Our History
Humble Beginnings: Flexovit on first day of production in Australia
The Freeman Brothers set the wheels in motion back in 1972, building an industrial distribution centre for cutting and grinding wheels. With only one press and three ovens Flexovit pressed its first wheel September 1978 in Melbourne, Australia. Today much has changed with safety, technology and growth but you can still find Flexovit where it all began in Melbourne. Now almost 50 years later the plant is part of Saint-Gobain’s global network, producing world class products and investing in the future utilising the latest manufacturing process and practices. Flexovit continues to be Australia’s favourite wheel, and remain dedicated to delivering to all customers, continual improvement in safety, innovation and performance. Flexovit is manufactured in Australia for the domestic market, and is exported to New Zealand, the Pacific, South East Asia and China.
Today Flexovit is a main brand of Saint-Gobain delivering high-tech and relevant abrasives solutions used extensively in the metal fabrication markets as well as other applications in surface preparation and finishing. Flexovit serves many market segments – Metal Fabrication, Manufacturing and Industry, Electronics and Specialties, Woodworking, Transportation, Automotive Aftermarket, Construction and Home Improvement, Energy and Environment.
Proudly Australian Made
On 12th September 2014, Flexovit proudly made the decision to commit to the Australian Made Campaign, supporting the manufacturers and delivering opportunities for Australians. According to the latest data from Roy Morgan, the majority of Australians say they are more likely to buy goods if they are made in Australia. A huge majority (90%) of Australians aged 14+ say they are more likely to buy products made in Australia, up from 88% four years ago. The good news for Australia’s trading partners is that Australians are also more likely to buy goods from most of Australia’s major trading partners than four years ago.
THE FLEXOVIT NAME:
| FLEX: 'Flex' is Dutch for angle grinder | O: The round shape of a wheel | VIT: Short for 'Vitesse' which means speed in French |
Today Saint-Gobain delivers high-tech and relevant abrasives solutions used extensively in the metal fabrication markets as well as other applications in surface preparation and finishing.
Saint-Gobain is the only abrasives manufacturer who can supply the complete range of abrasives for any application including reinforced cutting and grinding wheels, bonded abrasives, flap discs, fibre discs, mounted points, tungsten carbide burrs, steel wire brushes and a range of surface blending abrasives.