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From its Victorian base, Australian automotive business HSP 4 x 4 Accessories has become a global leader in designing and manufacturing solutions that optimise the function of utility vehicles.
Innovation is at the heart of HSP’s business, which aims to create and distribute masterfully designed products that make work easier for vehicle users. Their ground-breaking products are often world-firsts and include the top-selling Electric Roll R Cover, Silverback Lid, and Tailgate Lock.
In addition to being 100 per cent Australian-owned, HSP makes and sources all of their materials locally.
Since 2007, brothers Massih and Masood Aimaq and lifelong friend Omer Dost have taken HSP from start-up to global leader.
Sales director Massih Aimaq is modest about HSP’s success but admits it feels amazing.
“But what is even better is that we have achieved our goal of designing and manufacturing in Australia, while most of our competitors have gone overseas.”
Massih says they needed to do everything in Australia “because we have control over our products from thinking of them to installing them on the utes of users.”
“We could blow our catalogue out and produce hundreds of products overseas to maximise profits. Instead, we design and manufacture bespoke products in Australia that improve how people interact with their vehicles.”
A feature of HSP’s innovation is taking technologies from non-automotive fields and putting them into vehicles.
“I think that’s why our products are much more forward-looking than some of our competitors and why we create products that other people haven’t thought of.”
One of the best examples of HSP’s approach is its Electric Roll R cover. HSP pioneered the electric roller cover, becoming the first manufacturer to introduce a fully electric roller shutter for utes. The Roll R is the world’s most advanced retractable ute cover. Its patented features work with factory sports bars, ladder racks, and crossbars, and users can control them with the vehicle’s factory remote or a mobile app. The cover is also priced lower than imported units with fewer features.
“It’s the most advanced ute roll top in the world; no other unit works with your factory remote and has a touchpad, mobile phone integration, and over-the-air Wi-Fi updates. These are things you see from technology companies, not in automotive accessories.”
HSP’s team, Victorian base and policy to use only Australian-sourced materials have all contributed to its success.
Instead of hiring or contracting work through external agencies or outsourcing engineer services, HSP has hired a skilled team with a strong belief in what the business aims to achieve. They aim to continue manufacturing in Australia and lead with product innovation.
“Everyone believes in our mission, and that gives us all the drive to design, build and improve our products,” Massih emphasises.
HSP’s family of distributors are a critical part of its team; in addition to Australia the business has another 300 distributors across Europe, South America, NZ and other countries. It has also recently won a tier one global contract.
HSP started their business in Noble Park North in metropolitan Melbourne, and a factory in Alexandra in regional Victoria, where it recently added a larger, purpose-built production facility.
“We manufacture our Roll R cover at the new facility and do our aluminium extrusion work there as well.
“Our Alexandra workforce has a lot of specific skills; we have precision machinery there which is creating new skill sets.
“Our people there are great workers, and we are really happy to have them as part of our journey.”
When it comes to materials, Massih notes they couldn’t make their products without aluminium.
“Aluminium makes a lot of sense. When you look at a ute cover, you need to keep your items dry and secure under something that looks good. Aluminium is the best material to do all of that. It’s lightweight, durable, extrudable and has no limits in manufacturing.
“We couldn’t make our products without aluminium. If we did, they wouldn’t be anything we would want to sell. Without aluminium, our products might not exist.”
Massih says HSP’s supply partnership with Capral has helped them on their journey to global leadership.
“In creating world-firsts, we can’t use anything off the shelf – our products must stand out for their functionality and looks. Everything we design is specific to a particular product and Capral accommodates our needs and offers quality, reliability, and quantity.
“There are a lot of synergies between us – they are a high-quality manufacturer that believes in manufacturing in Australia.”
Capral extrudes and powder coats all HSP’s aluminium to streamline HSP’s manufacturing process, supplying it prefinished and ready for fabrication. Using industry-leading powder coat finishes from Interpon, Capral can deliver to HSP the highest quality aluminium for its projects, eliminating the need for HSP to source finishing from a secondary supplier.
“Having access to powder-coated aluminium supplied to our door is important, it reduces our lead times, minimises the risk of damage to the material and ensures we have consistent quality finishes on our products every time. We choose to use the Textura black finish which is very modern, looks great but has anti marring properties and reduces the risk of scratches and marks on the painted extrusion”
Massih says Capral is more of a partner than just a supplier to HSP.
“They understand where we’re trying to go and help us validate what we’re trying to achieve, advising whether things are possible or not possible. We are proud of our partnership with Capral and grateful for their ongoing support.”
