Circa 1875
A Lawton Established
1960
JA Lawton Merges with Freighter & becomes Freighter-Lawton
1963
Rebranded Freighter Industries
1965
Freighter enter into a bus body assembly arrangement with Hino for supply of Buses to the Australian Bus Market
1975
Freighter Industries is sold to Leyland Corporation Australia & is rebranded PMCSA (Leyland currently own Denning)
1983
Leyland Australia Ceases to exist and is taken over by JRA Limited
1988
JRA Limited purchases Austral (Australian Manufacturing Group, Denning's Biggest Competitor)
1991
Following the closure of the Sydney plant (Press Metal Corporation), PMCSA is renamed PMC Australia
1996
Leyland Australia & all subsidiaries, PMC, Austral Denning etc within JRA Limited, are sold to Clifford Corporation
1998
Clifford Corporation collapses
1999
PMC is sold to the consortium of CCMC (Custom Coaches Manufacturing Company), Bosnjak Group, & John Hewson
Commonwealth Engineering
1921
Smith & Waddington is founded. (Commencing in the Sydney suburb of Camperdown building bodies for motorcars and buses)
1939
Reformed after the great depression, Smith & Waddington is renamed Waddingtons Body Works and moves to Granville
1946
After taking control of the business during world war 2, to produce war effort materials, in 1946 the Government purchases a controlling stake of the buses and changes the name to Commonwealth Engineering
1949
Second Factory established in Rocklea Queensland
1952
A plant is established in Bassendean, Western Australia
1954
Another plant purchased in Dandenong, Victoria
1957
The Government sells its shares to COMENG
1971
Commonwealth Engineering (COMENG) sell body building designs and jigs to Smithfield 1954 Bus & Coach Work
1982
COMENG sells shares to Australian National Industries
Smithfield Bus & Coach Works
1971
Smithfield Bus & Coach Works founded, after brother Bob & John Bosnjak purchase bus body building designs & jigs from Commonwealth Engineering (COMENG)
1982
Smithfield Bus & Coach is sold to Custom Coaches Manufacturing Company
Custom Bus Group
1911
Stanley Hillsdon starts manufacturing bycicle
1935
Stanley Hillsdon Founded Cycle Components Manufacturing Company (CCMC) in Guildford, Sydney, NSW
1946
Company awarded contract to manufacture reversible seats for Sydney Tram System
1955
CCMC successfully tendered to supply bodies for 125 single deck Leyland Royal Tiger, Worldmaster buses NSW Department of Government Transport
1957
First of 124 Bus Bodies on Leyland Worldmaster Chassis for NSW Department of Government Transport
Jack Violet (Hillsdons nephew by marriage), is employed as Operations Manager for the Bus Division
1962
CCMC Stanley Hillsdon passes control of the company to Jack Violet. During this time the company is renamed Custom Coaches Manufacturing Company
1967
CCMC enter into an agreement with Melbourne bodybuilder, WA Newnham & Sons, for CCMC to supply frames and other components
CCMC enter into agreements to supply components to Brisbane bodybuilder Watt Brothers
1972
CCMC enter into agreements to supply components to Perth based Transport Equipment builder Howard Porter (Image courtesy of Ian N. Lynas)
1981
CCMC (Custom Coaches manufacturing Company) Purchases Smithfield Bus & Coach Works from the Bosnjak family
1988
CCMC purchases WA Newnham & Sons with the business renamed Newnham Custom
1989
Consortium of CCMC, Bosnjak Group & John Hewson purchase PMC Australia after the collapse of Clifford Corporation
1995
New plant opened at Arundel on the Gold Coast
2000
Australian Bus Manufacturing in Adelaide is purchased
2001
Newnham Custom closes with production transferred to Adelaide
Custom Care Established
2002
Mark Burgess (Great-nephew of Hillsdon by marriage) became CEO of the company
2004
Australian Bus Manufacturing is rebranded as Custom Coaches
2005
Brothers Mark & Paul Burgess, with long-term business partner, Chris Absalom, complete the purchase of the business from Jack Violet & remains as Custom Coaches
2010
Sydney plant moved to new premises in Villawood
2012
Custom Coaches is purchased by British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis
2014
May 2014 - Custom Coaches is placed into administration
August 2014 - The business is purchased back by Mark Burgess & Allegro. The company is renamed Custom Bus
September 2014 - The Royal Park, South Australia plant closes
2018
February 2018 - Custom Bus is again placed in administration
March 2018 - Custom Bus is purchased by the Dunn Group & Rebranded Custom Bus Group Pty Ltd
Denning Manufacturing
1950
Alan B Denning establishes his panel beating company
1956
Alan B Denning commences building buses, founding A.B Denning & Co
1968
Denning sells to Leyland Corporation Australia
1988
JRA Limited purchases Denning's biggest competitor Austral (Australian Manufacturing)
1990
JRA Limited closes the Denning plant in Acacia Ridge & moves production to the Austral Facility in Geebung
1992
Denning Plant in Acacia Ridge closes and operations are moved to the Austral factory. The business is then rebranded Austral Denning
1994
Alan B Denning Co is established
1996
JRA including all assets (Leyland, Austral Denning etc.) are sold to Clifford Corporation & rebranded Austral Pacific
1998
Clifford Corporation collapse
1996
Alan B Denning Co is placed in administration
AB Denning plant is purchased by Denning Manufacturing
2019
October 2019 - Denning purchased by the Dunn Group