The Freighter brand continues to stand out on truck trailers all across Australia, reflecting the company’s on-going evolution and strengthened connection with its customers.

The Ballarat-based trailer manufacturer recently invested heavily in its state-of-the-art factory and invited customers, suppliers and media along to witness its progress at a grand re-launch event in October last year.

Speaking to PowerTorque in the lead up to Christmas, Freighter Group Executive Chairman Greg L’Estrange says the new name had been well received by the market and the focus going into 2025 was all about meeting and exceeding customer expectations.

He said the Freighter brand had been part of the transport world in Australia since 1946, when the first trailers carrying the name were released to the industry and the new name helped to tie the business back to its heritage.

Greg was upfront about the challenges the company had faced over recent years, particularly during COVID, when it came to being able to deliver its quality trailers in a timely fashion.

“We recognised where our shortcomings were. The investment into our manufacturing is just one part of our broader plan to address those so we can continue to improve and be more responsive with changing market demands,” Greg says.

“And that’s our goal, whether it’s response time, lead time, delivery and accuracy.

“We want to be the best possible company we can be that can respond to customer needs.”

The $50 million advanced manufacturing facility upgrade at Ballarat is the biggest step forward in the business since MaxiTRANS was bought by a group of local private investors in September 2021.

Greg says the management team is determined to create a new era for the future of the company and the trailer manufacturing industry in Australia.

“This investment has seen the introduction of state-of-the-art equipment and an expansion of the overall footprint of the facility, transforming it into a modern manufacturing environment,” he says.

“The completion of the upgrade puts the business in a position to be able to continue to evolve with the changing needs of our customers long into the future.”

For customers, there are significant upsides to the change.

Freighter Group will now supply spare parts directly to customers through its national Dealer network, a change from the previous agreement, now expired, where parts came from MaxiPARTS.

The group has also launched its own Hitcher Parts range to support its own products and, eventually, aftermarket needs as well.

As another way of assisting customers to get moving quickly, Freighter Group will offer a Ready Range of trailers that are designed to fast-track the time from order to delivery.

“With almost 80 years of experience designing and manufacturing trailers for the Australian market, we have developed a Ready Range solution across our expansive product offering that consists of specifications suited for a wide array of applications,” Greg says.

“This allows our product to be more competitively priced, further streamline the ordering process and deliver shorter manufacturing lead times.”

For those working in the refrigerated transport space a collaboration between Freighter Group and Schmitz Cargobull has created the Freez-R trailer, featuring TrailerConnect telematics as standard and constructed using Ferroplast technology.

“Through our partnership with Schmitz Cargobull, collaboration with customers and our industry experience, we have been able to design and create a product to meet the exacting needs of the Australian market,” Greg says.

The Freez-R is capable of achieving minus 30 degrees Celsius and its telematics package delivers drivers and fleet operators real time information on driver routes, internal temperature monitoring, tyre pressures, fuel levels and all EBS data, as well as controlling the fridge plant to name just a few, which assists in boosting the efficiency of the operation.

Summing up the changes Greg says it is all about being ready to support the market: “All these announcements lead into our message that Freighter Group is all about being ready.

“Ready for our customers to perform through products that are meticulously designed, manufactured and supported.

“Ready for anything our customers need, through extensive product knowledge and industry experience.

“Ready to assist when needed. With a national dealer, service and mobile support network — our team is never too far away.”

Aside from the Freighter brand, Freighter Group also manufactures and distributes nationally a range of other market leading brands to the Australian market, including Maxi-CUBE, Lusty EMS, Hamelex White, Trout River and AZMEB.

Across all of its brands, Freighter Group provides equipment for the general freight, temperature-controlled freight and bulk transport market sectors. To find out more, go online at www.freighter.com.au.