Built Different Since 1962: The OPIE Manufacturing Group Story

OPIE Man­u­fac­tur­ing Group was es­tab­lished in 1962 as an Aus­tralian family business. More than 60 years later it still carries the family name and is still run by the Opie family, making things out of steel in Western Sydney. The equipment has changed beyond recog­ni­tion. The idea behind it hasn't: make it properly and you only have to make it once.

This is the story of OPIE Man­u­fac­tur­ing Group, and why we think the way something is made matters as much as what it is.

Where it started

One of the group's longest-running lines is about">SMC Stainless, founded in 1962 by James MacDougal Opie. It began in practical metalwork and today makes basins, drinking fountains, drainage and grab rails for hospitals, schools and public buildings. Making things for wet, hard-wearing, high-hygiene en­vi­ron­ments builds the habits the whole business runs on: tight welds, honest materials and fixtures built to last.

our gen­er­a­tions of the Opie family pictured with OPIE Man­u­fac­tur­ing Group's TRUMPF TruLaser Weld 5000 laser welder. From left: Alyssa Le Breton, Chief Financial Officer, with her daughter Niamh Le Breton (Accounts); and Tristan Opie, Managing Director, with his son Blade Opie (Sales). Tristan and Alyssa are siblings, rep­re­sent­ing the third gen­er­a­tion of the family, with Niamh and Blade the fourth.">

Three and four gen­er­a­tions of the Opie family pictured with OPIE Man­u­fac­tur­ing Group's TRUMPF TruLaser Weld 5000 laser welder. From left: Alyssa Le Breton, Chief Financial Officer, with her daughter Niamh Le Breton (Accounts); and Tristan Opie, Managing Director, with his son Blade Opie (Sales). Tristan and Alyssa are siblings, rep­re­sent­ing the third gen­er­a­tion of the family, with Niamh and Blade the fourth.

Still family-run, in Western Sydney

Today the business is led by Tristan Opie, grandson of James MacDougal Opie, with the third and fourth gen­er­a­tions of the family working in it. Our home is 109 Russell Street, Emu Heights, at the foot of the Blue Mountains.

Staying family-owned means we can make long-term decisions. We've invested in equipment that takes years to pay back, kept skills in-house that others outsource, and built a team that knows the products because they've been making them for a long time.

What "under one roof" really means

Plenty of man­u­fac­tur­ers say they do every­thing. Here's the actual list of what happens on our site.

Design and en­gi­neer­ing

Our engineers work from concept or from your drawings. That covers CAD modelling, design for man­u­fac­ture, pro­to­typ­ing and reverse en­gi­neer­ing, including high-accuracy 3D scanning when there are no drawings to start from. See our services">services overview.

Cutting, folding and welding

TRUMPF fibre lasers handle sheet and plate. Two TRUMPF TruLaser Tube 7000 machines cut tube and section. TRUMPF TruBend press brakes and a Sal­vagni­ni panel bender form the parts. For welding we run a TRUMPF TruLaser Weld 5000 robotic laser welding cell with an 8.25-metre cabin, alongside con­ven­tion­al TIG, MIG and CMT welding. The specs are on our laser welding page.

Finishing, assembly and in­stal­la­tion

Our Eu­roimpianti powder line has a six-stage chromate-free pre-treatment, cyclonic powder recovery and a closed-loop water system that produces zero waste­water. Products are then assembled, checked and packed on site, and in­stal­la­tion can be arranged.

Because every step happens in one facility under one ISO 9001 quality system, nothing gets lost between sub­con­trac­tors. If a tolerance, a colour or a delivery date matters to you, there's one team ac­count­able for it.

A family of spe­cial­ist brands

Over time, OPIE has become home to a group of spe­cial­ist brands, each with its own customers and expertise:

• Boscotek: in­dus­tri­al work­bench­es, high-density drawer storage and mobile tool storage, designed as a modular system.

• Bosco Office & Storage: office storage, including tambour cabinets, lineal filing, pedestals, plan cabinets and lockers.

• Lectrum: lecterns for con­fer­ence venues, council chambers, uni­ver­si­ties and hotels.

• Argent: server racks, security racks, cages and data-centre in­fra­struc­ture.

• Gilkon: AV mounts, mobile display stands, ceramic steel white­boards and display en­clo­sures.

• SMC Stainless: stainless sanitary ware, drainage and ac­ces­si­bil­i­ty fittings.

Boscotek, Bosco, Lectrum, Argent and Gilkon joined the group through the ac­qui­si­tion of Wilson & Gilkes. You can see the full family on our brands page.

Why it matters to buyers

For defence, rail, gov­ern­ment, education, health, mining and com­mer­cial customers, an in­te­grat­ed Aus­tralian man­u­fac­tur­er offers practical ad­van­tages:

• Trace­abil­i­ty. Materials, processes and in­spec­tions are doc­u­ment­ed in one system.

• Speed. No waiting on a third-party powder coater or welding shop.

• Con­sis­ten­cy. Repeat orders come off the same machines, built by the same people.

• Support. The engineers who designed your product are a phone call away, in your time zone.

What's next

In August 2026 we launched 45 online product con­fig­u­ra­tors across seven brands, so customers can specify exactly what they need, see it and get a price without waiting for a quote. For Boscotek, Bosco, Lectrum and Gilkon you can also download the BIM file. Try the OPIE con­fig­u­ra­tor. We're also con­tin­u­ing to invest through the OPIE Green Loop, our approach to solar gen­er­a­tion, metal recycling and cleaner finishing.

Our promise hasn't changed: En­gi­neer­ing Con­fi­dence. Man­u­fac­tur­ing Quality. Building Aus­trali­a's Future.

Ready to talk about your next project? contact our team on 02 4728 6111 or at sales@opiegroup.com.au.