When Capral Aluminium marks its 90th anniversary this year, it does so with a transport legacy which stretches back to the earliest days of aluminium fabrication in Australia.
Capral’s heritage encompasses rail, marine, road transport and defence. The company started in 1936 under the name of British Aluminium (Australia) – later known as Australuco and then Alcan Australia – and began local production at Granville in 1941. While aviation and defence dominated early output, transport quickly became one of aluminium’s most practical applications.
Australia’s highway network began to expand rapidly in the decades following World War II. Transport began to emerge as one of aluminium’s most important industrial frontiers.
As operators began looking for ways to reduce tare weight without sacrificing durability, aluminium offered a solution. Lighter structures meant greater payload capacity. Corrosion resistance extended service life in demanding operating conditions.
In 1970, Alcan formally established its Transport Equipment Division at Silverwater, New South Wales. This was a fully operational manufacturing division producing aluminium trays, tippers and specialised vehicle bodies through a national network. Among the organisation’s earliest and most recognisable products was the Alcan tray, a one-tonne aluminium tray body with the ability to reduce tare weight and deliver payload gains, while lowering vehicle wear and fuel consumption. Additionally, the introduction of the Luton van demonstrated the design flexibility aluminium offered over steel (the dominant material of choice at the time) and led to a revolution.
“What followed was a transformation,” says Capral General Manager Supply Chain and Industrial Solution, Luke Hawkins. “Engineers, designers and transport operators discovered that aluminium allowed them to carry more, move faster, maintain less and endure longer.
“For many operators, aluminium moved from being an alternative material to becoming a competitive advantage.”
Another turning point arrived in 1983 when the Alcan Australia Transport Equipment Division merged with Hockney Engineering Group to create Hockney Alcan – a single technically capable and competitive organisation powered by the knowledge and resources of two industry experts. Hockney Alcan accelerated innovation in bulk haulage and reinforced aluminium’s position in tanker and tipper design across Australia.
In 1995, following a change in ownership structure, Alcan Australia officially adopted the Capral name. Shortly afterwards, its direct involvement in transport manufacturing concluded following the acquisition of Hockney Alcan by Holmwood Highgate in 2000. Although this marked the end of an era for Capral, the company’s relationship with the heavy transport sector did not end. Instead, it shifted upstream.
In 2013, Capral bolstered its market position with the acquisition of OneSteel’s Aluminium distribution business. The purchase marked the beginning of a new era for the business broadening its footprint and abilities in servicing industrial markets.
“Capral consolidated decades of industrial expertise into a more integrated organisation capable of supporting complex aluminium needs for Australian manufacturers,” Luke says. “Integrating OneSteel’s aluminium distribution business with Capral’s manufacturing capability ultimately delivered operational efficiencies and strengthened Capral as a full service provider.”
Since formally adopting the Capral name in 1995, the business has focused on being Australia’s leading extruder and distributor of aluminium products. Today, Capral supplies locally extruded sections and aluminium plate and sheet products used by leading trailer manufacturers including Vawdrey, Freighter, Sloanebuilt and Muscat Trailers. Curtainsiders, tankers, bulk tippers and intermodal equipment built across the country incorporate Capral aluminium.
Sustainability is now shaping procurement decisions in the heavy vehicle sector. In response, Capral introduced its LocAl lower-carbon aluminium range and achieved Aluminium Stewardship Initiative certification across its operations. For trailer manufacturers supplying fleet operators under growing emissions and reporting pressure, verified carbon data is becoming increasingly relevant.
Beyond extrusion and distribution, Capral delivers a comprehensive suite of value-added solutions to support manufacturers within the transport industry. CNC machining capability enables precision cutting, drilling and complex profiling to exact specifications, ensuring repeatability and tight tolerances across production runs. Prefabricated transport kits provide pre-machined extrusion sets that simplify fabrication, minimise waste and improve build efficiency on the workshop floor.
In addition, advanced plate and sheet routing services allow for accurate, high-speed processing of large-format material, supporting everything from structural components to detailed architectural and industrial applications. Together, these capabilities position Capral not just as a material supplier, but as a manufacturing partner committed to delivering practical, production-ready aluminium solutions.
Last year, Capral reinforced its commitment to local manufacturing by joining the Australian Made Campaign. This was a crucial achievement for Capral and Australia’s manufacturing industry considering the state of the current global trade environment at the time.
Now, as Capral surpasses nine monumental decades of operations, aluminium is no longer experimental in heavy transport. It is expected. And Capral remains one of the companies that helped make it that way.
From the first locally fabricated trays at Silverwater to the modern high-capacity combinations travelling Australia’s highways today, the company’s role has evolved. But its focus on supplying Australian transport manufacturers with locally extruded aluminium remains constant.
Capral’s milestone 90th anniversary reflects almost an entire generation of dedication and care to the industries it has served. This, Luke says, is what has mattered most to the company.
“Capral is honoured to have been able to play such an instrumental part in the Australian aluminium industry over the last 90 years,” he says. “The end user has and always will be front of mind to Capral. We’re just as committed to them as they are to us.”
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