50 years of Pump Industry Australia

YE AR S

PUMP INDUSTRY AUSTRALIA

November 1964 – November 2014

The evolution of the

Australian

pump industry

As Pump Industry Australia Inc (PIA) – formerly known as the Australian Pump Manufacturers Association – celebrates fifty years of continuous operation, we take a look back over the early years of the Australian pump industry, and the role APMA/PIA has played.

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hile APMA/PIA celebrates 50 years of continuous operation in 2014, the history of the Australian pump industry dates back at least as far as the gold rush of the 19th Century.

Some of Australia’s early history in pump manufacture is represented by two family owned businesses, which still operate, albeit with several changes of ownership since their early days. Both of these organisations are over a century old and have grown out of the earliest Australian export trades of gold and agricultural produce. The oldest, Southern Cross, started in Queensland in 1871 making wooden windmills for pumping ground water. The business grew over the decades to the point where Southern Cross became a household name in rural communities and has continued to this day through various changes of ownership.

In 1875, when the gold rush in Victoria was in full swing, much of the recovery of alluvial gold was undertaken using hydraulic sluicing methods. Thompsons Castlemaine had their beginnings with the manufacture of centrifugal and reciprocating pumps for sluicing and mine dewatering.

By the 1930s and 1940s, as Australia industrialised, more pump manufacturing companies emerged in Australia. Mono Pumps first began manufacturing progressing cavity pumps in 1935 and their heritage today is still built on this world-renowned design.

One of the biggest developments in the early days of the Australian pump industry was the development of the Warman slurry pump in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, in 1938. The pump was invented

by Charles Warman, a young draftsman working at a gold mine in

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the area. He saw the need for some improvements in slurry pump technology and set out to improve the design.

By 1938 he had made several improvements to slurry pump design and had taken out patents on his ideas. He improved the seal so that it was simpler and required little maintenance. He introduced a rubber lining which could be replaced easily. The pumps were manufactured and marketed from Kalgoorlie until 1955, when they accounted for about 90 per cent of the Western Australian market.

Warman slurry pumps are still manufactured today, now by Weir Minerals, who acquired Warman in 1999. The Warman range of slurry pumps are still regarded as the most comprehensive range of slurry pumps around the world.

The industry grows

The 1950s and 1960s proved to be a period of major growth for the Australian pump industry. Manufacturers (such as those mentioned above) continued to flourish, and international companies established a presence in Australia, such as Franklin Electric, whose products were imported into Australia from the 1950s, and established an Australian affiliate in 1962.

Other key players in the market included Kelly & Lewis, Industrial Engineering and Ingersoll Rand.

Local pump manufacturing was competitive in those times and Australia had quite a good export market into the Asia Pacific region. Kelly & Lewis even had a Singapore office, managed by Ken Willcock, to help develop the Southeast Asian market, giving the company quite a competitive edge.

50 YEARS OF PIA

COMPANY PROFILES Brown Brothers Engineers celebrates 20 years

In 2014, Brown Brothers Engineers celebrates 20 years of continuous operation in Australia. Here, we take a look at the company’s history and the impact they’ve had on the Australian market.

Brown Brothers Engineers (BBE) Australia established a sales office in Baulkham Hills, Sydney late in 1994 after being invited

by Goulds Pumps to be their distributor in NSW for Lowara, Hydrovar and Goulds Pumps. At this time Goulds Pumps owned Lowara who were headquartered in Montecchio, Italy. BBE was no stranger to Goulds Pumps as the company had already been their industrial distributor in New Zealand for over 20 years and remain so today some 20 years later.

By 1996, also at the behest of Goulds Pumps, BBE had opened a sales office in Dandenong, Melbourne as their distributor in Victoria and Tasmania.

In 1997, Goulds Pumps was acquired by ITT Corporation and a long-term association was born between ITT and BBE.

APMA is formed

By the early 1960s the industry had grown to the point where the Australian Government saw the export potential for pumps in the region, and encouraged the formation of a Pump Association to promote the idea.

The Australian Pump Manufacturers Association (APMA) was first considered in 1963 and then officially came into being in late 1964.

This association’s formation followed a trip to Africa by Dr Bruce Sharp, who undertook a three month study of the pumps and pump systems used on the continent, between January and March 1964. During the tour, Dr Sharp visited countries including South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana and Nigeria.

Upon Dr Sharp’s return, he provided the Australian Government a report which outlined his findings throughout the tour. This report was also provided to a number of prominent pump companies all of whom contributed to the financial costs of preparing the report.

The main outcome of the report was the formation of APMA in the latter half of 1964. The formation of a pump manufacturers association had also been strongly encouraged by the federal government of the time.

Following his African tour, Dr Sharp was heavily involved in the formation of APMA, and as a result, is widely credited as being the father of the association. He was inducted as a Life Member in 2010.

Companies involved in the formation of APMA included Southern Cross, Thompsons, Kelly & Lewis, Ajax, IEL and Mono. Along with Dr Sharp, George Snow of Mono played a major role in the early days of the association. Both men were significant contributors to the development of the association and current members owe a great deal to their active involvement during the early years of the APMA. 

50 YEARS OF PIA

In January 2000, John Inkster moved to Melbourne after spending 14 years in BBE New Zealand’s Christchurch office, and Melbourne became the Head Office for BBE Australia.

In May 2004, BBE Australia acquired Kelair Pumps Australia and in 2005 acquired Rob Laine Pumping Solutions in Melbourne. Today, Rob Laine is incorporated into Kelair Pumps.

In May 2007, BBE acquired Lowara Pumps Queensland and today is the sole distributor for the Eastern Seaboard of Australia for Lowara, Goulds Water Technology, Vogel and Hydrovar.

These leading brands are all part of Xylem, a spin-off of the old ITT Corporation which split into three separate entities in late 2011. BBE Australia is also the national distributor for Sakuragawa, Layne Bowler, Hitachi and DG Flow.

The company employs 42 staff with sales offices in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. All branches have dedicated workshop facilities; Melbourne has a test rig built to AS2417-2001-Div2 standards using real time data logging with motor capabilities up to 150kW, flows up to 720m3/hr and heads up to 40 bar, plus a balancing plus a balancing machine and five tonne overhead crane, as larger builds are carried out in Melbourne.

BBE Australia has its origins in New Zealand, being a sister company to BBE New Zealand, a company which was founded in 1908 by Alfred E. Brown and his younger brother Phillip H. Brown. In the early years, the company specialised in electrical engineering and was one of the first suppliers of electrical power to Christchurch.

In 1926, BBE New Zealand was appointed as the first Briggs and Stratton agent outside of the USA and held the agency for over 60 years. In 1990, BBE NZ was appointed national distributor for Lowara by Goulds Pumps, and has enjoyed a long and lasting relationship with Lowara since then. 

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Today BBE NZ is one of the oldest pump companies in New Zealand and is a recognised leader in the pump industry with over a hundred years of experience and as in Australia is the sole NZ distributor for Lowara, Vogel, Hydrovar and Goulds Water Technology.

Additionally the company is the national distributor for ITT Goulds, Viking, Sandpiper, Sakuragawa, Layne Bowler, DG Flow and Pioneer.

Both BBE Australia and BBE NZ are part of the Mace Group of Companies headquartered in Christchurch New Zealand. The Mace Group is a diverse thirdgeneration family owned business The company was founded in 1952 by Mr Bill Mace; Bill’s son Ted is current Chairman of the Board of Mace Group, having only recently retired as Managing Director earlier this year, and Ted’s daughter, Dr Michelle Mace, is Managing Director.

Mace Engineering has large facilities in Christchurch, catering for heavy precision machining in NZ, servicing marine, hydro-power, energy and waste industries. The company manufactures power components for NZ’s electricity generation industry and has extensive experience in the manufacture of Kaplan, Francis and Pelton turbines up to 600MW. Mace Engineering has long been recognised as a company that can do what other companies cannot. The company routinely manufactures to recognised international standards.

BBE Australia has made significant achievements in two decades and has much to be proud of; particularly excelling in engineering capability and value add capability. The company also has a strong focus on customers, with a mantra to be not just customer focused but customer driven. BBE Australia is committed to using their technical expertise and industry experience to continue to deliver quality pumping systems and services.

BBE Australia is ready for the next 20 years, and the company is continuously evolving in response to the ever changing needs of a varied and expanding market. BBE Australia would like to take this opportunity to thank their loyal and valued customers – without their support the company could not have achieved all that it has.

A proud tradition – the TKL story

Thompsons, Kelly & Lewis (TKL) was a pivotal player in the industrial history of Victoria.

The corporate history of TKL and its corporate owners is tortuous and complex, with the major players advancing and retreating only to metamorphose and re-emerge years later.

David Thompson arrived in Melbourne in 1852 as a poor Irish immigrant looking for his fortune. His brother James joined him in 1853 and together with two other partners they set out to build a crushing plant at Old Quartz Hill in Castlemaine. In 1855 they took up an abandoned claim on Old Quartz Hill and struck gold. In 18 months, they extracted 18,000 pounds and divided it four ways. The brothers David and James returned to Ireland to settle their family’s debts and returned to Melbourne with a steam-driven crushing battery. They erected crushing plants, and installed engines, pumps and winding gear on many sites in the central mining districts.

In 1875, the Engineering Works and Foundry were opened in Castlemaine. The foundry proved very successful financially. In 1880 the firm submitted its first tender to the Victorian Railways (V.R.) for the supply of points and crossings. The railways were expanding, which led to large quantities of these parts and even export contracts. 

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In addition, many of the current PIA Life Members (see page 13) were active in the early development of the APMA. These include David Macpherson, who served on the APMA technical committee, and in the 1970s was the Chairman of that committee.

In 1965, the formation of the Association was commended by the then Acting Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry, John McEwen. It read: “The formation of an industry association

by Australian pump manufacturers could make an important contribution to the export drive, the Acting Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr J McEwen, said today.

“He was referring to the establishment by the industry of the Australian Pump Manufacturers Association (APMA).

“The association had been constituted to foster the industry and to provide a channel for consultation with Government.

“Experience gained from a joint approach to export markets by a group of Australian pump manufacturers had laid the foundation of the association.

“The Department of Trade and Industry had worked closely with manufacturers in 1964 when a technical survey of export markets in African countries had been undertaken, and subsequently in forming the association.

“Mr McEwen said that such collaboration by manufacturers was another example of new and imaginative ways of attacking export markets.

“He commended this industry approach to export and confirmed the Government’s desire to work with other industry groups in this similar way.”

Tariff tussles

The first productive years between the association and the Federal Government led into the beginning of a pretty tumultuous time for pump manufacturers in Australia.

The 1970s became a period of major upheaval for the Australian pump industry, as the Tariff Board announced an inquiry

50 YEARS OF PIA

into centrifugal pumps, which took place from 1969-1972.

overseas, and the sales and support that these imports require.

APMA, representing the interests of the manufacturers, naturally became heavily involved in trying to protect the industry by retaining the 55 per cent tariff then in place for imported pumps. APMA engaged a Canberra-based lobbyist to represent their interests to government, and argue for the retention of a reasonable level of protection.

As Bob recalled, “Over time, because of the factors mentioned above, the Australian pump industry has changed from a primarily manufacturing industry to a mixture of a few manufacturers and many importers.

Bob Moore, then Managing Director of Kelly & Lewis, recalled that there was a general sense that the Board had already made a decision in-house to reduce the tariff, and it was eventually announced in the early 1970s that the Tariff Board was reducing the tariff on imported pumps from 55 per cent to 27.5 per cent.

This change in tariff structure set the industry on a course of action which resulted in a major shift in the industry; from one heavily focussed on the manufacture of pumps, to one focussed on the import of pumps manufactured

“These importers generally were relatively small organisations. Previously Australia boasted 30 pump manufacturing companies and the organisation representing them was APMA. The status today is more like ten manufacturers and 42 importers.

“Successive governments with their tariff policies and lack of support, not just to the pump industry but to all metal manufacturing companies, have condemned Australia to a second class manufacturing nation.”

Pump importers naturally had a differing perspective on the tariff situation. One of these was KAB Projects. The company was

formed by Keith Beesley, who had been headhunted to join Kelly and Lewis in 1961. Keith was joined by his son Ted in 1968, and the company went from selling locally manufactured Worthington Pumps and Forrer Pumps, to being an importer of pumping equipment. Ted recalled that this move put the company offside with APMA – then focused on representing the interests of pump manufacturers in Australia.

As the company grew, it went on to become the sole distributor of Grundfos pumps in New South Wales for many years, and they were the first to import products from manufacturers such as Kirlioskar, Roto, Sakuragawa, Homa, Seepex, Emu, Hoelschertechnic Gorator, Lange, Shim Maywa, Hidrostal, Sykes, Godwin, Vogel and SPP. Reflecting on the evolution of KAB, it’s clear that their business model was an early predecessor for what many companies in the industry at the time would eventually evolve into.

Evolution of the industry

While the late 1960s and early 1970s 

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Thompson & Co. was versatile in the work taken on: stove tops, new cranks for sausage machines, plough wheels, stamp batteries, granite polishing equipment, air compressors and wool washing machinery. Crowbars appear in the contract books with shafts and pulleys and pumping equipment for mines, and, in 1882, a 60-foot diameter water wheel.

In 1899, machine foreman E.P. Lewis left the company after ten years. He formed a machining company with George Kelly that became Kelly & Lewis, a manufacturer of pumps.

By 1905, the company built the first dredging plant. Thompsons became the pioneers of the system of alluvial mining by hydraulic sluicing, to such an extent that their gravel pumps were being used throughout Australia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Holland and the Federated Malay States. In a few years, more than 50 of the company’s dredges, incorporating gravel pumps, nozzle pumps, sluice boxes and boilers, were working in the Castlemaine district alone. Air compressors and steam and electric winders were manufactured for all the principal mining fields in Australia.

In 1913, the business was formed into a proprietary company under the title of Thompson & Co. (Castlemaine). In that same year, it gained a contract to build Dd class locomotives. Forty were built between 1914 and 1917, and, in 1920, components for a further 20 were supplied for assembly in V.R. workshops in Bendigo, Ballarat and Newport. The first locomotive steamed out of the works on 12 December, 1914. The period 1913-1920 was one of great progress. The company played a valuable part in the war effort for World War I by manufacturing marine steam engines, as well as making munitions. To manufacture railroad tyres, a new forge building was erected, housing a 500 tonne and a 1,000 tonne hydraulic press together with the necessary furnaces and rolling plant. After machining, the tyres were shrunk onto wheels.

This process was phased out in the 1960s when solid railroad wheels were invented.

During the 1920s, the company began to manufacture steam turbines, and condensing and feed heating plants for power stations throughout Australia. The manufacture of such items continued until 1979.

It was decided to reconstruct the company under the name Thompsons Engineering & Pipe Co. This came about on 25 August 1925 – a date of some significance, as it marked 50 years of the existence of the Thompsons Engineering facility. It also marked the end of the influence and presence of the Thompson family.

As soon as Australia decided on an all-in war effort (World War II), Thompsons was one of the first establishments to be drawn in, because of the facilities and skilled personnel available. The forge was used extensively, forging crankshafts and 25-pounder recuperators, and oil-fired furnaces were installed for heat treatment, as well as an electric furnace to manufacture cannons. There were 800 employees at Castlemaine and 200 at Williamstown. The place was full of work – engines, compressors, turbines, pumps and new machines were purchased and installed, and there was a great sense of urgency and achievement about the plant.

After World War II there was a great demand for electrical power, and to meet this need a new fabrication shop was erected. In 1946, the name of the company was changed to Thompsons (Castlemaine) Ltd. By 31 March,1946, the volume of work on hand was sufficient to ensure that, even if no further orders were received, the business’s 500 employees would be fully occupied for at least two, and possibly three, years. This glut of work persisted well into the next decade.

To attract workers, the company built housing in Castlemaine. Increased demand for rail trackwork led to the design and erection (in 1957) of a new rail shop at the north end of the plant, equipped with new machine tools, some of them designed in-house. 

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presented their challenges to the Australian pump industry, many members also recall the 1970s as being a golden era in the history of pump manufacturing in Australia.

“There is no doubt that the Kelly and Lewis’ pump design team in the 1970s was as good as, if not best, in the world,” recalled the company’s then Managing Director Bob Moore.

“The team was led by a brilliant pump/ hydraulic design man Andy Gasuinas, who revitalised our methods and built up a group including Arthur Connor, Graeme Addie, Barry Pinder and others.

“Other Australian companies, notably Ajax and Thompsons of Castlemaine, all had solid design teams.”

The association’s cornerstone

As the industry dealt with major upheaval, APMA recorded an important milestone

50 YEARS OF PIA

in its history with the publication of the Australian Pump Technical Handbook.

At the time of publishing, Geoff Daniels, who was then Chair of APMA’s technical committee, said “This handbook has been produced to assist all users in creating a technically sound environment. Many problems arise in a pumping installation which may give the impression of a fault in pump design. However, often the pump operation is sound, and the particular problem is associated with equipment allied with the pump, such as pipework, type of drive, etc.

The books have an excellent reputation both in Australia and globally, as reflected by the fact that both books remain in publication – today in their fifth and fourth editions respectively. They also served as the backbone of APMA finances – in many ways it can be argued that the association’s existence today is due in no small part to the contribution of these important books.

The tariff battles continue

While the handbooks where a huge focus for APMA activities in the 1980s, the association also remained focussed on 

“Topics covered in this book are generally well known, however, treatment given to these is aimed at giving the user a practical explanation as well as a purely theoretical aspect of the subject.”

This was followed in 1982 with the publication of the Australian Pipe Friction Handbook.

Current PIA President Ron Astall recalls that he first joined the association as the idea for the Pipe Friction Handbook had first been conceived by Bob Hancock, then with Finsbury Pumps in South Australia.

“We worked pretty hard on the Technical Handbook and the second edition was at least twice the size. It amuses me still to see some of my hand drawn diagrams still in use and even plagiarised in other publications today and I’m sure the other committee members have noticed the same,” recalled Ron. “The Pipe Friction Handbook became a monster effort. We did not have the benefit of computerised publishing and the original tables were calculated and produced on Indeng’s Tektronix 4051 desktop computer with 32kB of RAM and printed out on tractor feed paper (with holes down the side). This was before PCs! These were taken to the typesetters who then manually set everything. Then came the proofreading – an absolute nightmare and incredibly time consuming. Later, Peter Watson developed software on a proper PC that created the tables and it was eventually possible to paste these across; thus eliminating the major proof reading chore.”

50 YEARS OF PIA

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In 1962, a large extension to the hydraulic laboratory was built, making it the largest of its type in the Southern Hemisphere. It provided a wet well of 250,000 gallons, and subsequent electrical modifications have extended the maximum power capacity to 4400 hp. The pumps of Thompsons range from the smallest standard pump to the specially designed pump for the largest application. Small standard pumps are supplied to irrigation shop-front distributions throughout Australia. Large pumps may be supplied to power stations, town irrigation pumping plants, alumina refineries, petrochemical processing plants and offshore oil production or storage platforms. The centenary of 1975 celebrated the Liddell 108” circulating water pumps as the largest ever manufactured by Thompsons, presenting a major challenge in both design and manufacture.

During 1968, the Chairman and Group General Manager, Mr A.F. Johnstone, spent time in Europe and America, studying industrial and management techniques as part of a plan to examine and assess the future prospects of Thompsons. Meanwhile, shares of the company were being bought by Mather & Platt, owners of Kelly & Lewis.

Fearing a hostile takeover, the company negotiated a manufacturing agreement with Byron Jackson Pumps, then a division of Borg Warner and later one of the companies that became Flowserve Corporation. The new manufacturing agreement broadened Thompsons’ capacity for the manufacture of specialist pumps. Several American employees from the Vernon, California, headquarters then became general managers, including Mr Myron Oakes and Mr Ron Hoppel, who had long careers at Byron Jackson.

In 1981 Byron Jackson quit the management of Thompsons, which now came under the control of Borg-Warner, Australia. Borg Warner’s manufacturing skills were highly developed and there was no hesitation in investing in production equipment. During 1982-1984, the iron foundry was upgraded by the introduction of production line facilities for small castings, pollution control equipment on the coke-fired cupolas, a new metal yard and furnace charging equipment.

In 1987, Borg Warner and the Wormald Pump Division (the owner of Kelly & Lewis) merged. The new company was called Thompsons, Kelly & Lewis, Ltd. The two companies that had split in 1899 were reunited. The Springvale plant of Kelly & Lewis was closed and a smaller plant opened in Mulgrave, VIC. In addition to being the largest pump manufacturer in Australia, TKL was also the largest supplier of railroad points and crossings. Kelly & Lewis had licensing agreements in place with a number of pump companies including Worthington Pumps. By 1987, Worthington and Dresser had merged and TKL had access to a complete line of products. More than 40 per cent of the sales were derived from these licensed products.

Dresser Pumps became a 20 per cent owner of TKL. When IDP was formed in 1994, the IR factory in Australia was rolled into TKL and IDP became a 25 per cent owner of TKL. In 2005, Flowserve exercised its option and acquired the remaining 75 per cent of TKL. Today, TKL manufactures Flowserve products for the Australian and New Zealand markets. These include some of the heritage products that TKL already made under Byron Jackson, like the DMX, as well as products developed for the mining industry, including the Titan Slurry and Terra Titan pumps.

Quick Response Centres (QRCs) are located in Mulgrave (Victoria), Perth (Western Australia), Brisbane (Queensland), Sydney (New South Wales), Whyalla (South Australia), Darwin (Northern Territory) and Christchurch (New Zealand) to support the pumps manufactured in Castlemaine.

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making its case to federal government regarding industry-protecting tariffs.

During his period as President, Bruce Ellis developed and presented APMA’s case to Keating’s Industry Assistance Commission (now the Productivity Commission) on the potential damage the proposed major cuts to tariffs would have on the local pump manufacturing industry.

Bruce recalled: “I presented a pump industry view to the Industries Assistance Commission (IAC). The IAC recommendation was to reduce pump tariffs down to just five per cent. The IAC’s view was that it would force manufacturers to become more competitive. The pump industry view was that it would force manufacturers to look at their options, with the most likely option being to import pumps rather than make them in Australia.

“This was especially likely considering the fact that most manufacturers were either overseas owned or had existing strong licence agreements or commercial relationships with overseas pump companies.”

However, despite these recommendations from within the pump industry, the tariff duties on imports declined from 25 per cent in 1989 to just five per cent in 1996 – establishing the 1990s as a period of considerable upheaval for the industry.

“I think that history has shown that the pump industry view was more accurate,” commented Bruce. “However, it is great to see that a few pump manufacturers such as TKL, United, Warman, and Mono have continued to make pumps locally.”

It is also important to note that it would not be possible to build sophisticated, modern pump systems in Australia, that have a worthy place on the global stage, had the tariffs on pumps (and the various parts involved in their construction) not been cut.

While tariff reductions have changed the Australian pump industry, they have also opened it up to innovation, allowing cutting edge products, parts and technology to be imported from overseas and

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reconfigured or developed into innovative, cutting-edge products and technologies that only the Australian pump manufacturing industry can offer.

The industry adjusts

The 1990s saw significant change in the Australian pump industry principally as a result of the changes to pump import tariffs.

There was a significant rationalisation in Australia through mergers and acquisitions; and a significant refocusing of the business activities for these newly established companies. Reflecting the fact that many companies were now focussed on importing and selling pumps, rather than manufacturing and selling them, the association changed its name from APMA to Pump Industry Australia (PIA) in 2003.

Keith Sanders recalled that by the 2000s, “Many of the original players were now foreign owned and there were a number of smaller companies – none of whom were manufacturers, they were mostly pump distributors – who wanted to join the association, but were being knocked back because they didn’t fit into the pump manufacturer’s association framework.

“When we changed the name to the Pump Industry Association, the change was long overdue, and it was a reality check for the industry. The constitution was amended

accordingly, and many of these smaller distributing companies were able to join the association.”

Of course the change in name was reflective of the evolution of the industry, and while this reflected the reality of the situation, it was obviously a difficult transition for many in the industry, highlighting the demise of Australia’s oncegreat pump manufacturing sector.

“The pump industry has changed enormously since the 1990s. The removal of tariff barriers started the decline which has never recovered,” said Ken Willcock.

We have gone from a manufacturing industry with great technical and design excellence to an importing industry, and to a large extent that excellence has been lost.

Even the major pump companies of the past are in the majority owned by overseas interests.”

The restructures, amalgamations and takeovers that continued in the first decade of the new millennium were paralleled around the world, with similar amalgamations of pump manufacturers taking place in North America and Europe.

A beneficial result has been seen in the improved profitability of the restructured organisations, which has attracted the interest of some global pump companies in developing Australian joint ventures.

Looking ahead

While the Australian pump industry today may not be the manufacturing powerhouse it once was, several pump manufacturers continue to produce pumps in Australia – for domestic use, and for export – and there are several hundred companies which import, resell or supply product to industry.

The Australian pump industry is significant, with interests in all markets whether population or commodity driven. The annual market for pumping equipment exceeds $1 billion annually. 

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Southern Cross – Australia’s first pump manufacturer

Southern Cross was Australia’s first pump manufacturer, founded in 1871. From its humble beginnings, when George Washington Griffiths opened an ironmongers shop, the Griffiths family business, later known as the Toowoomba Foundry, has manufactured an extraordinary range of products.

George Griffiths was soon joined in Australia by his brother John Alfred Griffiths, an engineering graduate from Manchester University and the name of the company became Griffiths Bros and Co. In 1874 the brothers bought land at the corner of Ruthven and Campbell streets in Toowoomba for the purpose of expanding. Sometime later a Foundry was built. Additional land was bought from time to time and over 11 acres is now covered by modern factory buildings.

In 1884 the name was changes to Toowoomba Foundry and Railway Rolling Stock Manufacturing Company. In 1922 it was changed to Toowoomba Foundry Co. Ltd and in 1932 to Toowoomba Foundry Pty Ltd, the present name of the manufacturing company.

The Southern Cross Sales organisation comprised a group of companies spread over Australia distributing and servicing the products of Toowoomba Foundry Pty Ltd, under the trade name Southern Cross. Toowoomba Foundry sold its first windmill under the trade name Southern Cross in 1903. This windmill was a new design and was an immediate success. When well boring machines and other stock watering machines were made they also sold as Southern Cross equipment and the so the trading name Southern Cross came to be adopted by the Toowoomba Foundry over a century ago.

The establishment of the original business in 1871 and the development of windmills and associated water storage and handling equipment played an important part in Australia’s early development.

s p o P x o V Stevco on their involvement with PIA:

“We’ve been a member of PIA for the past six years. We joined in order to be a part of the latest developments in the industry, and for the networking opportunities.

Since being members we’ve certainly enjoyed good opportunities regarding new customers and tenders.

“PIA has had an important impact on the industry, particularly by changing some of the specifications of pumping sectors.

“A highlight of our time as PIA members was our trip to Batescrew Pumps, as well as the insight given by Link Pumps on some of the work done in previous years.

“We look forward to continuing our association with PIA as time goes on.”

Rainer Wiemann, Stevco Seals and Pumps

The success of our early pioneering settlers basically came back to a dependence on one vitally important resource, a reliable supply of good quality water. Today’s modern industrial, community and agricultural developments have that same reliance, and even greater demand, for safe, clean and reliable supplies of water.

In the early development the company also manufactured an extended range of products including such things as wool presses, steel railway sleepers, steam boilers, stationary and portable steam engines, dairy equipment, railway rolling stock and steam locomotives for both the Queensland and Commonwealth Governments.

Quantities of munitions and appliances used during two world wars, and including hundreds of engines, pumps, air compressors, diesel marine engines and machine tools were manufactured for British Forces in North Africa, Americans for use in the East and for our own Army and Navy.

Southern Cross was acquired by Tyco Flow Control Pacific in late 1999, then in 2002, Tyco relocated Southern Cross to a new world-class manufacturing facility at Withcott near Toowoomba, Queensland. In October 2012, Pentair Water and Tyco Flow merged to become a united business called Pentair.

Pentair also owns the iconic pump brand Onga which was established in 1967 by Don Davey in Tooronga Victoria and starting out as a manufacturer of farm and domestic pumps. Onga remained as a privately owned enterprise until 1986 when it was purchased by Sta-Rite USA. (Sta-Rite was owned by Wicor, part of the Wisconsin Energy Group) It was at this time Sta-Rite moved to their Notting Hill premises and “New Zealand” was formed. 

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There are more than 2,500 people employed directly by pump manufacturers and as many again by agents, distributors and other businesses supplying product and services to the pump market.

Whilst their sales represent a large dollar value, the relatively small size of the Australian market (in world terms) has resulted in businesses becoming very sophisticated and efficient in their operations. This has resulted in innovations utilising the latest technology.

The Australian market has also benefited from the emergence of many new businesses representing the ever increasing range of pump products becoming available from overseas. 

50 YEARS OF PIA

Morse Air Systems reflect on their involvement with PIA: “Our involvement with PIA dates back to 2009, when we first joined the Association.

“Precision Balancing has provided industrial balancing services to the pump industry for over 25 years. We recognise the importance of being part of a proactive, non-political group, which is dedicated to ensuring that certain standards are adhered to. We remain committed to an organisation that is focused on education and the development of local engineering, design and manufacturing expertise that directly benefits the domestic market and the end user. We are strongly aligned with PIA values and principles.

“From our perspective, we understand that the PIA has championed many of the causes relevant to the Australian market and has highlighted several areas where we can improve and make our industry a showcase for the world.

“Our group of companies have directly benefited from being exposed to likeminded Australian businesses. The networking and educational seminars have been a highlight. The PIA has provided a great source of technical knowledge and problem solving capabilities which put

it amongst the best in the world. This is a direct result of the many long-serving members which continue to contribute to the organisation.

“We really enjoy the impact current President, Ron Astall, is having on the Association. Ron’s direct addresses in his President’s Welcome in each edition of Pump Industry makes for a very refreshing change. His commitment, and more importantly, passion for the industry is evident in what he puts to paper. Ron embraces debate and actively seeks out comment. Ron consistently, and quite rightly, puts the onus back on to us in the industry to get involved, get engaged and to partner with the PIA in developing a strong local industry.

“As a business we continue to invest in technical training, equipment upgrades and quality procedures which ensure that we uphold many of the values and goals of the PIA. We are passionate about maintaining a high end engineering service business which contributes to the broader domestic industrial landscape.

Kelair share their thoughts on their relationship with PIA:

“We’ve been a member of PIA for four years now. We were an APMA member in the 1980s also, but our membership lapsed as we felt the association as it was then was too Melbourne-centric. We heard in recent years that the Association had expanded its vision, so we recently re-joined. Since then we’ve really enjoyed the opportunities our membership has afforded, from networking to involvement in seminars to the input we’ve been able to have in the development of standards.

“Over the years we’ve enjoyed the opportunity to supply some technical papers on positive displacement pumps to Bruce Ellis when the Technical Handbooks were being developed. We’ve also hosted PIA meetings that have taken place in Sydney; and we also contribute regularly to Pump Industry magazine through the Pump School article series.”

Tony Sgro, General Manger, Kelair Pumps

Christopher Morse, General Manager, Morse Air Systems

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50 YEARS OF PIA

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In August 2004, Pentair Water Technologies sold off their Tool Division an acquired WICOR’s (part of the Wisconsin Energy Group) Pump Division and creating Pentair Water. In October 2012, as a result of the Pentair merger, Pentair Onga moved to their new purpose-built manufacturing plant at Dandenong South. The new 6,800sqm facility incorporating the manufacturing, spare parts and research and development projects.

George Snow and NOV Mono – industry innovators

The association between NOV Mono and Australia goes back to 1938 when George Snow first began to work for Mono Pumps at its UK headquarters. He performed a number of roles up to 1950, during which time Mono expanded rapidly, establishing international agencies in such places as Sweden, Germany and France, as well as creating a presence for itself in more far-flung places including South Africa, Greece, Egypt and Israel.

George Snow came to Australia in 1951, and with the help of the company’s agent, Alfred Snashall, began to create a new company, Mono Pumps (Australia) Pty Ltd. George established the first Mono headquarters at the Windsor Hotel in Spring Street, Melbourne, with a budget of just £1,000. He would spend the next 50 years developing the Mono name in Australia and turning it into the success story that it is today.

Land was eventually bought in Burwood, to create the factory where the manufacture of Mono pumps first started in Australia, with some work subcontracted to local companies. As the Mono workforce eventually grew to some 60 people, four acres of land were then bought at Dandenong Rd, Mordialloc where the building that became known as ‘Mono House’ was built.

Borehole pumps adapted specially for the Australian market were one of the company’s first popular products - something which eventually helped the company to become completely independent of Mono, UK, and change itself into Mono Pumps (Australia) Pty Ltd. There followed many years of acquiring both new equipment, and new suppliers who could help the company keep pace with the growing demand for Mono equipment in Australia. The company developed rapidly, creating its own rubber shop, making its own stators, exporting, and developing links with the Far East.

It was also George Snow who was instrumental in bringing together Australia’s pump manufacturers in an effort to create harmony within the industry. This eventually led to the creation of APMA. George became the organisation’s first President, and Mono went on to establish bases in many different locations including Sydney, Queensland, Darwin and Tasmania. The company also expanded its customer base into many different sectors, such as mining, chemicals, food and wine.

In more recent times, 2011 saw the company move its main production plant to Carrum Downs in Victoria. This helped to create a truly national presence, with its manufacturing activities supported by modern service centres in places such as NSW and Kalgoorlie.

The Mono brand has changed numerous times throughout its Australian lifecycle.

Notable occasions have included the acquisition of the company by National Oilwell Varco in 2003, which created the NOV Mono name, and more recently NOV’s 2013 acquisition of Robbins & Myers. These developments have all 

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Pump users in Australia have been very demanding and have played a valuable part in driving the development of the local industry towards the strong position it occupies today.

As demand changes, a healthy industry will react quickly and this is to be seen as the publicly-owned utilities for power generation, water supply and wastewater disposal become corporatised or privatised.

Pump suppliers operate in a highly competitive environment and have had to exhibit the flexibility to absorb changes in their marketplace if they are to survive.

The next generation of pump professionals

The importance of training the next generation of pump professionals cannot be overstated, according to PIA Councillor Keith Sanders. “While it is evident that fewer bare shaft pumps are actually made in Australia, the demand for pumps increases year on year according to market statistics.

“This means, at the very least, we need to know how to evaluate submissions and ensure there is adequate capability to service and maintain that equipment in future. Otherwise we will be importing this expertise from overseas suppliers at great expense somewhere down the track.

“We owe it to the next generation of pump engineers, whether they be on the supply side or the user side, to provide them with the skills and experience to make good procurement decisions. This means setting aside some funds for structured training programs, both theoretical and practical, delivered by people that know what they are talking about.”

The future for PIA

Over the past 50 years, the APMA and PIA has consistently adjusted its activities to take into account the changing nature of the global pump market and its impact in Australia.

Today, the association’s membership ranges from multinational companies, who are ‘full-liners’ in the industry, through to small independent businesses who specialise in providing products and services for niche markets. 

50 YEARS OF PIA

One thing all members can agree on, is the fact that no matter how many changes the Australian pump industry may undergo, there is one steady constant: the fact that the world will always need pumps.

As Ken Kugler said, “We will always need pumps, simply because no liquid will move uphill without one.”

Bob Moore agreed. “With the exception of electric motors, pumps are probably the most widely used items of rotary machinery in the world today. Even in depressed economic times there is always some industry or government department requiring pumping equipment.

“Those companies still in manufacturing must look to continuous modernisation of machine tools and processes to reduce the labour element to a minimum. Both manufacturers and importers must continually train staff to be skilled in pump application and product knowledge.

PIA Presidents George Snow ROBERT Moore Ken Willcock Alan Williams Dave Mcleish Rod Fraser Alan Rowan Bruce Ellis Antony Grage Les Boelckey Bob Sing Ed Harvey Daniel DeGroot Keith Sanders Harry KAtUnar Ron Astall

PIA Life Members Bill Aitken Geoff Daniels Lex TorR Bill Coulter Alan Rowan Ken Kugler David Macpherson Bruce Ellis Robert Moore Arthur Feiner Antony Grage Ken Willcock Bob Hancock George Snow Bruce Sharp Keith Sanders

“All PIA members should look beyond just the pump to the system requiring the 

50 YEARS OF PIA

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KSB’s Australian Story

“Ajax Pumps was part of the McPherson stable of manufacturing companies from mid-1940s. helped today’s Mono in Australia become part of the world’s leading manufacturer of progressing cavity pumps and a wide range of associated equipment.

Warman – Weir

In Kalgoorlie in the 1930s Charles Warman started what went on to become the Warman International Company, when he invented the Warman slurry pump – which remains one of the most important innovations in global pumps today.

During the 1940s and 1950s the Warman slurry pump was manufactured and sold out of Kalgoorlie and at one point accounted for up to 90 per cent of the West Australian pump market.

The company continued to manufacture and revise the pump design over the years and establish outposts all around the world, manufacturing and selling the pumps into global mining markets.

The Warman International Company was acquired by the Weir Group in 1999, and the final part of the old Warman business in Africa was ultimately taken over by Weir early in 2008.

Ingersoll Rand and Dresser – pump industry evolution

Ingersoll Rand (IR) is a US-based company, which set up a manufacturing facility in Dandenong in the 1960s as a way to service the oil and gas and mining sectors in Australia – with the industry being protected by tariffs at the time, they couldn’t simply export their pumps to Australia, it was more economical to manufacture them here.

Compressors were also a major part of the business.

However, in the 1980s the pump businesses and compressor businesses were separated. IR was merged with Dresser to become IDP and the structure of the company changed radically as rationalisation occurred. It became very difficult to manufacture the high end product in Australia and IR moved towards importing the sophisticated pumps needed by multi-national energy companies and for the new power stations being built on the eastern seaboard.

Keith Sanders, PIA Councillor and Life Member, Owner of Australian Industrial Marketing

United Pumps

Harland Engineering Australia was a joint venture between Harland of the UK (Alloa Scotland) and Industrial Engineering Ltd (IEL or Indeng), initially formed in 1941.

In the 1970s, Harland was acquired by Weir UK who sold their 50 per cent stake in Harland Australia to Indeng, so Harland then became Indeng Pumps or IEL Pumps.

Harland/Indeng made all sorts of pumps for water supply, irrigation, sewage, industry and oil and gas. The oil and gas pumps were United Pumps.

The United branded pumps were made by Harland/Indeng under licence to United of California until 1984, when Indeng closed and United Pumps Australia was formed.

Ron Astall, PIA President and United Pumps Sales & Contracts Manager

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“In the 1980s, McPhersons acquired Davey from Phillips and formed Ajax Davey Pumps. The two businesses tried to present a united front for several years, but the two cultures did not fit well and Ajax was eventually sold by McPhersons to Southern Cross in 1985, shortly after I joined Ajax.

“Ajax continued to trade under that name, despite the change of ownership and was very profitable for five or six years and grew rapidly under the leadership of Rob Campbell. When Rob left, I took over and ran the business until Southern Cross looked around for an international partner to bring in more modern pump technology. In 1991, KSB acquired 50 per cent of the shares in a JV. However, Southern Cross got into some financial difficulty and KSB acquired the balance of the shares in 1993. Since then it has been wholly owned by KSB”.

Keith Sanders, PIA Councillor and Life Member, Owner of Australian Industrial Marketing

pump. They should expand their effort to solve the customers’ problems by offering complete systems.”

Current PIA Board Member, Martin O’Connor, Regional Sales Manager for KSB Australia, believes that while the industry continues to evolve, the opportunities for forward-thinking companies are there.

“There are great opportunities for the future of the pump industry. By focusing on new technology, and concentrating not only on pumps but expanding into ancillary products such as pipes, valves, couplings and various types of drives, we can promote an extended product approach in order to improve and optimise systems.”

Martin believes there are three key areas for the PIA to focus on moving forward: establishing itself as the single, authoritative voice of the industry’s manufacturers and suppliers; ensuring suppliers meet the minimum standards with regards to both product and technical information;

50 YEARS OF PIA

On the road again Current PIA President Ron Astall provided his recollections on some of the seminars staged by APMA/PIA over the years: “In the 1980s, APMA Council suggested that the Technical Committee organise some pump industry seminars and conferences. The first one I recall was a seminar on Nett Positive Suction Head (NPSH). We had some excellent high level papers for presentation but the committee decided that we needed an introductory presentation outlining the basic theory. An awkward silence followed whilst they looked at me. This led to my first ever public speaking experience. It is indeed true that public speaking can be one of the greatest fears known to mankind. Those who know me know I have trouble shutting up, but at that time I was terrified, had hot and cold sweats, the shakes and despite around twenty rehearsals I was not travelling very well until I saw Bob Hancock nodding and smiling supportively in the front row. This gave me the confidence to continue. The NPSH seminar was good value and was repeated in most capital cities.

“With Council’s input, in 1984 we helped

and maintaining a list of members with accreditations and capabilities within the industry that clients can rely upon.

2012 also saw the launch of Pump Industry, now the PIA’s official magazine which is helping to communicate the association’s message to a far wider audience both in print and online.

President Ron Astall reflected that the best qualities of the association always come back to the people that have been involved over the years, working on a voluntary basis to promote and develop the Australian pump industry.

put together a very large and successful pump industry conference and exhibition at the Lakeside Hotel in Canberra. During the planning phase, we scheduled a Technical Committee meeting in Canberra to check out the venue. I travelled there with Indeng Pump Divisions General Manager, David McLeish, who was APMA President at that time.

“When checking into the hotel, David and I were accidentally given each other’s room keys. We did not realise the mistake until my wife rang me only to have David answer the phone in ‘my’ room. He deftly switched the call to my actual room and no harm was done. Of course in the subsequent meeting he made a great deal of capital out of it; claiming all sorts of women were ringing me in his room.

I countered by remarking that a woman rang me in his room as well; “asking about the weather…she wanted to know if the coast was clear”. This conference was also my first meeting with Keith Sanders, who has been a fabulous APMA and PIA colleague over the years.

“The actual conference ran for several days and involved towing our display in a heavily loaded unbraked tandem trailer up from Melbourne in pouring rain.

“Later, we developed a pump trouble shooting seminar which was repeated in every state except Tasmania, and also later in New Zealand and also in abbreviated form in Singapore few times; in conjunction with the ‘Pumps & Systems’ expos. During one of these (in 1996 as I recall), we all went out for a chilli crab meal. I do hope John Link no longer has the photographs.

“We are finding that interest in some of our PIA seminars is again improving; particularly with the Energy Efficiency theme and our Resources Industry themed Seminars in Perth and Brisbane, but attendances are still patchy at times. I think budgets are now much tighter.”

Putting together this history of APMA/PIA has been a project which has occupied myself and the team at Pump Industry for a considerable portion of this year. It’s been a labour of love, and we hope you’ve enjoyed the results as much as we enjoyed putting this history together.

We’ve interviewed many of the key players in the Australian pump industry, from our ‘pump pioneers’ to some of the new players making their mark; and looked back over the long and proud histories of many of the companies that make our industry what it is.

To those of you that were interviewed by myself or our Managing Editor, Laura Harvey, we say a big thank you to you for your help and involvement. We also thank those of you that provided the historical documents that have helped to inform this history.

“Throughout my involvement in APMA and PIA, the one thing that stands out is the quality of the people and the relationships. Whilst the PIA is much more than a networking opportunity, these relationships have helped me build my career and experience in the pump industry a great deal and for that I am very grateful.”

50 YEARS OF PIA

When we arrived David Macpherson was taking bets on whether the young bloke would be able to back the trailer into the hotel car park. He lost. This was a very successful event. Sadly, now we do not seem to be able to generate sufficient interest to support this size conference and exhibition.

While unfortunately there are too many contributors to name each of you individually, I would like to single out the efforts of current PIA President Ron Astall and Councillor Keith Sanders. Ron and Keith have been involved in the production of this document from the get-go, and really helped to shape what we have ultimately come up with.

We hope you’ve enjoyed taking this trip down memory lane, and we look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Chris Bland Editor, Pump Industry

www.pumpindustry.com.au

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Brown Brothers Engineers celebrates 20 years of business in Australia.

Today at Brown Brothers, we are proud to continue a leading role in the Australian pump industry. We are committed to using our technical expertise and industry experience to work in partnership with our customers to deliver quality pumping systems and services uniquely suited to Australian applications.

The importation of a wide range of pumping equipment is just one aspect of the total service we provide. Our operation includes the assembly, distribution, testing and custom-building of pumpsets and pumping systems, together with installation and after sales service.

Our team work closely with customers and engineering consultants to select exactly the right pump for the job, or the best pumping system for the project.

Brown Brothers is an exclusive distributor of some of the worlds leading brand pumps. These products, combined with our wealth of experience, mean we can supply the best solutions the world has to offer, for almost any pumping need, from small domestic pressure pumps to large industrial process pumps.

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