The name Wales Truck and Bus Repairs has become synonymous with repairs and servicing in both the Australian truck and bus industries since 1982, when Barry Wales rented a shop in Smithfield and began repairing vehicles.
Starting in the collision repair industry, Wales quickly grew into a truck repair business. Two years into the business’ inception, Barry’s son Darren Wales joined the fold, beginning his journey at the company as a spray painter.
“When I first started at Wales Truck Repairs, I worked on the factory floor for 15 years,” Wales told ABC.
“That evolved into running the company as a small-to-medium enterprise for 35 or so years.”
Over the decades, Wales Truck Repairs transitioned to become a popular repairer of Australian heavy vehicles. Always on the lookout for ways to grow the business, Wales spotted an opportunity roughly a decade ago to take the Wales name to a new industry – the bus repair sector.
“About 10 years ago, I saw a gap in the market and decided to start a dedicated bus repair facility,” he says.
“Situated in Smithfield, NSW, we called the business Wales Bus Repairs.”
Inspired by National Operations Manager Rob Lanham, Wales moved into the new Smithfield site with the goal of expanding the brand’s repair capabilities into the bus and coach space. Lanham had contacts in the industry through a previous business he worked for, allowing the pair to identify the gap in the bus market and explore it.
“Rob was one of the main instigators in the company moving into bus repair,” Wales says.
“We decided to enlist a few dedicated bus people within the industry, and actively pursued them to come work for us with their contacts.”
This included bus stalwart Sam Travato, who brought his collision repair expertise in the bus and coach sector to Wales. He remained with Wales Truck and Bus Repairs until 2021, when he retired after more than 50 years spent in the greater bus industry.
This team allowed Wales to extend the Smithfield bus facility within two years of purchasing it. Nowadays, the five-acre site includes nearly 8,000 square metres of undercover space. With 95 employees working over the truck and bus sides of Wales, the company became an alluring option for wider collision repair groups.
In 2019, AMA Group set its sights on expanding beyond passenger vehicle repair and into the heavy vehicle market. With collision repair facilities situated around the country, AMA Group got in touch with Wales Truck and Bus Repairs in a bid to expand into the heavy motor division.
“AMA Group approached us in 2019 and offered to purchase both the truck and bus sides of the company,” Wales says.
“With it, they gave me the chance to be the head of their heavy motor business unit that they were intent on expanding over the coming years.
“I took them up on that, and Wales Truck and Bus Repairs has been with the AMA Group ever since.”
Wales says he’d been satisfied that he’d taken the two sides of the business as far as he could for a private family company. This made the decision to join a publicly listed business a no-brainer. Since joining the AMA Group, Wales and his team have enjoyed the benefits of being part of a larger automotive group.
“The biggest difference since becoming part of AMA Group is the reportability and accountability that comes with it,” Wales says.
“AMA Group have a very focused attitude when it comes to growth and safety, which directly aligns with our values.”
Safety was already a key pillar of Wales Truck and Bus Repairs, making it an easy transition for the team. Wales says plenty of his existing team members from the family business have stayed on with the AMA Group, including team members that have been with Wales for up to 40 years.
Wales has eight dedicated heavy vehicle repair sites that work on both trucks and buses, including facilities in Townsville, Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Victoria, South Australia and Perth. In Smithfield, Wales has two separate truck and bus sites, working independently on the different markets.
“All of these sites have the dedicated equipment and training facilities to repair all facets of buses and heavy vehicles,” Wales says.
“We offer all repair services, from the most minor of scratches to major incidents.”
Recently, Wales Truck and Bus Repairs has worked on jobs ranging from insurance requirements to bus rollover incidents. Wales also completes fabrication projects for bus operators and recently finished the retrofitting of seats and seatbelts for Transport for NSW.
“Joining AMA Group has allowed our bus repair business to grow so that we can increase the training of our team,” Wales says.
“We’re now going through a training program for electric and alternate powered buses around the country and we’ve got a dedicated electric charging station at our Smithfield site.”
This zero-emissions focus is set to be a critical part of Wales Truck and Bus Repairs’ evolution. Wales says he is working very closely with the bus industry, including aligning with hydrogen fuel-cell bus suppliers to train his team on how to work with these vehicles, to be ready for the zero-emissions transition.
While preparing for a sustainable future, Wales is also able to pause and relish the journey his family business has been on in recent decades.
“I’m extremely proud of our team and their development in taking on challenges along the way,” Wales says.
“We’ve developed a lot of people throughout the years – our Smithfield truck centre manager started as a panel beater with us and now runs a multi-million dollar site by himself.
“It’s been a great journey so far and I cherish how we’ve developed people in the bus industry at all of our sites.”