Founded in 1974 by Ernie and Arthur Barker in Woodend, Victoria, Barker Trailers’ humble beginnings are now a distant memory.
The company, in the years that followed, has developed into a formidable player in the trailer manufacturing industry – now employing more than 150 people and operating out of two facilities which head its administration and fabrication workshops respectively.
In its growth, Barker Trailers has undergone many transformations to find out which production methods work best for the company. And currently, it exists in an operational sweet spot, according to Barker Trailers Supply Chain Manager, Russell Thomas.
“We’re in a really strong consolidation phase of developing our systems and processes,” he says. “If we need or have the desire to grow further, we can.”
Within Victoria, Barker Trailers manufactures a wide range of trailers and freight vehicles such as container trailers, flat tops, drop decks and more. A recent investment in the development of moving floor trailers joins the mix as well.
Amid this extensive product line, the business strikes a balance between setting a reliable standard of quality and being able to cater manufacturing to specific customer requests, according to Barker Trailers Commercial Manager, Ross Barker.
“We try and offer something that’s quite unique for the customer,” he says. “We’re always looking to try and offer customisation at the same time as standardisation.”
This nuanced approach to manufacturing is just one commonality that Barker Trailers shares with HELLA Australia, the heavy vehicle lighting and electronics specialist that has played a significant role in the trailer manufacturer’s 50-year journey.
“Much like Barker Trailers, which wants to provide solutions for each customer while maintaining a standard of the highest quality, HELLA operates like that too,” says HELLA Australia Business Development Manager, Bradley Curry. “There are always new and emerging technologies, and I think we find the right balance where we’re able to take into consideration these new technologies in conjunction with what we know already works well for the customer – all while maintaining the HELLA quality.”
HELLA, founded in Germany in 1899, has operated under the larger company name of Forvia HELLA since its merger with French automotive supplier, Faurecia, in 2022. The company came to Australia in 1961 – its first manufacturing facility outside of Europe – and the rest is history.
For over 25 years, HELLA Australia and Barker Trailers together have been engaged in a fruitful partnership, sharing similar values of collaboration, quality control and innovation which have been extremely conducive to success enjoyed by both businesses.
“We’re always bouncing ideas off of each other,” Russell says. “Giving and receiving feedback is a two-way street that keeps both Barker Trailers and HELLA at the forefront of quality and innovation.”
This collaboration has ranged from working on enhancing specific product models and materials to much more conceptual plans involving responding to market trends and implementing new industry technologies, Bradley explains.
“I think the close relationship really works,” he says. “When it comes to new products and emerging technologies, we like to keep Barker Trailers informed on what’s happening so that it can see the many market developments occurring.
“Barker Trailers has been a great adopter of a lot of the technologies we have. It shows that there are better ways to do things, and as we improve them, Barker is always at the forefront of picking them up.”
According to Bradley, some of these technologies may be the latest advancements in manufacturing. Yet HELLA Australia is diligent in ensuring that Barker Trailers can effectively integrate any new technologies in a way that does not hinder its tried and trusted manufacturing process.
“Though there have always been technological changes over the years, we don’t tend to have to be reinventing the wheel to make use of them,” Ross adds. “HELLA makes sure that we don’t have to change much on our end to adopt these new technologies.”
Some prime examples of these technologies are HELLA’s lighting ranges, specifically the DuraLED product, a solution that Barker Trailers has been implementing in its trailers for close to 30 years.
“We were one of the early adopters of the DuraLED product back in the late 90s,” Russell says. “Along with our fleet customers, we saw the benefit of an efficient and durable lighting option to keep trailers on the road longer with less downtime for maintenance.”
HELLA’s DuraLED product line is used for tail lamps and marker lamps on a range of combinations at Barker Trailers, in addition to HELLA’s Jumbo tail lamps and number plate lamps.
HELLA DuraLED. Image: HELLA Australia.The durability and functionality of these lighting products, Russell says, contribute to Barker Trailers’ high-quality standard as it aims to keep maintenance and servicing to an absolute minimum.
“By fitting quality lighting solutions from HELLA, we know that we can provide our customers with the best assets for their businesses to ensure cost-effective and reliable fleet management,” he says.
The high calibre displayed in these products is indicative of both companies’ meticulous commitment to quality control. Through their partnership, Ross says Barker Trailers and HELLA Australia have worked together to uphold impeccable production standards to deliver exceptional services to their customers.
“It’s nice to know that when you quote a HELLA product, you are quoting the best,” he says. “There’s probably a thousand moving parts in a semi-trailer and so you want to minimise headaches wherever possible.
“That’s what the HELLA product does for us. Their name is synonymous with quality, and we’re hoping the Barker Trailers name is the same for its customers.”
Bradley echoes these sentiments, discussing how HELLA’s focus on product quality is directly driven by customer engagement.
“Quality is certainly a key point for us,” he says. “Essentially, for us and for Barker Trailers, the customer is at the centre of everything that we do. So, we need to get every aspect of our production right so that customers enjoy the best version of our products.”
Through the constant practice and evolution of these values in its manufacturing processes, Barker Trailers has remained competitive throughout its entire 50-year history. Further to this, its partnership with HELLA Australia has consolidated the company’s production goals and has reportedly opened it to a wider range of customers that have quickly become loyal to the Barker Trailers brand.
On HELLA Australia’s behalf, Bradley says the company is immensely proud of its partner for reaching such an achievement.
“We really want to acknowledge the milestone of 50 years for Barker Trailers,” he says. “Being in any business at any time is difficult, but to be in an industry where you’re providing so much to such a large part of Australia – the movement of freight and goods – while withstanding the test of time is an amazing occasion.
“We really want to celebrate that. We admire everything Barker Trailers does and they’re so important to us. Congratulations to Barker Trailers for such a milestone.”
HELLA Australia lighting featured on a Barker Trailers trailer. Image: HELLA Australia.The post Happy trails appeared first on Trailer Magazine.