Coates celebrates its 140th anniversary

Photo: Coates

Australian rental company Coates is celebrating 140 years in business this year and is marking it with a new brand campaign.

The company, founded in 1885 by John Coates to supply machinery to Victoria’s gold-rush towns, has grown into a national equipment hire and solutions provider with annual revenues of €697 million.

Coates, an English gas and hydraulic engineer, established John Coates & Co Ltd in Melbourne, initially supplying heavy machinery to the Victorian goldfields.

The company expanded by securing contracts to build gasworks in towns such as Benalla, Ararat, Lilydale, Central Brighton, Box Hill, and Surrey Hills.

Over the decades, Coates transitioned from manufacturing and importing machinery to focusing on equipment rental.

In 1946, it introduced a “hire before you buy” policy to promote a new vibrating compaction roller. This approach led to the establishment of Coates Hire in 1955, which formalised the company’s rental business model.

In the 1960s, Coates began operating fully equipped tool stores at industrial sites to improve efficiency during shutdowns. In 2015, it introduced an in-house engineering team specializing in temporary works solutions.

Since 2019 it has been known as Coates, having dropped the word Hire from its name to reflect an expanded range of services beyond equipment hire, incorporating Industrial Solutions, Engineering Solutions, and Power & HVAC services.

More recently, it created the Coates Power & HVAC business, a specialist power and heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) services business. 

End-to-end solutions

The brand campaign, which is running under the tagline, “Why don’t you just Coates it?”,  will run across multiple platforms, including radio, social media, and digital channels.

Sheridan Jones, Coates’ Group Manager for Marketing & Communications, said the campaign is designed to reinforce the company’s role in supporting industries.

“For 140 years, Coates has been the backbone of construction and heavy industry in Australia, supporting our customers on countless iconic projects. As Australian industry evolves, so do we.

“This new campaign will show that, from start to finish, we’ve got your back with end-to-end solutions for every job.”

Coates CEO Murray Vitlich added that the company remains focused on adapting to industry needs.

“Since our founding in 1885, Coates has continually evolved, driven by the commitment of delivering innovative solutions and creating lasting value for our customers. Over the past 140 years, we have faced challenges, embraced new technologies, and expanded into new markets – but one thing has remained constant: our unwavering dedication to excellence and servicing our customers.”