From the heart of cotton country, Proton Engineering Pty Ltd is proudly part of the Made in New England story, manufacturing pumps, gearboxes, and custom engineering solutions built for real-world conditions.
Based in Wee Waa, Proton Engineering is a family-owned business founded in 1998 by Scott Tompkins and the late Chris Roden. It is now run by Andrea Roden and her son James, continuing a long-standing commitment to supporting regional agriculture and industry.
Servicing farmers, gins, and councils across northern New South Wales, Proton Engineering focuses on practical, locally made solutions that keep operations running, with pumps and gearboxes designed, built, and serviced in-house.
“We are a small family-owned and run engineering business in Wee Waa,” said Georgia Roden, who has recently joined her husband James in the business.
“We build and service irrigation pumps and gearboxes for farmers from the New England region all the way up to the Queensland border. We have also done work for people as far as Lismore.”
The company manufactures a wide range of pumps tailored to specific industries. In agriculture, that includes bore and axial pumps for irrigation, built to handle continuous use in demanding conditions. Proton Engineering also machines brand-new parts for cotton gins, as well as components for the grain sector, supporting agricultural operations with precision manufacturing and reliable supply solutions across rural markets.
“Our work on river and bore pumps helps keep farmers on track with watering their crops and livestock,” Roden said.
The business also services irrigators and cotton gins, with years of expertise in understanding the needs of the local cotton industry. And just like the farmers they service, Proton Engineering don’t muck around – and they’re not scared of the big jobs.
Alongside pumps, Proton Engineering builds and repairs industrial gearboxes locally, from size F30A through to G400. The business is also the sole Australian distributor for Randolph gearboxes, following the acquisition of Randolph Manufacturing in 2006.
“We are the only distributors of Randolph gearboxes in Australia,” Roden said.
Local capability extends beyond distribution. The Wee Waa workshop manufactures, modifies, and repairs gearboxes on site, including units from other brands.
“We can build a gearbox from scratch. We also get parts in from America,” Roden said.
“We also fix other gearboxes, other brands as well. We can rebuild them from scratch, too.”
They also provide onsite servicing across Wee Waa, Gunnedah, Narrabri, and Moree, reducing downtime and giving clients faster, more flexible options from a local business they can trust.
And the business is expanding, with first year apprentices Thomas and Angus joining James, Mike, and Jake in the workshop, while Georgia and new admin officer Alanah join Andrea in the office, ensuring that Proton Engineering keeps making and servicing local pumps and gearboxes for another generation.
Find out more on their website or Facebook page.
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