Dematic is celebrating 60 years of ‘innovation, engineering excellence and customer partnership’ across Australia and New Zealand, marking a milestone that traces the business from a small workshop on Sydney’s Northern Beaches to a global supplier of supply chain automation technology.
The business was founded as Colby Engineering in 1966 by Gerry Hatton AM. Built on mechanical and structural steel expertise, the company introduced the adjustable racking system ColbyRack, which remains part of Dematic’s local offering today.
Over the past six decades, the business has evolved from a local manufacturing and engineering operation into a global automation and technology provider supporting industries including grocery, retail, e-commerce, healthcare, manufacturing, third-party logistics, and food and beverage.
Dematic’s portfolio now includes voice-directed picking, goods-to-person systems, robotics and integrated software, with major automation projects delivered for organisations including Woolworths, Big W and Sigma Healthcare.
“Dematic has always been built on a culture of innovation, partnership, and a commitment to customers,” says Hatton.
“From the very beginning, there was a strong belief that we could design and build world-class solutions locally, while continuing to evolve with the changing needs of industry. It’s incredibly rewarding to see how far the business has come, and even more exciting to see the next generation continuing to push innovation forward.”
Dematic now employs more than 850 people across Australia and New Zealand and continues to invest in local manufacturing, engineering capability and apprenticeship programmes.
The anniversary comes as demand continues to grow for intelligent automation, robotics and AI-driven optimisation as businesses respond to labour shortages, operational complexity and rising customer expectations.
With offerings spanning software, storage and order fulfilment systems, robotics, automated guided vehicles and integrated automation technologies, the company has focussed on improving operational performance, efficiency and resilience throughout modern distribution centres.
“A significant number of products move through supply chains powered by Dematic technology every day,” says Simon Barrow, vice president and managing director, Dematic ANZ.
“Whether consumers are shopping online, purchasing groceries, accessing medical supplies or receiving essential goods, there is a high probability that Dematic technology has played a role somewhere along that journey.”
Dematic’s growth has mirrored the evolution of Australia’s supply chain sector, from traditional warehousing through to highly automated distribution environments.
“For 60 years, we have remained focussed on helping customers solve complex operational and supply chain challenges. We are incredibly proud of our people and the role Dematic has played in supporting Australian industry, manufacturing, and engineering innovation.
“Ongoing investment in Australian engineering capability remains central to the business’ long-term strategy. Our engineers, technicians, software specialists, project teams and apprentices have always been pivotal to Dematic’s success.
“Supplementing our manufacturing in Sydney is a commitment to our lifecycle solutions and service apprenticeships programme, coupled with our graduate pathways to ensure we grow our local engineering expertise across multiple disciplines,” Barrow says.