Warabrook’s newest invention hits the road

The team over at Warabrook Metalwork Manufacturing, a social enterprise run by one of Australia’s leading disability charities and NDIS providers, Aruma, has designed and built specialty Facilities Management trailers that are unlike anything currently on the market.  

“Our trailers are a beast – they are huge. They can fit a ride on lawn mower, two push lawn mowers, wiper snipers, chainsaws, and blower and they are much more effective for the work that our teams do compared to what is on the market at the moment,” said Brent Robards, Production Coordinator at Warabrook Metalwork Manufacturing.

The idea to create these specialty trailers was born from their colleagues in Facilities Management coming to them with a special request, ‘build us a trailer that is better than what we have and what we can buy.’

The trailers needed to carry a large amount of equipment as well as be agile and manoeuvrable on different terrains. It was a big ask, but the Metalwork Manufacturing team, which includes around 30 locals with disability, took up the challenge and started by re-engineering an existing trailer.

Now, with two completed and registered trailers already in Forbes and one in the Hunter, the remaining eight are set to head along the east coast, all the way up to the Burleigh in the coming months.

It’s been a two-year journey from registrations and paperwork, to designs and prototypes, and finally to the finished product, but the team have learned a lot along the way.

“It’s been a learning curve for all of us. Our Supported Employees have really enjoyed the process. It’s making every day different and there’s a lot of new skills; welding, cutting, marking, measuring, drilling, bolting and assembly. We currently have one mechanic in our team, but more people will be learning those skills now that we are registered to service the trailers.”

The team say this is just the start. They are now a registered as a ‘NSW Government Motor Dealer and Repair service’ and ‘world-wide trailer manufacturer’ so they hope to take their trailers to the public very soon.

Keep an eye out for these big rigs, you won’t miss them! 

About Warabrook Metalwork Manufacturing Site:
We’re specialists in manufacturing metal and woodwork products for construction, boating and other industries. Operating since 1996 we employ 29 people with a disability to produce around 41,000m of catenary and 14,000 timber products each year.