ATCOs history has been shaped by imagination, courage, perseverance and integrity. Our achievements over the years reflect ATCO's ‘Heart and Mind’ and have laid the foundation for a future ripe with possibility and promise.
R.D. Southern was just 17 years old when ATCO was founded in Canada as Alberta Trailer Hire in 1947. With initial revenues of $1,077 and 15 utility trailers, R.D. Southern and his father, S.D. Southern, set a bold course to service the booming oil industry in Alberta, Canada.
More than seventy-five years later, the ATCO Group is a diversified billion-dollar enterprise with thousands of employees worldwide providing innovative and integrated solutions in modular structures, electricity, gas, and energy. These are some highlights from the Australian chapter.
1947
Alberta Trailer Company (ATCO) was founded in Alberta, Canada, by father S.D. and son R.D. Southern, to provide housing accommodation for workers in Canada’s first oil boom.
1961
ATCO Structures is established in Adelaide, Australia with a 6,503 m2 manufacturing facility.
1962
Worldwide Camps Pty Ltd (WOWIC) is incorporated into the ATCO Structures business in Australia.
1968
ATCO Group becomes a publicly traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
1971
ATCO Structures, Adelaide manufacturing facility expanded to 10,219 m2.
1974
ATCO Structures provides aid in the form of a 3,000-bed workforce camp and 750 temporary houses in Darwin, NT in the wake of Cyclone Tracy.
1986
Australian manufacturing and leasing division sold to Fortuna Corp (New Zealand) and ATCO Structures exits Australia for 12 years.
1998
ATCO Structures returns to Australia acquiring a modular manufacturing and leasing company with sales branches in Brisbane, Townsville, Sydney, and Newcastle adding a fleet of more than 2,000 space rentals and workforce housing units.
2000
ATCO Structures is a major supplier of modular buildings for the Sydney Olympics. Sales branches opened in Melbourne and Mackay.
2002
ATCO Structures developed the first stacked rental fleet units for the Cross City Tunnel Project in Sydney, an innovation that enables users to reduce the footprint of the site.
2008
ATCO Structures builds a 20,000-person workforce housing camp on Saadiyat Island (UAE), establishing the business as a global leader in the supply of workforce housing.
2009
ATCO Structures manufactures and installs a 400-modular unit complex in four months for the Victorian Desalination Plant.
2010
ATCO Structures begins a three-year project for the delivery of 5,980 double-storey accommodation buildings and amenities on Curtis Island (QLD) for the GLNG, APLNG, and QCLNG projects.
2013
A state-of-the-art ATCO Structures manufacturing facility is opened in Kwinana (WA), along with the Perth Sales Branch.
2015
ATCO Structures is awarded an ongoing contract to design, manufacture, and install school buildings throughout the state of Victoria by the Department of Education and Training.
2016
ATCO Structures completes a 2,000-person accommodation village expansion, including additional blast-resistant units for the Wheatstone LNG project in Onslow (WA).
2018
ATCO Structures opens its corporate office, sales branch, and manufacturing plant in Luscombe (QLD). The stand-alone Permanent Modular Construction (PMC) division is formed.
2018
ATCO Structures is awarded a Standing Offer Arrangement with the Queensland Department of Education for the turnkey supply and installation of temporary learning environments in schools throughout the state of Queensland.
2022
ATCO Group celebrates 75 years of operation. ATCO Structures, now with the largest modular rental fleet in Australia opens its Canberra (ACT) sales branch.
2023
ATCO Structures completes a 2200-person accommodation village for the Pluto Train 2 Project in Karratha, Western Australia.
2025
ATCO Structures opens a new manufacturing and sales branch in Adelaide (SA).
