about ames australasia

Manufacturing trusted home and garden products in Australia since 1897.
Our heritage is deeply rooted in Australian soil. It began in 1897 with the founding of the Westmoreland pottery works in Northcote and the establishment of Cyclone Fence and Gate Company the following year. By the turn of the century, Westmoreland chimney pots and drain pipes and Cyclone gates and fencing graced homes and businesses throughout Australia. In 1904, Trojan Tools was founded in Melbourne, and around this time Kelso was established as part of the Adelaide Steamship group in Sydney, building wheelbarrows so durable they are still being handed down today. In 1945, Lance Hill designed a new clothesline for his wife in his Adelaide backyard, which became known as the iconic ‘Hills Hoist.’ The Nylex brand was developed in the 1950s by Australian Moulding Corporation, a Melbourne plastics manufacturer. Westmix was founded in Kewdale in 1972, and quickly became a leading manufacturer of cement mixers, wheelbarrows and hand trolleys.

Those enterprises went on to create some of the most iconic and highly regarded brands in Australasia: Cyclone, Northcote Pottery, Kelso and Nylex. Along the way, other top brands became part of the family: Westmix, Supercraft, Hills and Tuscan Path.

All of our brands today share the same heritage of making high quality, innovative products for work and living. Our head office is located in Doncaster, Victoria, and we operate manufacturing plants in Wonthaggi and Grafton. We also operate Distribution Centres in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, as well as a location in Auckland, New Zealand.

Our vision is to be the first and best choice for everyone who connects with our Company – our Employees,
our Customers, our Suppliers, our Shareholders and the Community.
THE FIRST AND BEST CHOICE

We strive to achieve our vision through a relentless focus on all-round operational excellence, a commitment
to mutual success with our partners, the strength of our culture and the talent and dedication of our valued
employees. To accomplish our vision, we seek to embody the following values in ourselves and in our work.

We:
• Are PASSIONATE.
• Keep it REAL. Open, Honest, Always.
• Have a POSITIVE, CARING & FAMILY spirit.
• Make it HAPPEN.
OWN our results.
• Keep our Customers FIRST.
BE the change we seek.
• Seek WIN-WINS for all.
CELEBRATE, Together.

Whether digging a hole or creating a backyard oasis for the next barbecue, our tools and lifestyle products have been part of the fabric of Australian outdoor life for more than a century.
WE’RE PROUD OF OUR WORK.

Our purpose is to develop, source and supply innovative products that help enhance the homes, landscapes and lifestyles of all Australians.

We are committed to innovation, value, quality and providing the best selection of products for work and living.

We are dedicated to delivering outstanding value and service to our customers, promoting the industries within which we work, and providing challenging and rewarding work for our employees in a safe, fun and high performance environment.

For more than a century, we’ve been manufacturing durable, innovative products which enhance the homes, landscapes and lifestyles of all our customers.

CUSTOMER FOCUS

We spend thousands of hours in the field every year, studying the way our products work and listening to our customers to create products and features they really want.

CUTTING EDGE DESIGNS

With an in-house design team and global sourcing capabilities, our commitment to bringing on-trend designs and innovative materials to the Australasian market have made our tools and outdoor living products top sellers in their categories. We strive to ensure our products offer the best in functionality, aesthetics, quality and value.

MAKING GOOD IDEAS GROW.

FORWARD THINKING IN EVERY FEATURE

For more than a century, the companies that make up AMES Australasia have been manufacturing a full range of innovative products for homeowners and professionals in Australia and beyond.

Our products include everything from professional grade tools for construction, landscaping and other trades to lifestyle implements for home living and gardening. In every product line, we seek to provide the latest in innovation, design and materials to improve outdoor work and home living.

COMPREHENSIVE PRODUCT LINES

Our products have become industry leaders because of their durability, design and their innovative features. From wheelbarrows to pruners, our brands are the go-to choice for homeowners and professionals who need well-designed, hardworking tools.

TRUSTED, ICONIC BRANDS

Cyclone, Hills, Nylex, Northcote Pottery, Kelso, Westmix— our brands have been part of Australian life for more than a century.

Our brands include:

  • Cyclone
  • Hills
  • Nylex
  • Kelso
  • Northcote Pottery
  • Tuscan Path
  • Trojan
  • Supercraft
  • Gardenmaster
  • Westmix
  • La Hacienda

Griffon Corporation is a diversified management and holding company conducting business through wholly-owned subsidiaries. Griffon oversees the operations of its subsidiaries, allocates resources among them and manages their capital structures.

Headquartered in New York, NY, the company was founded in 1959 and is incorporated in Delaware. Griffon is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and trades under the symbol GFF.

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