For more than 100 years, Warren and Brown has been leading the charge when it comes to adjusting and gauging torque.
Whether it was working out of a shed in Footscray in 1921, or leading the global tool and network industries today, Warren and Brown has been at the forefront. Founded by William H Warren and Andrew ‘Andy’ C Brown, the company started life making tools and gear cutting before focusing on the former towards the 1930s. Since then, you’d be hard pressed to find an Aussie garage without a WBT product. For WBT Sales & Marketing Manager Ben Ciardullo, the company’s ability to remain competitive for so long can be pinned down to the end customer.
“Considering we have outlasted over 10 decades of innovation is something we will always be proud of,” he says. “We are proud to be one of the last tool manufacturers in Australia. Over 100 years and still going strong.” WBT has played a critical role in Australia’s history, manufacturing .303 ammunition during the Second World
War, pioneering air pumps for respiratory illnesses between the ’50s and ’90s, and assisting in the rollout of the NBN in 2009.
In 1949, WBT became part of fellow Australian giant REPCO, expanding its scope for manufacturing to include clutch rebuilding and boring bars. While remaining a true-blue Aussie company based in west Melbourne, WBT is an internationally known brand with offices in the Netherlands and branches across Asia, including a manufacturing arm in the Philippines.
WBT also strives to limit its environmental footprint, with the company constantly identifying ways to eliminate waste production and reduce cycle times.
TIMELESS TORQUE WRENCH DESIGN
Many things have changed during the century Warren and Brown has been around, but one thing that hasn’t is its torque wrench design, which has remained the same since the 1940s. Using a deflecting beam rather than coil spring, the wrench lacks any wearing parts to maintain an unbeaten accuracy of +/-2% throughout its range. WBT backs its wrenches to maintain pinpoint accuracy for decades after purchase! “There are very little moving parts in our deflecting beam torque wrench.
They’re easy to use, they’re extremely accurate: + or – 2%,” Ben says. “They’re durable and last forever. Seriously, it’s a problem. Once we sell one it’s difficult to sell another to that same person unless it’s a different smaller or larger torque range. As far as setting torque goes, you can find no better than WBT’s plethora of screen micrometer, micrometer, preset, dial type, deflecting beam, wheel and interchangeable head wrenches.
“We recently exhibited at the Motorclassica show here in Melbourne and we had a good 100 or so people saying, ‘I’ve had one of your torque wrenches for over 40 years and it’s still going strong’,” Ben says.
“And there’s a countless amount of folks who have rebuilt their own cars from scratch with Warren and Brown tools.”
If you want a torque or angle wrench that can do it all, look no further than WBT’s extensive selection of digital wrenches. The simple layout of the tools makes it easy for anyone to set the wrench to the desired force and they are perfect for the automotive, motorcycle, marine, aircraft and light-industrial industries.
As well as an angle value readout, the wrenches can give torque measurements in ft.lbs., in.lbs., Nm or kg.cm. As if WBT’s bevy of torque tools wasn’t enough, it also has an extensive selection of wheel torque socket and extension bars that can fit into the tightest of spaces to ensure the vehicle is good to go.
TOOLS FOR ALL YOUR NEEDS
Ben says outside WBT’s iconic beam torque wrenches, the company’s scope soldering irons were its other marquee item. Irons range between 25-800W and come in Robinson and scope models as well as gas soldering equipment and soldering stations or guns. In short: whatever soldering tool you need, WBT has it.
Its torque wrenches might be the cream of the crop, but WBT doesn’t fall short for regular wrenches and spanners either. They can come in sets if you make all manner of adjustments in your work, or individually if you need an accurate tool for a specific job.
But WBT’s commitment to tool excellence doesn’t end with 100s of wrenches and a variety of soldering equipment to suit your needs, with the company also boasting a fine collection of hand tools.
WBT has a fine collection of pliers including long nose and removals, as well as other industrial-strength cutters. With specialised tools comes specialised staff in the team at WBT, whose expertise will provide you with peace of mind as you select the tools you need.
If you require everyday items for your workshop, WBT has you covered with its own array of equipment including ratchets, cooling sealers and pressure testers, among other top-quality items.
FRONT OF THE FIBRE OPTIC PACK
WBT’s products aren’t just limited to tools, with the company commanding the technological equipment landscape with its network arm as well. “We are at the forefront of ICT solutions,” Ben says.
“We provide customer-centric solutions, providing to the likes of Telstra, NBN and Aussie broadband for well over a decade. “We certainly continue to innovate via the telecommunications side of the business. We have expanded into data centres in recent years also.”
Helping to keep WBT ahead of the competition in this space is its ability to 3D print prototypes to expedite the production of the real thing.
One thing that’s remained consistent during WBT’s existence is its focus on customer-driven design and manufacturing. Whether you’re needing industry-leading torque equipment, superior soldering or top-notch networking gear, distributors are located country-wide and are well-stocked to ensure you have the tools you require as soon as possible.
You can find your nearest outlet for WBT products here. You can browse the many hundreds of tools and networking equipment offered by WBT at wbtools.com.au