In 2023 G.E.T. Australia celebrated 40 years in operation.

Since its inception, G.E.T. Australia has grown from strength to strength. From hopeful beginnings, G.E.T. started with a smaller, local client base but quickly grew, requiring larger warehouses to accommodate expansive product lines. They moved beyond the construction industry to also service the mining, quarrying, earthmoving and agricultural industries, designing their own wear parts and building strong partnerships with world-class wear parts manufacturers.

As G.E.T. celebrates its fifth decade of operation, founder and original owner Lou Peterson said from what started as a desire to build his own company and to be his own boss, the business has surpassed his greatest expectations and he was extremely proud of the legacy he left when he stepped away in 2018.

“When we started out, I was already working in the industry selling wear parts, and saw an opportunity to do something more,” he said.

“I really liked machinery and working with people.

“One day I was sitting with a friend in a pub and came to the realisation that I really wanted to grow something and dominate the wear parts industry,” Lou said.

Lou said he started off small, with a couple of people, a warehouse and office in Sumner Park and a few clients in the construction industry based around Brisbane and Ipswich.

“We didn’t really have much of a plan, but we were good salespeople and we knew what our customers wanted,” he said.

That awareness of understanding client needs, anticipating products that would enable them to do their work more effectively and providing those products in a timely manner still rings true for the business today.

“The team still operates the same way today. Know your clients well and provide great products and great service,” he said.

“As we grew, we got to know other people in the industry. We started selling products to Bulga Coal in the Hunter Valley. This came about because we were a Hensley dealer and they wanted our products. Other mines heard we provided Hensley and they started contacting us as well.

“We’d find things they needed, sell other brands, sell things we didn’t stock yet and then go out and source it. In the 90s we started up an office in Sydney and then later we opened Melbourne in 2008.”

Lou had been designing his own products then working with foundries in China to have them made.

“We saw opportunities to make improvements to products. For example, in different environments teeth and rippers can wear and perform entirely differently. We were very keen to modify products from teeth to rippers to cutting edges, so they could better perform for our clients. They really liked that.”

A turning point was developing a partnership with Black Cat Wear Parts.

“They first came to us through their blades and now we stock and supply hundreds of their products,” he said.

“Looking back, I am honestly most proud of surviving. The statistics for new startups are not great, not many make it. If you’re good to your clients, provide high quality and provide excellent service you will survive.

“I am also very proud of the people we hired and the culture we created. Some people came to us with no experience and now they have been in the business for 20 plus years. The loyalty our team has shown says a lot about the culture we were able to create.

“Here’s to another 40 fantastic years. I can’t wait to see what the team under the strong leadership of Sean O’Sullivan will deliver,” Lou said.