Founded on the deeply held principles of Health, Safety and the Environment (HSE), Otraco is focused on ensuring that all teams return home safely to their families at the end of every working day. Setting the standard in global tyre safety leadership, our commitment to HSE is regularly recognised by customers, one example being the 2017 Safety Award from Swakop Uranium in Namibia.
Across Otraco, innovation is key to helping customers achieve step change improvements in day-to-day operations. Teams are encouraged to challenge the traditional ways of doing things by asking questions such as ‘how can we get this job done in a safer way?’ These simple questions uncover highly cost-effective solutions such as the award winning ‘spacer plates’ technology.
With a focus on turning knowledge into value, Otraco’s training centre delivers an extensive portfolio of programs for tyre technicians. Incorporating competency-based delivery and assessment, our training programs comprise on-the-job training, workshops and classroom learning. All programs are delivered through Otraco’s Enterprise Registered Training Organisation 51112. Otraco also offers training programs to customer teams on an as needs basis.
New technologies provide opportunities to bring innovative solutions to traditional tyre management practises. Otraco’s teams are developing technology-based solutions utilising augmented reality, advanced analytics, visualisation and machine learning within an IoT environment to bring new thinking to a wide range of operational needs.
Beyond tyre management, Otraco’s teams deliver a range of industrial products including machine tools and office supplies to customer sites.
With our company name anchored in our heritage as an ‘Off The Road Australian Company’, Otraco was founded in 1972 by Basil Winterbourn while delivering tyre management services at the Mount Whaleback Mine in Western Australia. Today Otraco is recognised as the ‘go to’ supplier for OTR and LME tyre management across Australia, Chile and Southern Africa.
At the forefront of tyre management, Mr Winterbourn and the emerging Otraco business developed methodologies for tyre life analysis (such as fitment period batching and axle fitment bias compensation), the tyre pressure and temperature monitoring system (TPMS), and the industry’s understanding of tyre explosion mechanisms. Even the tyre numbering system, now used almost universally, originated with Otraco.
Joining Downer in 2007, Otraco’s team continued to grow to over 800 tyre technicians located worldwide. In 2010, Otraco expanded into Africa securing contracts at many of the largest open cut mines in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. With support from Downer, Otraco's tyre asset management system was extenstensively redeveloped in 2018 to include a forecasting module, procurement module, on-screen reports and an all new tablet friendly version.
In 2021 Otraco was divested to Bridgestone Mining Solutions Australia (BMSA), a company offering comprehensive pit-to-port solutions for the mining, industrial and construction industries.
Five decades on Otraco continues to deliver tyre management solutions to the Mount Whaleback Mine in Western Australia along with over 60 projects worldwide. Otraco is set to continue as the ‘go to’ provider of OTR and LME tyre management for many decades to come. Otraco fosters a diverse and inclusive workplace that facilitates opportunity and respect. With a focus on gender and cultural inclusiveness, and through various initiatives, Otraco aims to help close the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous communities.
