THIS MONTH WE TALK TO BRENT HUTCHINSON FROM TERRAIN TAMER
THE AUSTRALIAN AUTOMOTIVE 4X4 MARKET HAS A RICH AND PROUD HERITAGE. FOR YEARS LOCAL DESIGN, INGENUITY AND MANUFACTURING HAS CREATED MANY FANTASTIC FOUR WHEEL DRIVE RELATED PRODUCTS. AT 4X4 AUSTRALIA WE ARE PROUD TO SHOWCASE AND SUPPORT TRULY AUSTRALIAN ENGINEERED AND MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS - HERE ARE A FEW AUSSIE MANUFACTURERS KEEPING THE DREAM ALIVE, HELPING TO KEEP THE LOCAL MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY THRIVING AND KEEPING PEOPLE IN REAL JOBS. SO SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL AUSSIE MADE PRODUCTS. Describe your business?
We are the 4WD parts people, with a range that has been built up over 50 years of design, field testing, metallurgy testing, and manufacturing.
Tell us some of the history of your company?
We began in the 1960’s and many of our customers were tour operators that would travel from Melbourne up through the red centre and back, following tracks like Burke & Wills or where the Stuart Highway now runs or into the Simpson Dessert. They would often return having broken, damaged or weakened parts and would then ask our team to design or source a stronger part so their next tour could go on without disruption. Gradually, part by part, over 50 years, this has resulted in the range Terrain Tamer now offers. Essentially, Terrain Tamer is formed by parts that will keep you running – right through the Gearbox, transfer case, CV joints, filters, suspension, bearing kits, brake, clutch and thousands of other parts that make up any Landcruiser, Hilux, Patrol, Triton, Navara or D-max.
Where is the company at now?
We’re in a period of large global expansion and are fortunate to have 4 international branches that have grown over time. We are sold into over 80 countries around the world and our range continues to grow. Everything we do still continues on from that original promise of parts that will get you home - that same philosophy that got the tour operators and their Bedford 4WDS back safely in the 1960’s still runs through the company’s purpose today.
Unique Selling Point:
Our experience means a lot because we’ve spent 50 years learning lessons. We see some manufacturers making mistakes today that we learned from decades ago. From a quality aspect, this is a testament to the range, and it also helps us with innovation, occasionally bringing old ideas to address new problems. Out of 130 staff we have 20 who have been here over 20 years, so our parts interpreting skills are unmatched. We have a huge knowledge base, which is crucial in this industry to ensure that not only the best quality part but also the right part is delivered at the right time.
2 Words about Product or Service?
Passionate & Pioneering.
What makes you different from your Competition?
We don’t really have a direct competitor, because we cover such a wide range. If anything, it would be the genuine dealers like Toyota or Nissan, but they are also some of our best customers. Simply, and almost by accident, the unique nature of the way Terrain Tamer has been built over 50 years makes it very hard for someone new to come into the industry to follow our path. It would take them 50 years to get where we are today, and by then we’d be 50 years ahead.
What products are in development now?
Interestingly, a lot of our knowledge base on parts is now being sought after by aid vehicles around the world. These are vehicles with different requirements, and certainly much of the R&D that we’ve poured into our current range applies, but it needs a whole new way of thinking. These are vehicles that are really heavy, but there are a lot of benefits in designing for these vehicles, and it means we’ll also be able to provide customers here in Australia with some really heavy duty products and essentially also solve a lot of problems here for non-aid or non-military vehicles.
Who uses your products?
Those who care for their 4WD. To elaborate further, those who own a work horse of a vehicle - clearly mining is important, as is farming, fleets of vehicles, emergency services and of course the recreational 4Wdriver.
What’s your greatest achievement?
In an automotive industry that has seen a lot of recent consolidation, we’re very proud to still be 100% Australian and family owned by the original founder, taking this hard earned knowledge base and exporting it all around the world through Terrain Tamer. We get a kick out of leading the field in industries around the world, beyond just the Australian market, and to be the current winner of an Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association Innovation Award is also a huge badge of honor.