For plenty of Australian 4X4ers, REDARC is a name associated with the gear tucked under a bonnet or behind a canopy drawer. Battery chargers, power management systems and the electronics that keep a touring setup ticking along. But the South Australian company’s latest move reaches well beyond the campsite.
REDARC has acquired Samlex America, a power conversion business with a market footprint spanning more than 90 countries. Announced on October 16th, the deal expands REDARC’s presence in North America and brings an established range of products, customers and distribution relationships into the business.
It’s a decent reminder that a home grown Aussie company familiar to the 4X4 crowd can hold its own against the rest of the world.
A bigger footprint overseas
Founded in South Aus in 1979, REDARC has grown around designing, developing and manufacturing electronics. Its headquarters remain in Lonsdale, south of Adelaide, while its products serve everything from recreational vehicles to commercial, industrial, and defence applications.
Samlex America has been operating since 1991, supplying equipment including inverters, inverter/chargers, battery chargers, DC-DC converters, and power supplies. Some of that will sound familiar to anyone who has spent a weekend planning a canopy electrical system. The customer list, however, stretches into telecommunications, emergency response, government, marine, and industrial operations.
That broader reach is a significant part of this acquisition. Alongside the hardware, REDARC gains a business with established connections in North America and other international markets.
Building those relationships from scratch takes time. Buying a company that already has them gives REDARC another way into those markets.
REDARC chief executive Anthony Kittel described the acquisition as “an important step in REDARC’s international growth”, pointing to Samlex’s product range, customer relationships and market knowledge.
What changes for Aussie 4X4ers?
For now, there’s no announced shake-up of the gear Australians are buying for their vehicles. Samlex will continue operating under its existing brand and North American platform, with its current leadership team managing day-to-day operations. The companies say they’ll explore closer collaboration over time.
There are no new Australian products or local pricing changes detailed in the release, so it would be getting ahead of things to promise cheaper inverters or a new generation of touring equipment.
The immediate news is the scale of the business behind a familiar Australian name. REDARC is expanding its presence in a major overseas market while adding expertise and products that overlap with its existing work.
An Aussie business looking further afield
There’s a good Australian business story here without needing to turn it into a shopping list.
A company founded in South Australia is buying an established overseas operation whose customers span more than 90 countries. And while Australian 4X4ers might know REDARC through their tow vehicle or dual-battery setup, this deal shows how much further the business now reaches.
The interesting part comes next: what the two companies actually build together, and whether any of that finds its way into the vehicles we take touring.
