The Allweld Story
Allweld Manufacturing began in 1995, creating an income for Andrew & Jo-anne Shilleto after an accident prevented him from continuing his welding employment. The family business grew steadily within the local community, and they added employees and clients as their reputation grew. Both Andrew and Jo-anne have the true Australian attitude of, ‘if you do a job, do it well’.
They never cut corners, were laser focused on delivering quality welding products consistently, and servicing clients so well that they would always come back as repeat business. It’s the strength of that foundation that they built which has allowed the company to expand time and time again through to this day.
In 2006 the young man who lived next door, Josh Linwood, was scheduled to be starting work experience with a local plumber, but the plumber never showed up. After discovering this, Andrew & Jo-anne offered to give Josh the work experience with Allweld. Following this stint, they offered him a school-based apprenticeship, which he accepted and completed. He never left, seeing the enormous potential for growth for both the business, and the local community. Josh learnt much valuable information from both Andrew and Jo-anne while working his way up the ladder at Allweld and has remarked that Andrew in particular, taught him everything he knows.
Between 2016 and 2021, Josh has worked closely with them to identify opportunities, and enthusiastically grow the business together. Through surrounding himself with smart people, and taking opportunities, he saw a big future for the business.
Andrew started with a shed on a small block of land, they have now expanded to 4 additional premises and approximately 40+ staff, occupying a significant portion of their precinct in Gateway Court with further growth on the horizon. A few years ago, Andrew started to discuss retirement, this year (2021) that plan has come to fruition, with Josh officially taking ownership of the business, an opportunity for which he is extremely grateful. He understands the sacrifices that come with growing a successful business, and the value of being part of a company with robust foundations; as a direct result of Andrew and Jo-anne’s hard work.
As a husband and father (Josh is married to Meeghan, Andrew and Jo-anne’s daughter, they have 2 children, Ava and Harper), keeping the family culture alive in the business is very important to them. Allweld was built on strong family values, and as an organisation, makes sure that it looks after its own, from ensuring that any team member who is suffering from serious illness is being looked after, creche after school care for employee’s children, to taking on adult apprentices, the culture in this business focuses on investing in their people for the long term. As Josh remarked, ‘There’s something really special about seeing an apprentice come through the ranks and watching them start a family of their own or buying their first home, being part of that is so rewarding.’
Josh is a proud Butchulla man and strives to emphasise the importance of inclusivity and opportunity in the local community by being authentic to the indigenous culture. Removing judgement, stigma, and preconceptions, while offering opportunity to locals is core to the values of the business and its management team. Josh works with the local and Indigenous community to position Allweld as an employer of choice, building a pipeline of skilled workers in trades and business.
These old-fashioned values have seen Allweld Manufacturing move from strength to strength, consistently providing the highest level of quality and timely work, while continuing to make their clients’ lives easier. Josh and his team focus keenly on establishing positive working relationships, making sure communications are clear across the board, while setting realistic expectations, which are often exceeded.
Today, Allweld Manufacturing continues to supply Ergon Energy, known today as Energy Queensland, plus a portfolio of other large entities, including State Emergency Services Qld, NSW Corrective Services, TAS Corrective Services, NSW SES, Pirtek Australia, PALL Aerospace, Qld Ambulance Service, Volunteer Marine Rescue, plus many more.
As part of the Fraser Coast region, Allweld Manufacturing is poised to become an even more important part of the community through promoting jobs growth to a broad range of locals and working on increasing the profile of the area.
Testimonials We started Allweld to serve the customised manufacturing and fabrication needs of businesses and trades in Queensland/Australia. We took our passion for quality and customer service, and turned it into our life’s work.