# Our history, 1984–2026 | QMW Industries > From Queensland Mobile Welding in 1984 to QMW Industries today: archive photos, three decades of aerial imagery and the dated record of how 53 Success Street grew. 1. [1984](#ch-1984) 2. [1986](#ch-1986) 3. [1991](#ch-1991) 4. [1992](#ch-1992) 5. [Aerial](#ch-aerial) 6. [Growth](#ch-growth) 7. [2024](#ch-2024) 8. [2026](#ch-2026) QMW history · 1984–2026 # Forged in arc and line From Queensland Mobile Welding to QMW Industries: a history of continual improvement, with 53 Success Street watched from above for 31 years. Ben Samuels · Managing Director · QMW Industries Pty Ltd [The story starts in 1984](#ch-1984) 1984 · Browns Plains ## Where it began It began with sparks on Queensland ground, A modest name, a craft renowned— Queensland Mobile Welding, proud and lean, Where grit and skill shaped every seam. Jeff Samuels established a mobile fabrication and pipeline welding business, working out of Browns Plains. Practical problem-solving on other people’s sites laid the foundation for everything that followed. ![Jeff Samuels standing at the back of the red Queensland Mobile Welding service ute in 1984, its toolboxes signwritten “24 hr 7 day week service”](/assets/img/history/story/ute-1984.jpg) Jeff Samuels and the Queensland Mobile Welding service ute, rego 815-POH. QMW archive, 1984. The mobile years ## Twenty-four hours, seven days, anywhere in Queensland ![Queensland Mobile Welding business card listing seven services, Jeff Samuels, 5 Hoop Street, Browns Plains, phone (07) 800 2702](/assets/img/history/story/business-card-1980s.jpg) Business card, 1980s — 5 Hoop Street, Browns Plains. Seven services on the card - 24 hr, 7 day/week service - Pipeline welding - X-ray quality welding - Earthmoving equipment repairs - Crane repairs (Machinery Dept approved) - Pile-driving equipment repairs - General welding and fabrication Utes rolled out at break of day, To mines and yards, to far away, Fixing what broke, building what could, Earning trust the only way you should. ![Yellow Queensland Mobile Welding tray-back ute carrying a welder and gas bottles](/assets/img/history/story/mobile-rig.jpg) Mobile welding rig on site. QMW archive, undated. ![A welder working on a full-bore pipe joint in a trench lined with timber shoring](/assets/img/history/story/pipeline-weld.jpg) Pipeline welding in the trench. X-ray quality welding was a listed service from the start. Undated. ![Close view of a pipeline joint being welded in the trench](/assets/img/history/story/pipeline-field-weld.jpg) Field weld on a pipeline joint. Undated. ![Pipe alignment clamp fitted to a pipe marked Pipe No 6 during weld preparation](/assets/img/history/story/pipeline-clamp.jpg) Pipe alignment clamp, field weld preparation. Undated. 1986 onward · Acacia Ridge ## A permanent base: 600 m² and a block to grow into Incorporation · first land 1986 30-year company story First workshop 600 m² Recorded 1986 Expansion frames 1996–98 Archive photo series ![A piling rig drilling foundations on the bare Acacia Ridge block before the first workshop](/assets/img/history/story/foundations-drilling.jpg) Drilling foundations, Acacia Ridge. Archive, undated. ![Workers in wet-weather gear pouring concrete foundations in the rain under a beach umbrella](/assets/img/history/story/foundations-pour.jpg) Pouring foundations in the rain. Archive, undated. ![Red steel portal frames and purlins of a new workshop bay going up](/assets/img/history/story/portal-frames-1996.jpg) Workshop portal frames, 1996 (archive caption). ![Steel workshop frame and purlins nearing completion](/assets/img/history/story/workshop-structure-1998.jpg) Workshop structure, file dated November 1998. Steel by steel, the vision grew, From small repairs to projects new— Buckets, bodies, modules, frames, Heavy-duty work with bigger aims. ![A QMW welder working aloft on structural roof steel](/assets/img/history/story/convention-centre-steel.jpg) Roof steel, archive filename “Convention Centre”. 1990s, undated. ![A yellow Komatsu HD465 dump truck with its body raised outside the workshop](/assets/img/history/story/hd465-dump-body-2000.jpg) Komatsu HD465 dump body. File dated July 2000. ![Gulf-branded plant being rebuilt on the workshop floor under an overhead crane](/assets/img/history/story/equipment-rebuilds.jpg) Equipment rebuilds under the crane. Undated. ![Crews managing a crane lift of large pipe sections at Amberley](/assets/img/history/story/amberley-lift-2000.jpg) Lifting operation, Amberley. File dated August 2000. ![A fabricated boiler and exhaust stack standing beside the Success Street sign](/assets/img/history/story/boiler-stack.jpg) Boiler and stack outside the workshop. Undated. ![A long fabricated frame suspended under the overhead crane inside the workshop](/assets/img/history/story/fabrication-2001.jpg) Long fabrication under the crane. File dated October 2001. c. 1991 · A new name ## Queensland Mobile Welding becomes QMW Industries ![The Acacia Ridge workshop frontage with a row of white service utes and a sign reading Q.M.W. Industries, listing ROPS and FOPS canopies and X-ray quality welding](/assets/img/history/story/frontage-1991.jpg) Acacia Ridge workshop frontage. Archive filename dated 1991. A new name rose with broader sight: QMW Industries—for scale and might. Not just welders on the run, But engineers of what gets done. The Success Street signboard already reads “Q.M.W. Industries Pty Ltd” and lists ROPS & FOPS canopies beside X-ray quality welding, earthmoving equipment repairs and mobile welding rigs on call. The protective-structure business is visible from the start of the Acacia Ridge era. 1992–2025 · Testing and quality ## Testing, certification and quality systems grew together 1. 1992 ### Physical ROPS testing recorded Handwritten photo date, QMW archive. Archive photo 2. 1997 ### ISO 9001 certification — Bureau Veritas Maintained continuously since. Documented 3. 2006 ### NATA-accredited testing laboratory established Accreditation No. 15369 · ISO/IEC 17025 · ROPS, FOPS, TOPS, OPG. Documented 4. 2022 ### ISO 45001:2018 alongside ISO 9001:2015 Bureau Veritas combined certificate. Documented 5. 2025 ### NATA accreditation reassessed and continued Falling-object impact 700 J – 11,600 J · ROPS to 2,000 kN. Documented ![A yellow machine cab structure under load in QMW’s blue steel ROPS test frame](/assets/img/history/story/rops-test-2025.jpg) NATA-accredited ROPS test on QMW’s own floor, December 2025. 11,600 J Falling-object impact, from 700 J 2,000 kN ROPS loading NATA accreditation covers protective-structure testing — ROPS, FOPS, TOPS and OPG to AS 2294, AS 2359.9, ISO 3449, ISO 3471, ISO 8082, ISO 8083, ISO 8084, ISO 10262 and ISO 12117. ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 are separate management-system certifications. Timelapse evidence · 53 Success Street ## 1994 – 2025 in eighteen frames Eighteen aerial captures, aligned to the same frame so the roofline can be compared year on year: Queensland Government orthophotos from 1994 to 2022, then Google Earth for 2024 and 2025. Keep scrolling to run the years. Notes marked _observed in imagery_ are what the picture shows; dated milestones come from QMW records. 1994 2002 2005 2007 2009 2011 2012 2013 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2024 2025 1994 · Observed in imagery ### One shed on an open block A single shed stands near the creek, with plant and material spread across an otherwise open block. The earliest capture in the series. 2002–2005 · Observed in imagery ### Two sheds and an open yard Two workshop sheds either side of an open central yard. Plant and material stored outdoors. 2007–2011 · Observed in imagery ### Filling the block The western workshop extends south toward the creek and new roofs appear across the block. Covered floor area grows markedly. 2006 · NATA-accredited testing laboratory established on QMW’s own floor 2012–2015 · Observed in imagery ### One continuous floor Infill roofing joins the sheds and the central yard goes under cover. Separate blocks become a single connected workshop. c. 2014 · The 30-year history reports over 5,000 m² under roof 2016–2020 · Observed in imagery ### Extending south The eastern workshop extends south with additional bays. 2016 · Hitachi turnkey loader build · Q~Transporter launched 2021–2022 · Observed in imagery ### A new face to Success Street The curved-roof front workshop faces the street. 2021–22 · FLS fuel-lube range · ISO 45001 alongside ISO 9001 2024 · Observed in imagery ### Solar on the roof Rooftop solar covers both main workshops. 2024 · 40 years · 5S clean-up programme 2025 · Observed in imagery ### Built to the boundaries A new building closes the southern tip. The site is developed to its edges. 2025 · WT-110 water tank · underground loader MEWP · NATA accreditation continued Imagery © State of Queensland, CC BY 4.0 Aerial imagery 1994–2022: Queensland Government orthophotos, © State of Queensland (Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Manufacturing and Regional and Rural Development), licensed under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); cropped, rotated and resized. 2024–2025 imagery © Google Earth. Same site · 17 years apart ## From two sheds on an open yard to a workshop that fills the block ![53 Success Street in 2022: connected workshops, the curved-roof front workshop and a busy yard](/assets/img/history/story/aerial/compare-2022.webp) ![53 Success Street in 2005: two workshop sheds either side of an open yard](/assets/img/history/story/aerial/compare-2005.webp) Imagery © State of Queensland, CC BY 4.0 Tight site crops from the aligned series of Queensland Government orthophotos. Drag to compare. Growth measures ## Reported manufacturing space under roof Reported manufacturing space under roof, square metres 1. **1986** First workshop 600 m² Source: 30-year company story 2. **c. 2014** 30-year history 5,000\+ m² Source: 30-year anniversary history 3. **2023** Company profile 10,000\+ m² Source: Company profile 2023 4. **2026** Company profile · group 13,000 m² Source: Company Profile 2026 Rev02 Reported values from successive company documents. The 2026 figure is the group total across QMW Industries, Q-Systems and QMW WA. Overhead cranes 22 CNC machining centres 8 Press brake 600 t Company Profile 2026 2023 · Investment in engineering capacity ## Design capability, measured New products developed 118 Engineering jobs processed 638 Engineering hours invested 10,197 Protective-structure tests conducted 16 2023 engineering review. Jobs, products and tests are different measures. ### Design tools VR for reviewing products and spaces before steel is cut. 3D printing for geometry checks and prototypes. A more powerful laser scanner was under evaluation. ### Connected information Site connectivity, digital registers and reporting to support the work, recorded in the 2023 engineering and IT review. ### Planning the space 3D work-area planning (2023–24): fit jobs to work areas and plan equipment positions and access before the floor fills up. A 5S clean-up programme followed in 2024. ![The QMW team in orange and navy workwear gathered in front of the QMW Industries workshop, between a Cat water truck and an FLS-63 fuel-lube service truck](/assets/img/history/story/team-40-years-2024.jpg) 40 years in 2024 · The people behind the progress Still Queensland born, still grounded here, With calloused hands and thinking clear— A company built the honest way: Do it right, then raise the play. Skills and experience turn investment into useful capability. The 40-year team photograph, October 2024, in front of a water truck and an FLS-63 fuel-lube service truck. ![Drone view of 53 Success Street in February 2026: workshops with rooftop solar, the curved-roof front workshop and the yard](/assets/img/history/story/success-street-2026.jpg) 2026 · QMW Industries today Workshops humming, cranes in flight, Designs refined to spec and site, From custom builds to global-grade, Every line cut, measured, laid. Under roof 13,000 m² Machines delivered 1,000+ Overhead cranes 22 CNC machining centres 8 Structures certified 3,000+ Continents supported 6 53 Success Street, February 2026. Figures: QMW Company Profile 2026 Rev02. Off the floor, 2025–26 ## The same promise, bigger machines ![A Cat 785 haul truck fitted with a QMW WT-110 water tank at a Blackwater mine](/assets/img/history/story/wt110-blackwater-2025.jpg) [WT-110 on a Cat 785](/news/wt-110-water-tank-cat-785), Blackwater, November 2025. ![The QMW delivery crew standing in front of a Cat 775 fuel-lube service truck, unit 2366](/assets/img/history/story/fls775-callide-2025.jpg) Cat 775 fuel-lube service truck, Batchfire Callide, May 2025. Unit 2366 with the delivery crew. ![An underground loader work platform installed on site at Olympic Dam](/assets/img/history/story/q-pilot-olympic-dam-2025.jpg) [Q-Pilot installation](/news/q-pilot-mewp-underground-compliance), Olympic Dam, December 2025. ![A welder in orange hi-vis welding a heavy axle fabrication in the workshop](/assets/img/history/story/axle-fabrication-2025.jpg) Axle fabrication, November 2025. ![The team seated for a toolbox meeting under the front workshop roof](/assets/img/history/story/toolbox-2025.jpg) Toolbox meeting under the front workshop roof, December 2025. From mobile torch to industry spine From mobile torch to industry spine, A legacy forged in arc and line— QMW stands where standards meet The kind of work that can’t be beat. QMW Industries · Est. 1984 · Built to Protect. [Talk to our engineering team](/contact) [About QMW](/about) Reference timeline ## Dated record, with evidence grade **Doc** — company records, certificates, profiles. **Photo** — archive photograph dated by caption or file. **Imagery** — read from aerial captures. 1. 1984 Queensland Mobile Welding established, Browns Plains Doc 2. 1986 Incorporation, first land, 600 m² workshop Doc 3. c. 1991 Acacia Ridge frontage — “Q.M.W. Industries”, ROPS & FOPS on the sign Photo 4. 1992 Physical ROPS testing recorded Photo 5. 1994 Earliest aerial: a single shed on an open block Imagery 6. 1996–98 Workshop portal frames erected Photo 7. 1997 ISO 9001 certified (Bureau Veritas) Doc 8. 2002 Aerial: two sheds either side of an open yard Imagery 9. 2005 QMW WA established, Perth Doc 10. 2006 NATA-accredited testing laboratory established Doc 11. c. 2007 Western workshop extended, new central shed Imagery 12. c. 2009–11 Infill roofing links the sheds into one floor Imagery 13. c. 2014 Over 5,000 m² under roof Doc 14. 2016 Hitachi turnkey loader · Q~Transporter · eastern extension Doc 15. 2019 Lean program · new frontage roof Doc 16. 2021 [FLS range · South32 GEMCO Cat 745C lube truck](/news/south32-groote-eylandt-cat-745-lube-truck) Doc 17. 2022 ISO 45001 · curved-roof front workshop Doc 18. 2023 118 products · 638 jobs · 10,197 hrs · over 10,000 m² Doc 19. 2024 40 years · 5S programme · rooftop solar visible Doc 20. 2025 [WT-110 · underground loader MEWP · NATA accreditation continued](/news/wt-110-water-tank-cat-785) Doc 21. 2026 [13,000 m² · 22 cranes · 8 CNC · Cat OEM Solutions Specialty Partner](/news/caterpillar-oem-solutions-partnership) Doc QMW Industries Pty Ltd · ABN 12 011 047 760 · 53 Success Street, Acacia Ridge QLD 4110. ISO 9001:2015 · ISO 45001:2018 · NATA Accreditation No. 15369 (ROPS/FOPS testing). Aerial imagery 1994–2022 © State of Queensland, CC BY 4.0; 2024–2025 © Google Earth. Photographs © QMW Industries. Keep looking around ## Where to next [ The company ### About QMW Family-owned Queensland engineering, and how we work under one roof. ](/about)[ Since 2006 ### Destructive testing The NATA-accredited laboratory behind every structure we certify. ](/services/destructive-testing)[ Since 1997 ### Quality & compliance Our ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 management systems. ](/quality-compliance)[ Start a conversation ### Contact Talk to our engineering team. ](/contact) --- [HTML version](https://www.qmw.com.au/history) · [All pages (llms.txt)](https://www.qmw.com.au/llms.txt) · [Sitemap](https://www.qmw.com.au/sitemap-index.xml)