Crane Group Limited

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1867	In 1867 George Ekins Crane saw an opportunity to supply materials to the colony's rapidly expanding building industry. He established the building supplies from G E Crane & Son in Pitt Street, Sydney. Since then the company has been a part of the growth and development of the building industry in Australia. Crane Group is now a leading building and industrial products company in Australasia.
1867	GE Crane and Sons founded by George Ekins Crane.
1893	The Company entered the metals manufacturing industry, establishing the Sydney Lead Works in Glebe, New South Wales.
1900	By the turn of the century the Company had added the processing of marble & slate, the manufacture of pressed metal ceilings and wrought iron balustrades, gates & window guards to it’s operations.
1920	By the 20s the firm was manufacturing copper sheet and brassware. Durable and decorative copper roofing and guttering were used extensively on commercial and residential buildings of the day.
1940	In the 1940s Crane's facilities and expertise bolstered strategic materials supply by producing Australia's first rolled aluminium sheet for aircraft construction.
1949	GE Crane was first listed on the Australian Stock Exchange as: GE Crane and Sons Limited in 1949.
1950	Manufacturing expanded during the boom years of the 50s and 60s, including the establishment of Crane Copper Tube.
1959	GE Crane Holdings Limited, successor to GE Crane and Sons Limited was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange on 6th October 1959.
1994	The acquisition of Tradelink Plumbing Supplies from Burns Philp & Company Limited doubled the size of Crane's plumbing supplies business. The purchase of New Zealand based metals products and plumbing supplies distributor Mico Wakefield created opportunities to pursue Australasian strategies.
1995	Acquisition of Raymor broadened Crane Plumbing Supplies' national store network.
1997	Crane joint venture with Wavin BV, a Netherlands based company buys Iplex Pipelines which provides a new manufacturing business with significant growth potential. Acquisition of Wright & Co gave critical mass to Metals Distribution.
1998	The acquisition of Mainline Plastics added capacity to Iplex Pipelines.
2000	The acquisition of Crevet expands Iplex Pipelines' manufacturing and distribution capabilities.
2001	The acquisition of Corys Frasers electrical chain added 42 branches to Crane Group's distribution network in New Zealand.
2002	The acquisition of MasterTrade Limited enhances Crane Group's distribution capacity in New Zealand.
2003	Iplex Pipelines acquires Milnes Holdings Limited and its Key Plastics operations in Australia and New Zealand which increases the size scale of Iplex's operation.
2006	The acquisition of Wavin's 25% share in Iplex Pipelines gives Crane 100% ownership of the pipelines business.
2007	Iplex acquired Kingston Bridge Engineering, a leading producer of PE pipes and fittings, based in Western Australia. Tradelink acquired Northern’s Plumbing Supplies, adding 21 stores to the Trade Distribution Network in Western Australia & South Australia.