TJM celebrates 50th anniversary
Queensland 4WD accessory giant dates back to a humble backyard shed in 1973Leading Australian off-road accessories brand TJM has taken a trip down memory lane as it celebrates 50 years of manufacturing 4x4 and camping accessories for local and international markets.
The Queensland-based company has compiled a video and online historical timeline to highlight some of the milestones of a business that had humble beginnings back in 1973.
Five decades ago TJM started producing bullbars in the back shed of one of its founder’s parent’s house, and today it boasts more than 80 retail sites across Australia plus distribution hubs in Asia, Europe and North America.
As the story goes, best mates Lloyd Taylor, Cliff Jones and Steve Mollenhauer enjoyed carving up the sand dunes on Moreton Island but struggled to source suitable bullbars and rollbars for their rugged FJ40 Land Cruiser and Ford F-100 off-roaders, so they decided to design, build and then sell their own.
The first TJM-branded store opened in the Brisbane suburb of Geebung in 1976, and the first TJM catalogue followed a year later. The first TJM exports including alloy bullbars to Japan kicked off in 1981, followed by the first of the signature red and gold TJM LandCruiser display vehicles in 1984.
After the company won a design award for being the world's first business to offer airbag-compatible bullbars in the 1990s, the original founders sold out to CMI Limited, with another ownership change to Aeroklas a few years later prompting further growth.
This included expansion of the TJM range to include side-steps, rear bars, suspension systems, vehicle recovery tools and camping gear available in 58 retail outlets.
Group general manager of TJM parent company Aeroklas Asia Pacific Group, Greg Kelly, said the big-selling 4WD accessories business will continue to focus on innovation as the off-road vehicle market moves towards electrification.
“The future is bright and offers a myriad of possibilities for TJM,” Kelly said.
“We've worked hard to identify a variety of growth markets and diversified trading opportunities that will deliver even more value to our customers and shareholders.”
As well as being one of the biggest 4WD accessory businesses in Australia, TJM is also one of the oldest with major rival ARB tracing its roots back to 1975.
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