Idea keeps the wheels turning
AN AVIATION MISHAP YEARS AGO ALMOST ENDED A YOUNG ENGINEER’S CAREER. NOW RON MASON’S REDCAT INDUSTRIES IS KEEPING THE WHEELS OF INDUSTRY TURNING AND HE HAS A NEW PRODUCT IN THE PIPELINE.
An aviation mishap years ago almost ended a young engineer’s career. Now Ron Mason’s Redcat Industries has a new product in the pipeline. Mr Mason came up with a revolutionary idea to alert maintenance crews to the need to replace or repair loose or faulty wheel nuts in 2000. “It was hard, hard yards, but our first offer was with BHP and then we started getting orders from larger and larger companies,” he said. Next week the business will be represented at the Land Forces 2018 Trade show in Adelaide and his new product will be launched in the next few months.
ONE of Cairn’s most successful manufacturers and exporters almost didn’t make it to Far North Queensland.
A “wee lad” of 21, Redcat Industries founder Ron Mason arrived in Australia from Scotland as an engineer, ready to take every opportunity his new home would afford him.
The now 61-year-old got a job in the West Australian mining industry, working 200km inland from Port Hedland.
Just three months into his time in Australia, some mates, including a pilot friend, decided to fly to Darwin for the weekend, but less than an hour into the flight, the engine exploded, sending the four male occupants hurtling to earth.
“The pilot sent out a mayday, swung to the left of this valley and he managed to swing it around, and we came across an old World War II air strip on the Mt Hart cattle ranch,” Mr Mason recalled.
“The manager of the farm, he came round in his 4WD, chain smoking with a dog running around his feet and as we were jumping off the wings, he said, ‘G’day boys, you look like you’re in a spot of bother’.
”He asked us around for tea and bikkies. I remember thinking I didn’t want to lose my legs, but no one was injured, the rescue aircraft came from Derby and that was end of the Darwin trip.”
“When the engine blew, there was a muffled sound and all we heard was the wind noise coming over the plane. Everything went quiet. It was a surreal feeling.”
Fresh from his brush with death, Mr Mason started a career in the aviation industry, working for Trans-Australia Airlines, Australian Airlines and eventually Qantas, before coming up with a revolutionary idea to alert maintenance crews to the need to replace or repair loose or faulty wheel nuts in 2000.
“We started introducing the indicators into Australia by cold calling – it was hard, hard yards, but our first offer was with BHP and then we started getting orders from larger and larger companies. We started manufacturing in Australia, which we thought was great, because everyone was manufacturing overseas,” he said.
Almost every major company in Australia now uses the indicators and, this year, Mr Mason cracked the South-East Asian market with a contract through Singapore Bus Services. Redcat Industries will also be part of the lucrative contract to build new Boxer 280 combat reconnaissance vehicles
WE STARTED INTRODUCING THE INDICATORS TO AUSTRALIA THROUGH COLD CALLING – IT WAS HARD, HARD YARDS RON MASON
through manufacturer Rheinmetall Defence Australia.
Next week, the business will be represented at the Land Forces 2018 trade show in Adelaide.
Mr Mason is also designing a new product — it is still top secret — to be launched in the next few months for the UK mining market.
“Even though we do a lot of shows, we talk to a lot of people who have a lot of trucks, everyone who comes past us at Land Forces won’t just have a fleet of trucks – they have a whole defence force,” Mr Mason said.
Cairns has turned out to be the perfect location for Mr Mason’s team of six, including his wife Kath.
“Really, irrespective of where you are, if you have a slight disadvantage operating from a regional town, there are always advantages as well. Our advantage is basically that Cairns costs less to run – you can operate leaner than those with a base in the capital cities,” he said.
“You can use the freight systems, you can get things to Singapore and Malaysia two hours quicker than anywhere else. Plus, this is a much nicer place than Sydney or Melbourne.
“I would think Cairns will always be capitalised by the tourism industry, but I think, much like my business, the city needs to broaden its base, and move away from its reliance on real estate and tourism.
“We need to instil a bit more innovation and that will bring people in.
”Maybe when the relatively negative marketing dies down, the tourism industry is going to increase in leaps and bounds.
“But, I’m pretty upbeat about it – it is nice to see the city starting to move a little bit. Real estate prices have gone up a bit, but it would nice to offer these sort of incentives for people prepared to take a risk. We need people to be motivated and take a risk and not listening to negative people.”
OUR ADVANTAGE IS BASICALLY THAT CAIRNS COSTS LESS TO RUN – YOU CAN OPERATE LEANER THAN THOSE WITH A BASE IN THE CAPITAL CITIES. RON MASON