Bruce and Craig White on purchase of former Bradken Karrabin foundry in Ipswich and hiring local workforce

About 180 staff lost their jobs when Bradken made the call to wind down its operation of the Ipswich foundry. A new owner has revealed what is next for the site and what it means for workers.

White Industries is set to take over the Bradken foudnry in Karrabin.

A company from out west set to take over an Ipswich foundry site which shed 180 staff this year says it is looking to restart operations within the next three months, with an entirely local workforce to be hired.

White Industries from Dalby has been in due diligence with Bradken since November last year and went to contract on June 30.

Bradken announced in July last year about 180 workers would lose their jobs over a year-long phase down period.

Bradken wound down its Ipswich operation from July 2020.

At its peak there were about 400 people working across three shifts a day and pouring about 35 tonnes of metal around the clock.

Whites group managing director Bruce White said the sale is set to settle in mid-October.

“The property has been acquired by our real estate group White Property Group,” he said.

“The White Industries part of our business will operate the foundry and machine shop and that will take up about 50 per cent of the site.

“We will be looking to lease out the sections that we’re not using going forward. So there’s some shed space, some hardstand and the main office will be surplus to our needs.”

Bradken will continue to operate its fabrication plant as a tenant on the site and employ 25 people.

Mr White will move to Ipswich and his brother Craig will remain in Dalby.

He said it was too soon to say how many workers will be needed and it depended on how much work the plant gets.

The Dalby operation and its workforce won’t be impacted by the purchase.

“We’ve got a workforce in Dalby, we don’t need to do anything to change that,” he said.

“This is a new business, it will depend on how much of the book we can retain and how much we can build.

Bruce and Craig White of White Industries.

“Initial expectations are that we will commence in Ipswich in October with a small workforce. We’ll be a small operation planning to grow into a big one but that’s not an overnight transition. Our plan is to source the total workforce locally.

“So with the support of current customers and those ex-customers of Bradken moving forward, we’re looking to build a relationship with them to continue to make some of that work in Australia.”

The second generation family business would not disclose the cost of the acquisition, which would be its second foundry site.

“It’s just a good opportunity to acquire probably the best foundry site in Australia or one of the largest foundry sites (in the country),” he said.

“We’ve been around for 60 years as a foundry. We have run from a number of sites in the past and condensed back to Dalby. We see a great future in Ipswich.

“Bradken has taken all the work to Asia. That’s how the corporates work.

“Our family is strongly committed to maintaining our Australian manufacturing base and we want to remain in Australia. We could go to China, Asia or Malaysia but we don’t see the need.

“We will continue to support Australian made and shout from the tree tops that we’re Australian made.

Former Bradken workers had a drink at the Walloon Saloon Hotel after the company shut down its Ipswich foundry on Friday, April 23.

“Bradken has traditionally been an in-house foundry which means most of what they make is a Bradken product range. They’ve just taken all that offshore.

“We’re distinctly different, we’re a sub contract foundry so we make component parts for our customers and our customers actually use it in their plant or they resell them.

“We don’t have a product line as such where we retail castings.

“This is a major point of difference to most of the foundry sites in Australia.

“If you want something made, and you don’t want to buy it from your opposition in the marketplace then you come and buy it from us.”

Mr White said he was excited to make the move and wished he was “20 years younger”.

“I did a couple of years at Ipswich Grammar School so it sort of feels like I’m going home,” he said.

“We’ll be looking for the support of all levels of government to help us grow the Australian made piece of the business.

“The state government has come out and said they’re going to spend 30 per cent of their spend on local procurement so here’s their chance to do it and keep jobs in Australia.”

White Industries CEO Craig White with Ipswich West MP Jim Madden.

Ipswich West MP Jim Madden said he was excited by comments made by Minister for Regional Development and Manufacturing Glenn Butcher in estimates last week about the $1 billion rail manufacturing investment pipeline and what it could mean for the foundry site.

“This commitment includes $600 million for the first 20 new trains for Cross River Rail to be built in Queensland at Maryborough,” Mr Madden said.

“Under our Buy Queensland policy it’s not just rail manufacturers that will benefit.

“Local suppliers will also benefit and I have contacted the minister to discuss the possibility of him meeting with White Industries, who recently purchased the Bradken site at Karrabin, with a view toward using its foundry facilities to manufacture parts of the new trains.

“This is an exciting time for Queensland rail industry which will see trains once again manufactured in Queensland.”

Read more stories by Lachlan McIvor here.

Originally published as Bruce and Craig White on purchase of former Bradken Karrabin foundry in Ipswich and hiring local workforce