For Australian trailer manufacturer, Akaal Semi-Trailers, it all began in a small shed in Rocklea, Brisbane, in 2018.
At the beginning, Akaal Semi-Trailers specialised solely in the repairing of trailers and heavy vehicles, until it decided to dip its toes into the water of trailer manufacturing in 2021 – leveraging on what it had learned through fixing them and developing a deep understanding of trailer design and functionality.
“The business was repairing all trailer makes and while doing that, it quickly learned what worked and what didn’t,” says Akaal Semi-Trailers Sales and Service Manager, Peter Grey, who joined the business with over 25 years of experience in the transport industry. “A lot of the learnings from repairing trailers were then implemented on designs when Akaal started manufacturing them. This meant that when their trailers would need to be repaired, they would be easier to fix.”
Akaal Semi-Trailers entered the field of manufacturing with converter dollies first, but it would evolve its offering to include curtainsiders, flat tops and drop decks in a range of applications as well.
The business began manufacturing with dollies like these. Image: Akaal Semi-Trailers.Based on its experience gained in repairs, Akaal Semi-Trailers was able to make several unique innovations when it came to building trailers.
As Peter explains, this includes two options of choice for the positioning of front couplings which can be located either in the centre of the front wall of trailers or on the drivers’ side, depending on hose arrangements and operator preferences.
According to Peter, Akaal Semi-Trailers’ one-piece bolt-on rear bumpers for its A trailers are easily repaired or swapped out, saving downtime over a fully welded unit if it’s damaged.
Meanwhile, its ‘floating mezzanine post system’ eliminates cracks and failures on drop deck mezzanine posts by allowing them to move and twist with the chassis frame, rather than against it. The post is securely bolted to specially designed mounting points that integrate with solid steel beams in the chassis, ensuring both flexibility and strength.
“One thing I found when I joined the business was that their quality and attention to detail was outstanding,” Peter says. “Each trailer they build is like show quality, and they have a lot of unique design features.”
The move to manufacturing trailers, Peter says, came about due to demand and word of mouth from existing customers that had already had their trailers repaired. Yet major investments in a new facility, staff and state-of-the-art equipment such as a 12-metre plasma cutter, heavy duty presses and automatic welding machines have further strengthened these operations.
“We’re growing in leaps and bounds,” he says. “We’ve just moved into a new factory around the corner because we outgrew the old one we were in. The company has grown considerably in the last 12 months, and it couldn’t get any bigger where it was.”
The factory itself measures in at 100 metres long and 40 metres wide, and allows full B-double access. It features dedicated trailer bays for welding curtainsiders (the business’ most popular trailer option), hydraulic rotating jigs, dedicated shot-blasting and paint booths and overhead cranes to cater for a new business venture.
“We’re opening up brand-new refrigerated and dry van lines,” Peter says. “Through this facility, we will be able to become more efficient in our trailer production and offer a better finish. We will also have more control over the painting aspect of the trailers.”
Bolstering these new developments are also two appointments from the transport industry. Akaal Semi-Trailers’ Sales Engineer, Alan Guest, joins the business with over 40 years of experience in transport and logistics, while Engineering Manager, Charan Deep Singh, possesses over six years of expertise in the field.
“That was a lot of knowledge to secure,” Peter says. “We can design and engineer a top-quality product with their help on top of the state-of-the-art machinery that has been purchased.”
As the company looks to the future ahead, Peter says Akaal Semi-Trailers will focus on refining its production and processes through the new Rocklea facility. Most importantly, it will continue to manufacture everything in-house, and to the utmost quality, to retain its heritage.
“We manufacture everything in-house from start to finish,” he says. “Nothing is imported. We use 100-per-cent Australian steel and try to support local industries where we can.
“We also use premium products from well-established companies that have a proven a track record of products that can last a distance in Australia. So now, it’s just all about getting properly set up and getting things running efficiently so that we can produce the best engineered trailer to supply to our customers.”
Drop deck B-double. Image: Akaal Semi-Trailers.The post Leaps and bounds: Akaal Semi-Trailers appeared first on Trailer Magazine.