HIFraser Group is proud to celebrate 70 years of excellence and innovation.
Founded in 1955 by Scottish engineer Hugh Ian Fraser in Tasmania, HIFraser began as a general engineering outfit near the industrial waterfront. Our first major milestone came with securing an agency for Hale Hamilton, supplying valves and maintenance for Australian Navy ships, a partnership that laid the foundation for our long-standing commitment to defence.
Hugh’s innovative spirit led to a collaboration with Bob Bluck of Clam Engineering in Victoria, whose thermodynamic steam traps were sold into the Navy during the era of steam-powered vessels. To better support Clam and Hale Hamilton, HIFraser relocated to Sydney, positioning itself closer to Garden Island. Hugh and his wife settled on the Northern Beaches, where his passion for engineering continued … even in retirement, he built a steam-powered launch from scratch for personal use on Pittwater.
After three decades of steady growth in defence and heavy industry, HIFraser was acquired by the Kirkby family in November 1987, with just five employees. Under their leadership, the company has flourished, expanding through strategic acquisitions including Aquip, PAC, Eastern Automation, Tidal Fluid Power, Motivact and Oceanic Controls.
Today, 70 years on, HIFraser Group is a thriving organisation with 130 employees and offices across Australia. We offer a vast range of capabilities and products from our core design and engineering to waste solutions, ground support equipment, actuated valves, mechanical automation and industrial instrumentation (just to name a few). We also work across most of Australia’s national critical industries including defence, mining, oil & gas, construction and water sectors.
Throughout their 35 years at the helm, the Kirkby’s have shown relentless commitment to the family values of this business, and have made our Group a highly successful, profitable business, made of niche products and services that we back up with a team of very special people. They ensure that the company gives back to its employees and provides opportunities to develop wherever possible.
Here’s to 70 years of excellence … and to the future we’re building together.
