Coates Hire
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Equipment rental |
| Predecessor | Australian National Industries (owner from 1972) |
| Founded | 1885 in Melbourne, Australia |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Area served | Australia, Indonesia |
| Products | Equipment rental services |
| Owner | Seven Group Holdings |
| Parent | Seven Group Holdings |
Coates is an Australian firm specializing in equipment rental, with operations spanning every state and territory. It functions as a fully owned subsidiary of Seven Group Holdings. By 2023, the original cost value of Coates' hire fleet was estimated at around A$1.87 billion.
History
Established in 1885 in Melbourne initially as a modest engineering company, Coates transitioned into the equipment rental sector after World War II, pioneering a Try Before You Buy approach using vibratory rollers. The company was first listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) in 1955, before being purchased by Australian National Industries in 1972.
Coates expanded its footprint to Indonesia in 1993 and returned to the ASX in 1996. In 2002, it acquired Wreckair from Brambles Limited. In January 2008, private equity firm The Carlyle Group along with the National Hire Group took the company private, merging it with National Hire to create Australia's largest equipment rental enterprise.
On 25 October 2017, Seven Group Holdings completed the acquisition of the remaining 53% ownership from The Carlyle Group and other minority shareholders, having originally partnered with them and management through its WesTrac subsidiary in 2008.
The business underwent a rebranding from Coates Hire to simply Coates on 10 June 2021.
Sponsorships
Coates has maintained a strong presence as a sponsor within the Supercars arena, acting as the title sponsor for Nick Percat’s campaigns in the 2012 Development Series, 2013 Australian Carrera Cup Championship, and 2014 V8 Supercars Championship. The company also served as the principal sponsor for major Supercars events including the Ipswich SuperSprint, Sydney 500, Supercars Challenge, Melbourne 400, and the Newcastle 500.