History & Growth

Established in Sydney as a partnership named C & K Industrial Traders in 1965, more than 40 years of growth have seen amazing changes in the company.

In the early days C & K traded products from Eastern Europe out of a cramped office in Waterloo. With a tenacious work ethic sales passed A$ l million for the first time in 1970. The company was renamed Redox Chemicals in 1974.

The company moved into a purpose built facility in Botany in 1976, however within just a few short years the building had been expanded to cover all available land. In 1986 as sales passed A$10 million per annum, Redox established an office in Melbourne. In the late eighties focus turned to searching for suppliers from a promising emerging economy – China. Our sourcing staff were scouring trade fairs and meeting with new manufacturers, many of which are now the biggest in their respective fields.

In 1991 Australian Prime Minister John Howard officiated at the opening of our landmark one hectare Wetherill Park facility. With business growing fast and national sales now topping A$25 million, the Melbourne operation was transferred to a larger site at Sunshine. By then, offices had also been opened at Welshpool, Perth (1987), Acacia Ridge, Brisbane (1989) and Gillman, Adelaide (1991).

Over the next decade, coinciding with Redox’s first importation of bulk chemicals, the company recorded extraordinary growth and development. Revenue, which passed A$40 million in 1993, exceeded A$176 million by 2003.

The phenomenal growth in sales funded a move into New Zealand in 1994 where we now have unparalleled coverage with 3 sales offices. Despite expansion at Wetherill Park it was clear that Redox would again outgrow its main Sydney site very quickly. So, a decision was made to buy six hectares of industrial land at Minto, south-west of Sydney. This would become a new company headquarters and a massive storage facility, construction was completed in November 2005.

To meet the demands of the company’s ongoing growth, other centres around Australia and New Zealand are being expanded.