During our Down Under expedition, we were able to arrange an in-depth tour of the impressive ARB Headquarters and manufacturing facilities near Melbourne. We met up with Marketing Director Matt Frost in their well-stocked showroom which sells products directly to the public, and he started out by giving us some interesting facts and figures:

The name ARB stands for the initials of its founder Anthony Robert Brown. ARB employs a staff of approximately 416 at their headquarters, 706 worldwide. Through their states offices, they distribute their products all over Australia and overseas. Their main items are bullbars, lockers and suspensions. At their last count about a year ago they had sold 150,000 air lockers worldwide. Currently they manufacture 270 bullbars per day! Camper shells for pick-up trucks, which are called "canopies" in Australia, have become their fourth-largest product as pickups are increasing in popularity. Shells come in white ABS plastic and 99% of customers will have them color-matched to their vehicle, which is done on-site.

Matt explained that ARB's largest market is Australia. Air lockers, suspensions, shells and bullbars are also shipped to the USA, UK, France, Spain and other European countries.

As we moved through the facility, Matt pointed out various manufacturing areas and explained the complex machinery. A lot of their machinery is computer-guided and robot-operated which reduces error rates and cuts down on labor cost. Parts of their factory look like a scene from Terminator! ARB mashines all their components inhouse with a full line at the Melbourne facility, while a new factory in Thailand produces only bullbars and roof racks. Crews work in two shifts of 7 ½ hours per day, Monday through Friday, and a single shift on Saturdays.

We were curious about how ARB develops a new product. Matt pointed out that, typically, they purchase the vehicle for their design work. Rarely do they get a vehicle provided by the manufacturer. The development of bullbars has come a long way. With the advent of airbags, bullbars had to be modified to be compatible with the sensors. ARB will test the original airbag 'crush box' which triggers a sensor, design their own, and then conduct the same tests to compare performance and durability.

Australian road authorities are very concerned about "pedestrian-friendliness" of modifications. Though there are no standards for vehicle manufacturers, they are particularly weary of forward-facing protrusions that might injure a pedestrian in an accident. Call me insensitive but if a person is hit by a truck, I wonder if the friendliness of the bullbar will make much difference?
At any rate, ARB is preparing for future legislation with a prototype that offers more flex but is still strong enough to protect the vehicle.

Bullbars are available for almost all trucks and SUVs. Due to the high standard of their products, Toyota and Nissan contracted ARB to build bullbars as their own branded accessories.

In the United States, some dealers teamed up with ARB to offer ARB-modified vehicles with the full factory warranty. These trucks feature a mild lift, bullbars, slightly bigger tires and custom rims with the option of other ARB accessories.

One product which we've also been able to test throughout our 6-month-journey is the 12V / 240V freezer fridge specifically designed for use in a vehicle. It's particularly sturdy and can be tilted in awkward angles which makes it perfect for four-wheeling. On a dual-battery set-up, you can run the fridge for about 48 hours straight with the engine turned off. As we only have one battery at the moment, we turn our fridge off when parked; over a longer "resting" period, the temperature usually climbs only a few degrees Celsius, an especially important feature in desert environments.

We noticed that ARB's quality standards are very high. They perform lots of onsite testing on their components. Some standards govern the fabrication of certain parts but most of these are not enforced by the individual states. The only outside testing required by law is done for tow bars and rear bumpers.

In a separate testing area, we could observe compression and temperature tests. Lockers are built to be stronger than the axles. Compression tests verify if the differential lockers still hold when the axles break. The lockers are also submitted to extreme heat and cold to test their durability in severe conditions.

Two hours passed quickly as we learned about the wide spread of products available. When our stomachs growled louder than the production machines, we went to lunch. Matt sent us on our way with a wealth of helpful recommendations for four-wheeling tracks along our upcoming route.