accommodate personalised customer requests in the same way that it used to when it was a smaller operation. This flexibility is non-negotiable for the business.
“We combine large-scale manufacturing with personalised service,” Andrew says. “It really depends on what the customer is after. We’re very flexible in the way that we can respond to orders, and this is made much more possible through the broad range of body types that we work with – curtainsiders, vans, trays, insulated bodies and trailers.”
Alltruck Bodies’ refined operations have also extended to other aspects of the business. Its safety measures, for one, have been altered under the helm of the company’s new CEO who has ushered in an era of increased awareness and prevention for workplace hazards.
“The safety around our truck body production has improved just as much as the time frames around our manufacturing,” Andrew says. “There’s been a huge focus on it. This has been delivered through the introduction of items like respiratory welding masks as well as the development and refinement of various safety practices. We’ve removed A-frame ladders from the manufacturing space because of the falling risk they present to workers and we have also installed scissor lifts and similar machinery to ensure our truck body builds can be completed in a secure fashion.”
This diligence even includes fostering and maintaining a more open and inclusive workplace culture. As someone who has worked for Alltruck Bodies for a decade, Andrew himself has been enthusiastic to see these changes ultimately serve the business for the better.
“I’ve loved my time at Alltruck Bodies,” he says. “I’ve made some great memories and friendships with customers here and I’m happy that the work environment has been improved upon further. We now have an all-employee meeting at the end of each month which gives every worker an update on where the business is at and what’s happening within it.
“With a focus on safety and lean manufacturing, I think it has led to an even better workplace culture because everyone can gain an understanding of the company’s business priorities and work towards achieving them together. We are very focused on exceeding our customers’ expectations and winning their respect, and they will ultimately benefit from that.”
Equipped with an improved manufacturing process, safer workspace and motivated labour force, Alltruck Bodies is prepared for its next chapter of business. And it’s looking big.
“We’ve recently had some new large fleet customers come through to the business,” Andrew says. “This has been super exciting.”
Opportunities like these make Alltruck Bodies’ next steps very thrilling.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing how we expand our production capacity while retaining the family business values we operate by,” Andrew says. “Our slogan is ‘Where quality is never compromised’. That was true when the company was founded and it remains true today.”
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