It’s been more than 40 years since Pro-Axle Australia first started providing wheel alignment services to the Victorian and New South Wales commercial vehicle market. Whether it be 4WDs, heavy vehicles or truck laser wheel alignments, the business has grown while also offering axle corrections.
Since 2016, Pro-Axle Australia has been run by Bryan and Melisa Freestone, with the pair buying the business from the original owners and taking the wheel alignment company to a new level. The pair came to the business with experience – they had both been involved with Pro-Axle since 2002 before making the decision to buy.
In the years since, Pro-Axle has specialised in a variety of services, including wheel alignment, suspension checks and repairs, componentry service, wheel balance, steer correction, general axle check and trailer axle laser track adjustment.
Bryan says both he and Melisa are proud of what they’ve done to grow the business since they first assumed ownership nearly 10 years ago.
“2009 was a big year for us – we relocated to a purpose-built site in Smeaton Grange, Sydney,” Bryan says.
“This allowed for a more superior workflow and better facilities for our mechanically qualified staff and our valued customers, who still remain with us today.”
Back in 2009, the pair owned the Pro-Axle outlet in Narellan in Sydney’s south-west. The newer facility took the business’ capabilities to new heights, before an opportunity presented itself to the couple.
“We are very proud of our purpose-built facilities,” Bryan says.
“In 2016, the opportunity then presented itself to purchase the Pro-Axle head office from owner Matt Leighton, and we took it.”
The Freestones’ first move was to merge the two Pro-Axle offices into one, seeing the business run out of the state-of-the-art purpose-built facility on Smeaton Grange’s Topham Road.
The upgraded site has allowed the brand to better service the six current franchisees in its wider network, which spans 4WD, car, bus and truck wheel alignment outlets alongside other specialist trade customers who require Pro-Axle’s products. These products include patented alignment correction products and various products coming from all over the world, with technical data required in the day-by-day operations of businesses also available.
Nowadays, Pro-Axle has six stores, with five situated across NSW and a solitary store in Campbellfield, Melbourne. Whether it be its three sites in Sydney (Narellan, Enfield and Smithfield) or its other NSW sites in Newcastle and Wollongong, Melisa says the brand has a great understanding of how heavy vehicles need to have optimal driver comfort and safety. She says its stores pride themselves on listening to their customers and providing a seamless experience for them maximising tyre wear and driver comfort.
While Melisa and Bryan both specialise in quality heavy vehicle servicing, the skilled Pro-Axle team also services caravans and provides roadworthy certificates. Melisa says customers across a wide range of vehicles are seeing “exceptional” tyre wear results.
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“Many local holiday makers come to us before they head off on holidays to ensure their caravan tows straight,” she says.
“This extra care makes sure the family holiday starts and finishes well.”
Melisa says another key reason for Pro-Axle’s success across its stores is that its experienced team members prioritise minimal turnaround times being the most competitive in the field. This leads to vehicles having limited downtime, making life easier for operators across NSW and Victoria.
The team has also evolved to perform wheel alignment services on new vehicles that are delivered not to Australian road standards. On top of this, it also continues to wheel align older vehicles for customers.
Bryan and Melisa say a fulfilment issue with the delivery of new trucks can be avoided by Pro-Axle’s repair services. If customers choose to retain their older vehicles to complete purpose runs or deliveries or to complement newer vehicles in their fleets, Pro-Axle can support this vision by ensuring their front end repairs and wheel alignments remain high quality.
Outside of the heavy vehicle landscape, Pro-Axle is also looking to grow in the evolving 4WD market, providing specialist suspension needs for unique adjustment components. Pro-Axle can also fine-tune wheel alignment to specific requirements that suit Australian road conditions.
This growing demand has seen Pro-Axle look for opportunities for franchisees in rural areas where they don’t currently service across its two home states.
Back in the heavy vehicle market, both Bryan and Melisa and the Pro-Axle family; acknowledge cost of living pressures are having an impact on owner drivers who need to keep their own trucks on the road. By providing regular wheel alignments, Pro-Axle Australia can keep trucks on the road for longer and ensure that fuel efficiency remains at an optimal, reducing cost pressures.
Melisa says the Pro-Axle stores takes “immense pride” in the partnerships it has built with its customers over the years, with the business not slowing down anytime soon as it continues expanding.
“One of the things that I am especially proud of is our valued relationships that our stores have built with their local customers,” she says.
“We understand that their trucks are their lifeline and when they break down, we do everything we can to get them back on the road as soon as possible.”
You can find out more about Pro-Axle’s range of alignment correction products on their website www.proaxle.com.au, or you can call 02 4647 1867.
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