Bryan and Melisa Freestone are the brains behind Pro-Axle Australia, having run the wheel alignment business since they first purchased it from the original owners in 2016.
They’ve been involved however since 2002, and more than 20 years on, the company is continuing to thrive in the Australian market.
Pro-Axle specialises in a range of services, including wheel alignment, suspension checks and repairs, componentry service, wheel balance, steer correction, general axle check and trailer axle laser track adjustment.
But more importantly, Bryan and Melissa are proud of the work they’ve put into the business to see it grow and develop beyond where it was when they first started.
They own Pro-Axle’s Narellan outlet in Sydney’s south-west, which has had endless amounts of work poured into it.
“2009 was a big year for us,” Bryan says.
“We relocated to a purpose-built site in Smeaton Grange. 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.
“We are very proud of our purpose-built facilities.
“In 2016, the opportunity presented itself to purchase the Pro-Axle head office, from owner Matt Leighton, and we took it.”
Leighton was the original founder of Pro-Axle Australia, retiring after more than 30 years of service to the greater community of Sydney and surrounds.
With the Freestones taking over, the two Pro-Axle offices were merged into one, with the business being run out of a state-of-the-art purpose building on Topham Road in Smeaton Grange.
This allows Pro-Axle to provide better service to the six current franchisees in its network, including 4WD, car, bus and truck wheel alignment outlets, as well as other specialist trade customers who require their unique products.
This includes a range of specialist, patented alignment correction products and various products sourced from around the world, plus technical data required in the day-by-day operations of their businesses.
Pro-Axle currently have six stores in total, five locations across New South Wales and one in Victoria, with three in Sydney (NarellanEnfield and Smithfield), Newcastle, Wollongong and Campbellfield in Melbourne.
Melisa says they understand that having the best control over any heavy vehicle is not only a matter of driver comfort but also of safety.
The quality service and specific work carried out by the experienced and skilled team ensures that the customers see exceptional tyre wear results on their vehicles.
While its core business is service and wheel alignment for fleet trucks, Pro-Axle also looks after caravans — providing them with roadworthy certificates.
“Many local holiday makers come to us before they head off on holidays to ensure their caravan tows straight,” Melisa says.
“This extra care makes sure the family holiday starts and finishes well.”
While Pro-Axle caters strongly to customers looking to have their trucks serviced, they are also looking to the ever-evolving 4WD market.
Pro-Axle Australia can service all suspension needs as they specialise in the unique adjustment components to allow for fine-tuning of the wheel alignment to the specific requirements to suit Australian road conditions due to the camber variations pertaining to different terrains encountered in all corners of the country.
To this end, they are currently looking at the opportunities for franchisees in rural areas, where they don’t service now.
Pro-Axle has ambitions to provide their wheel alignment services across more towns in each state of Australia as part of their continued business growth.
Bryan and Melisa also recognise that continued cost of living pressures are taking their toll on owner-drivers, who are largely responsible for keeping their own trucks on the road and say that regular wheel alignments will keep their trucks on the road longer and can ensure fuel saving, lowering the pressure on the truckie’s hip pocket.
Pro-Axle Australia takes immense pride in the relationships it has fostered with its customers over the years and hopes to continue to do so.
“One of the things that I am especially proud of is our valued relationships with our local customers,” Melisa 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.”
“We really enjoy living and working in Macarthur and we look forward to helping many local businesses get back on the road quickly.”
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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