Industry News

Design strength

With 40,000 square metres of dedicated factory space and a team of over 200 skilled tradespeople and design engineers, there aren’t many transport equipment requests Rhino Trailers and Low Loaders can’t handle.

Australian owned and operated with its headquarters in Toowoomba, Queensland, the company has a long-standing reputation for producing a diverse range of trailers and low loaders for various markets. More specifically, it custom builds heavy haulage transport equipment, designed to withstand Australian conditions.

Its products are renowned for their superior strength, reinforcing the company’s motto, ‘strength in design’, says Rhino Trailers and Low Loaders General Manager, Steve Hunt.

Rhino Trailers and Low Loaders’ factory in Toowoomba has become a one-stop facility for all trailer requirements, and features a comprehensive offering under one roof, including a protective coatings facility, as well as specialised equipment for servicing, modifications and refurbishments.

The skill and knowledge of Rhino’s team of trades and engineers means trailer quality is never compromised and, aside from the workforce’s Integrated Management System, technicians are still always keen to keep their skills sharp.

“Our workforce has always strived for continual improvement,” Steve says. “They are constantly reviewing existing designs and manufacturing methods to allow existing and new customers to find the right match for their business.”

With more than 30 years of experience under its belt, along with combined knowledge and expertise through purchased and consolidated businesses, the Rhino range has been able to go from strength to strength.

Over the years Rhino has built an array of special purpose trailers for specific tasks, particularly for use within the bulk transport, heavy haulage, general freight, intermodal and livestock industries.

The company’s extensive tipper range includes high-tensile, light-weight steel and aluminium trailers, including hybrid models. These are available in high-volume single, B-double, road train and Performance-based Standards (PBS) configurations.

Meanwhile, its drop-bed bulk tubs, made in aluminium and high tensile light weight steel, work well with light weight and high volume products.

The Rhino low loaders cover deck wideners and full wideners on rows of four tyres, as well as widening rows of eight low loaders with the accompanying rows of four and rows of eight dollies.

The company also manufactures tandem and tri-axle converter dollies for tipper, drop deck and skel trailer road train and A-double combinations, as well as tandem and tri-axle tag trailers for plant and equipment.

Recently added to the range is a newly developed drop deck machinery trailer which widens to four metres. Rhino’s machinery trailers are bred from a combination of the company’s proven drop deck trailer construction and its reliable low loader deck widening system, resulting in a top solution for operators looking for a drop deck trailer that does it all.

“All of our products are designed and constructed to handle the tough Australian conditions,” Steve says, adding that the Rhino team is also focused on reducing lead times through improved manufacturing processes.

To further bolster its quality benchmark, three years ago The Davey Group committed to developing and implementing an IMS to achieve certification in ISO 9001:2015 quality management systems, ISO 45001:2018 safety management systems and ISO 14001:2015 environmental management systems.

According to Steve, the Rhino team also ensures complete customer satisfaction by following a steadfast quality policy that includes accurately capturing customer specifications.

This includes implementing, maintaining and continually improving its third-party certified ISO 9001:2015 quality management system, conducting in process and final quality and test inspections and adhering to all applicable statutory or regulatory requirements and internal processes.

The capabilities of The Davey Group are not limited to road transport, with its divisions offering standard engineered products and design, and construct capabilities servicing the mining, oil and gas, agriculture and forestry sectors.

The company specialises in the delivery of complete turnkey solutions including large, complex industrial equipment, storage solutions, bulk materials handling, processing plants, structural steel buildings and supporting infrastructure.

Its Toowoomba site also features a modern 1,500-square-metre abrasive blasting and protective coatings facility that has an environmentally friendly abrasive blast chamber capable of using all types of material for surface preparation.

The 13-metre-wide and 42-metre-long booth is suitable for all large equipment and machinery with industrial finishes and a 24-metre-long heated spray booth. This offers greater flexibility in applying quality coatings, to commercial and industrial machinery and equipment, at both Australian and international standards and specifications.

The Davey Group Managing Director, Tony Davey, is particularly proud of this capability and notes that the protective coating division will underwrite delivery commitments on finished products – something the division has successfully been doing since it was established.

As a result, this state-of-the-art facility is where Rhino gets its trailers painted, bringing two business divisions of The Davey Group together to deliver quality designed and built products.

Image: Rhino Trailers and Low Loaders.

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