WALLA WALLA, AUSTRALIA — The Kotzur Group, an Australian manufacturer of bulk solid storage and handling equipment, is opening a new facility in Toowoomba in northern Australia.

The building, which was constructed in 36½ weeks, comprises modern open-plan office spaces and 4,300 square meters of factory space, including a section of shed with a roof height of 24 meters.

As a family-owned and operated business, the Kotzur Group has been a leader in the manufacturing of Australian-made bulk solid storage and associated handling equipment for over 70 years.

The business operates two manufacturing sites, one in southern Australia and the new Queensland facility, occupying 10 hectares across both sites, with a total factory area of 16,000 square meters.

Andrew Kotzur, managing director, said the company started on a family farm near Walla Walla, before his father moved the farm equipment manufacturing business into town.

“Dad saw an opportunity to manufacture transportable silos from coils of galvanized steel in the 1960s,” he said. “As the business has grown, we have kept everything in-house. From research and development, through to design, engineering, and manufacturing, all the way to the installation and construction of multimillion-dollar projects.”

Andrew Kotzur’s son Ben is the third-generation Kotzur to work in the business and is the chief technical officer. Both have devoted their careers to understanding and improving the storage and handling of bulk solids for various products at the farm level and at a commercial complex scale.

The business manufactures a full range of grain and bulk solid storages, including transportable grain silos and specialist storage silos for byproducts, such as meals and pellets, through to build on-site silos with 12,000-tonne volumes. When combined with Kotzur’s chain, screw and belt conveyors, along with flat floored silo unloaders Kotzur can design facilities with 1,500 tph conveying capacity.

“We manage projects across several sectors, including agriculture, industry, and mining, providing custom-made solutions for milling, rail loading, feedlots, stock feed mills, and large grain storage and handling sites at ports,” said Ben Kotzur. “Kotzur has been instrumental in projects with large and medium international bulk handling companies, and we have built complexes in Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Asia and Africa.”