Cool Company: inside Haultech Engineering and the Icepack range

Sam Overton and Charles Inder have built a reputation over close to two decades of providing the coolest and toughest sleeper cab air-conditioning systems with its Icepack units.

Original ACT archive feature. Images from the ACT archive; no individual photographer is identified in the retained feature.

Function and style are rolled into one power packed sleeper cab air-conditioning system with the Icepack range from Australian manufacturer Haultech Engineering. Haultech Engineering has built Icepack units for the last 19 years and in that time has constantly developed and improved its range to cater for the latest model trucks and the latest trends in customisation.

With six variants there is an Icepack for every style of truck. The units also come in DIY kits for fleets, workshops and individuals wanting to fit their own Icepack units. The Icepack range is Australia’s market leader with a full complement of distributors and service centres across the country.

“We are proud to have agents Australia wide that are able to provide professional service, sales and installation of the Icepack range,” says Haultech Engineering.

The units have the added benefit of being easy to maintain and service with a basic design which has stood the test of time.

“The machine is easy to own, if you introduce them into your fleet it’s got progressively more driver resistant and the service requirements are fairly basic and the machine is fairly straight forward,” explains Haultech Engineering owners Sam Overton and Charles Inder.

The servicing requirements include an oil change every 100 hours and there is a timer on the unit to let the driver or fleet maintenance person know when this is due.

“That’s an approximate thing and you can tie that into the nearest scheduled servicing for the vehicle when you do it,” they add.

With the ease of ownership, ease of maintenance, choice of units and extreme toughness, the Icepack is Australia’s market leader for sleeper cab air-conditioning systems.

“We work very hard to maintain our number one position in the market with the quality and the strength of our products,” explain Haultech Engineering.

“Anyone can make cold air, its making it hang on the side of a truck which shakes for a million kilometres, that is the challenge.”

However it is the quality of the units and its class leading cooling capacity which is definitely the stand out feature of the Icepack range.

“Our Icepack range has the most powerful cooling capacity of any sleeper cab air-conditioners on the market at 22,000 BTU,” explains Haultech Engineering.

Sam Overton and Charles Inder started with one version and have continually improved its range. As stated above they currently have six versions with some of the newest models coming with a heating option for the very first time.

The main difference between the systems is the size.

“We have broadened our range, making alterations in size, shape and noise reduction to suit the ever changing market demands,” explains Haultech Engineering.

“With the bigger units we can pack more inside of them and make them run more quietly as a unit.”

To ensure its robustness and reliability only the best components have been sourced or built in house and assembled at its factory in Tivoli, just off the Warrego Highway in Ipswich.

The choice of engine is a Kubota which the company modifies for its own purposes.

They say that in the last five years the company has invested in more complex machinery which has improved the production line to cater for the growing customer base. “We have always made everything, wiring looms, pulleys, frames, we’ve made everything here, now we just make 30 or 40 of them at a time instead of making one with the machines we now have,” says Haultech.

In fact with the parts and labour the units are deemed Australian made and Haultech Engineering is the only sleeper cab air-conditioning system manufacturer who is eligible to display the “Made in Australia” logo.

With the company steadily growing the company has invested heavily in its staff with close to 30 highly skilled workers creating and servicing the units.

It has implemented its own internal program to give 80 percent of its staff a formal accreditation.

“Almost three years ago we started with the training group Axial Training and we work with Apprenticeships Queensland,” explains Tom O’Neil, who has been with the company a decade since finishing school at 15.

He says it was a concern of one of the staff members who felt he was going nowhere and Sam and Charles decided to do something positive about it.

“Four of us started with our diesel fitting trade certificate and we have gone from first years to fourth years in 2.5 years due to our experience in the industry, which is really good,” he explains.

“We do auto electrical, diesel fitting and boiler making and we also have fitter and turners we are also doing our air-conditioning tickets as well,” he tells ACT.

“There are a fair few different types of qualifications you can get by being here at Haultech.”

“It’s really good because the staff get to formalise everything they do and a trainer comes in every four to six weeks and goes through everything with us.”

With a robust product, a highly trained work force and being the coolest unit on the market, make sure you ask your dealer for an Icepack when you spec your next truck

Rear Vision: where are they now?

Do you know where this truck is today, or have an update on its story? Tell ACT what happened next. We will verify current updates before adding them to the archive.