Our History
Since we started in 1976, we’ve made a range of innovations that have had a significant positive impact on the heavy industries around the nation.
1970s
Tradesales was established in 1976 in Welshpool by Peter Judd, who quickly established the company as a distributor for BAC drawer cabinets.
1980s
During the 80s, Tradesales expanded into government agencies, including defence and education. The company also grew into the mining sector and successfully serviced clients such as Mount Newman Mining, Woodside, Robe River Mining, Hamersley Iron, BHP, and HWE.
In the late 80s, the company moved to Canning Vale, where it continued to add more products to its range, including dangerous goods storage, materials handling products, matting, and shelving.
1990s
Around 1993, Tradesales was requested by one of its mining clients to manufacture a heavy-duty tool locker, which became one of the company’s signature products. By this time, Tradesales had an even split between government and mining clients; however, the shift towards manufacturing heavy-duty storage locally proved positive with the resource’s community, and Tradesales became the go-to name in this discipline for many of the major miners.
2000s
The company continued on this trajectory until 2002, when Tradesales purchased the Real Ezy business and started manufacturing hose reels allowing it to expand into new markets, including agriculture and firefighting.
In 2006, the company shifted to Midvale and started manufacturing pallet cages in 2007. Around this time, the company built its own factory and started looking for a replacement for BAC drawer cabinets while increasing its product range, which now included workbenches and workstations.
Tradesales continued to innovate, and in 2007, it developed the concept for the Lubestation product – an all-in-one, relocatable oil dispensing unit – although it wasn’t named this way until 2011.
While many manufacturing businesses suffered during the Global Financial Crisis, Tradesales was largely shielded from the impact thanks to its deep roots in the mining sector, which was thriving at the time.
2010s
In 2010, Tradesales launched the Maxa brand, and from 2012 onwards, the company ramped up its in-house design capabilities, resulting in developing a more comprehensive range of products. This period also saw a significant increase in manufacturing, including the launch of the company’s first site boxes and HDTC cages.
In 2015, the company doubled down on the shipping container modification aspect of the business, developing a range of relocatable site solutions such as the Hydration Station and Tradelocker locker room.
In 2017, Tradesales formalised its long-term growth plans and has seen significant growth year on year from FY17 to FY22. Due to this rapid growth, the company moved its Perth office back to Welshpool in 2019, doubling the size of the previous location in Midvale.
The RETRA brand was split into a separate entity in 2019, created to house the organisation’s hose reel, lubricant dispensing, and fuel/oil storage tank products under the one fluid handling umbrella.
2020s
The company grew during the COVID-19 pandemic, proving to be quite agile and able to service customers.
In 2022, Tradesales secured the keys to a new manufacturing plant in the Avon Valley Industrial Park, 12 times the size of the company’s previous factory in Cunderdin.
In the same year, after extensive market research, Tradesales set up its Melbourne branch to service Victoria’s prospering construction and civil engineering sectors. Just 12 months later, Tradesales moved into a larger facility in Melbourne to meet growing demand.