SPECIAL REPORT - AUSTRALIAN MADE
Proudly Australian owned WASTE EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER GARWOOD INTERNATIONAL HAS EXPANDED AND ADAPTED TO THE INDUSTRY, SINCE ITS ESTABLISHMENT MORE THAN 40 YEARS AGO.
S
ince its beginnings four decades ago, Garwood International has undergone major changes to its product portfolio and business operations. As Managing Director Daniel McHugh recalls, the company’s Sydney foundations were built on supporting Australian markets. “It was my father who founded the company in 1977, 44 years ago,” Daniel says. “It was founded as McHugh Engineering, which was a general engineering business. Shortly after that, in 1982, my father got involved in the waste sector and set up Garwood International, the business that it is today.” Daniel started at the company when he was 15 years old, while still attending high school. His devotion to the company resulted in considerable progression for Garwood, which culminated in the opening of a branch in the United Kingdom about 20 years ago. “Our waste product portfolio grew when we established the branch in the United Kingdom, called Garwood Europe, and I went across there for three years and set the business up,” he says. “We saw a lot of growth due to our business being exposed to a larger market, but that branch is owned by us. We are a fully Australian-owned business, still to this day.”
30 / WMR / November 2021
Garwood International exports products to more than 20 countries worldwide.
Over the years, changes were also made to the company’s waste equipment range in Australia, with an emphasis on kerbside and municipal waste collection machinery. “We actually have the most extensive range of rear loaders in the industry, in Australia,” Daniel says. “Anything from four cubic metres right up to 28 cubic metre body sizes, n both split and single configurations.” Garwood International’s products allow operators to customise equipment, based on their particular requirements. Daniel says it is that flexibility, and innovation in products and services, which helped the company’s growth. “We don’t just say ‘here is the product, here is what you get’. We will tailor the bodies to suit the customer’s requirements for height, width or length.”
CHANGES TO INDUSTRY Garwood International has witnessed trends within the industry, particularly a movement towards sustainable options for waste reduction. “One of the major changes that we have seen in the industry is momentum towards recycling – it has come a long way,” Daniel says. “Recycling really has changed the way that collections are done. “Everybody is trying to divert waste away from landfill whenever possible, so we have had to adapt our units to cater for that. Kerbside segregation has become an important aspect to garbage collection, which is why we have developed our DualPact unit.” Garwood International’s DualPact rear-loader unit features two chambers, allowing for the simultaneous collection of two different waste streams. It’s another example of Garwood’s adaptable
