Stenhouse Lifting Equipment is proud to be celebrating 25 years of service in the industry. Founded in 1997, Stenhouse has established a reputation for providing high-quality lifting, height safety equipment and services to clients around Australia. Our commitment to safety, quality and customer satisfaction has made us a leader in the industry over the past quarter century.
We have seen significant growth and development during this time, investing heavily in research and development, manufacturing processes, new product lines and global distribution networks.
In this article, we look back to appreciate some of the highlights that we have achieved in 25 years.
Where it all began
Martin Stenhouse’s journey started at Coast and Country Wire Rope which founded by the Stenhouse Family at Yallah NSW in 1966. Martin’s stepfather brought 45 years of experience as a Chief Rigger on numerous construction sites.
At the age of 15, Martin Stenhouse joined his stepfather and three brothers in the business. Martin stayed in in the industry for 30 years before he, his wife and four sons opened Stenhouse Lifting & Safety Solutions.
Whilst Martin, Yvonne and Adam were there on day one together, it wasn’t long before they were joined by Luke, David and Steven. Adam spent time in various roles including Service Technician, Sales Representative, Scheduler and Branch Supervisor and took over the business in April 2005, Martin retired to Airlie Beach in 2007.
Stenhouse consistently grew over the next 3 years with plans for expansion well underway.
The accident that fuelled our mission
After taking over in 2005, the business was booming until the GFC hit. This coincided with Adam’s own accident where he was left unable to walk for 2 years after being hit by a truck. This accident galvanised the Stenhouse mission to “Ensure everyone goes home safe”.
The business went from strong growth to weathering the post-GFC storm. Over that 2-year period, Adam was committed to make sure that Stenhouse would live the mission and continue to keep its promise to their clients despite the distraction of still being in a wheelchair.
This led to opening our second branch in Wacol and then continually expanding to open new branches across Queensland and Northern Territory. These include:
- Bethania in 1997 We opened our first branch
- Yatala in 2000 We quickly outgrew our Bethania Branch and relocated to Yatala
- Wacol in 2009 - Strong loyal client partnerships were at the core of our decisions to expand, and in September our second branch was opened in Wacol
- Bundaberg in 2011 - Expansion continued with the opening of our Bundaberg Branch. Increasing our service footprint to Gladstone and supporting growth in the region.
- Darwin in 2013 Staying true to our promise of supporting our clients Australia-wide led to the opening of our Darwin Branch in September.
- Maryborough in 2017 - We relocated our Bundaberg Branch to Maryborough to improve our service delivery to the Wide Bay Region.
- Eagle Farm in 2023 - Continued growth in the southeast Queensland and our desire to support our clients drove the need to open a northside location.
The importance of accreditations
We are proud to have the largest team of qualified height safety and lifting equipment service technicians in Southeast Queensland. Our service technicians are accredited by the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) and National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) and have decades of combined experience in testing and repairing Auxiliary, Lifting and Height Safety Equipment.
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NATA Accredited since 2006
In 2006 Stenhouse achieved accreditation by the National Association of Test Authorities (NATA). This accreditation certifies that Stenhouse uses quality procedures and processes throughout every facet of the company to meet the client’s needs and expectations. -
LEEA Accredited since 2009
Stenhouse is a proud foundational member of the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA). Adam Thompson, our Managing Director, is also part of the LEEA Regional Council board. LEEA is a leading global trade association for all those involved in the lifting industry -
Global Lifting Group member since 2011
In 2011 we joined the Global Lifting Group, a buying group that enhances our access to international brands. Together the Global Lifting Group is committed to supplying quality products and services.
A data-driven business:
Since 2011, Stenhouse has been a data-driven business. The sole purpose of this is to make sure our clients are more likely to go home safe by using Stenhouse than anyone else.
This includes 2 million lifting and height equipment inspections that we have recorded the data for, which has resulted in a failure reduction rate of 76% for each client (as a minimum). This is because of:
- The in-depth inspections we do
- Our expertise in finding the failures
- The education we provide for the equipment users
- Clearly communicating what caused the damage to ensure it doesn’t happen again
- Putting substitute products in place
Our clients have access to supporting inspection Apps, toolbox talks and customised failed reduction strategy meetings that all work towards measurable reductions of risks on their sites.
The Stats that don't lie
Stenhouse by the numbers....
2023 - Where we are at today
Currently, we have 26 Employees in 4 branches in Queensland. As an ISO 9001:2015 accredited company, Stenhouse places great emphasis on quality control systems that ensure our products are safe, reliable and perform to the highest standards. We look forward to continuing to provide our customers with the very best in lifting equipment and services for many more years to come.