Ahrens Engineering
| Type of organisation: | Business
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Ahrens is a national full-service construction, engineering, rural infrastructure and mining services company based at Sheaoak Log .
Johann Carl ‘Wilhelm’ Ahrens established a blacksmith shop at Sheaoak Log, on the edge of the Barossa Valley in South Australia in 1902
Wilhelm’s son Bill, aged 18, joins the business. The duo worked harmoniously at the forge and anvil, and become respected tradesmen in Sheaoak Log and miles beyond.
In 1938 with the arrival of Sedan cars, the road past Sheaoak Log became busier and Ahrens decided to install a bowser, selling both petrol and oil products from the blacksmith shop, and servicing all types of farm machinery continued to be a significant part of the Ahrens business.
In 1956 Bob Ahrens joins the blacksmith business which sees three generations of the family working side-by-side. Bob is an entrepreneurial engineer and grows the business by extending its product range to include grain silos, field bins, rural sheds and stone and land rollers.
in 1959, Bob capitalises on his passion to pursue ambitious projects such as a rural shed range. His chicken shed design, similar to hutches, become another important piece of Ahrens’ growing business, particularly as it leads to the development of a line of farm buildings.
In 1963 Ahrens start to develop and produce land rollers, stone rollers and silos. They would become a major product for the business for many years and led to the development of larger rollers. Ahrens evolves from blacksmithing to manufacturing.
A new workshop is erected on rural land at Sheaoak Log.
In 1971 secures its first industrial building – the Gawler Trotting Club. The custom-built, all steel building led Ahrens into a different era with the business, taking on commercial and industrial work, and the tendering for these types of projects..
1976 is a big year as Bob diversifies the company’s traditional range of rural-based products and branches into industrial buildings. This marks the beginning of Ahrens’ structural steel fabrication, with a workshop and office expansion, and the opportunity to take on bigger projects.
1988 heralds in a Fourth generation family member, Stefan Ahrens joins the family business, spending the first 18 months welding in the workshop before moving to the office and deciding this is his future.
1996 Stef formally takes control of the company and Ahrens wins its first mining project. This was a staggering $9.5M job at Mount Todd gold mine near Katherine.
Ahrens continues to spread its wings across Australia and in 2021, Ahrens becomes a fifth-generation, family-owned Australian company with Ellen Ahrens and Riley Ahrens joining the business.
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