WesTrac
 | |
| Industry | Heavy equipment dealer |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | South Guildford, Western Australia |
Area served |
Western Australia New South Wales Australian Capital Territory northern China |
| Revenue | $2.68 billion (2015) |
| $191 million (2015) | |
| Owner | Seven Group Holdings |
| Website | www.westrac.com.au |
WesTrac is a Caterpillar dealer. It was owned by Australian Capital Equity, which in turn was owned by Kerry Stokes.[1][2] In 2010 it and Seven West Media merged to form Seven Group Holdings.[3]
Headquarters
WesTrac is based in South Guildford, Western Australia, and is the Caterpillar dealer for Western Australia, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and northern China.[1][2] Until 1989, the Caterpillar dealership in Western Australia was known as Wigmores, which was also bought by Australian Capital Equity in 1988 and renamed as WesTrac.[4]
A new New South Wales Operational Headquarters in Tomago was opened in 2012.[4]
Business
It supplies Caterpillar mining trucks to BHP, Rio Tinto[5] and other numerous mining companies, as well as Caterpillar engines for power generation and marine transport.
History
Caterpillar began operating in Western Australia in 1925 with a dealership being opened at the South Guildford premises in 1950. Known as Wigmores the dealership was renames as Morgans in 1989 and then WesTrac in 1990.[4]
The company had over 3,000 employees in 2009 and was the biggest employer of apprentices outside of government.[6]
Since 2000, WesTrac has opened dealerships across China, and is one of the largest suppliers of Caterpillar products in the world.[7]
In 2006, WesTrac closed its agricultural dealerships in Australia, resulting from a decision by Caterpillar to cease production of agricultural equipment.[8] Customers of Westrac were concerned that their warranties would not be honoured.
On 22 February 2010, it was announced that WesTrac would merge with Seven West Media to form Seven Network Limited, which is 70% owned by Kerry Stokes. On 30 August 2012, WesTrac officially opened its multimillion-dollar branch at Tomago, which is known as the Newcastle branch. In November 2013, WesTrac announced they would cut 630 jobs due to the a downturn in earnings.[9]
References
- 1 2 "WesTrac Profile". Local Government Managers Australia. 4 July 2008. Archived from the original on 22 July 2008. Retrieved 20 June 2008.
- 1 2 Spears, Lee (5 June 2008). "Caterpillar May Sell Generators to Chinese Methane Power Plant". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 4 July 2008.
- ↑ "WesTrac". Seven Group Holdings. 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
- 1 2 3 "WesTrac - Historical Timeline". WesTrac. 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
- ↑ "BNET.com - Engineering and Mining Journal - Caterpillar, Rio Tinto Reach Technology Agreement". Engineering and Mining Journal. 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
- ↑ "Westtrac Company Profile". 2008. Archived from the original on 5 August 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
- ↑ "Forbes Online - China Cat". 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
- ↑ "ABC News - Farmer woes as WesTrac closes its doors". 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
- ↑ "Westrac swings axe as earnings fall". The Australian. Fairfax Media. 12 November 2013. Retrieved 12 November 2013.