Home ownership remains the great Australian dream, and over the past 50 years no product has come to symbolise that dream more than the Hills Rotary Hoist clothes line. Since its invention in a suburban Adelaide wash shed in 1946, the Hills Hoist has become almost an obligatory addition to the Australian backyard.  Such is the market recognition of this brand that in 1994, when Hills sold its five millionth Hills Hoist, it was a national event. During the last two decades Hills has taken disciplined and innovative initiatives with the objective of diversifying into new markets and taking advantage of the product opportunities which those markets present. As a consequence Hills now operates successfully in three market segments: Home and Hardware Products Group which embraces the Hills range of outdoor clothes dryers, ironing boards and other laundry products, children’s swings and trampolines, ladders, wheelbarrows, screen and security doors and garden sprayers. Hills Building and Industrial Products Group which is heavily involved throughout Australia as a major supplier of roll formed cladding and structural building products, precision sheet metal components, welded steel tube and galvanising services. Hills Electronics Group which is Australia’s market leader in relation to television antennae, satellite dish equipment, commercial TV signal reticulation and reception devices.  This Hills Business Unit leads the Australian market in innovative design and supply of commercial and domestic security systems, CCTV systems and associated equipment.
	In just 50 years Hills has achieved what most companies aspire to, but few achieve.  The Hills Rotary Hoist has become an emblem of Australian enterprise and an icon of Australian culture.  It is considered as Australian as a Vegemite sandwich, a quality which has been a powerful selling point for generations of young Australians setting up their own home. The immense size of this achievement is reflected in the fact that hardly a day goes by when Australians do not encounter a Hills product in their lives. That in itself is a credit to Hills’ high degree of innovation and its ability to adapt to changing times.
	In 1946, Hills revolutionised wash days with the Hills Rotary Hoist, and today it is continuing to make laundry chores easier with products like the pride of its outdoor clothes dryer range, the Foldaline Compact Plus. Hills exports its products both to the sophisticated markets of North America, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and New Zealand and to emerging markets in the Philippines, Latin America, South Africa, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia and China. Frequently this activity has needed Hills’ marketing skills to introduce product concepts previously unknown to the region’s consumers, or the ability to compete successfully with incumbent manufacturers and suppliers.  Hills has met with significant success in the context of its consumer products, television reception equipment, security systems, industrial ladders and metal tube products. Not only does Hills export to the world but it also has quality accredited manufacturing plants in the United Kingdom, where outdoor drying and laundry products are produced, and in New Zealand, where it manufactures outdoor drying products and TV antennas, and distributes the full range of Hills products. Hills holds a large share of many markets in which it operates.  In the case of its outdoor clothes dryers it has set world standards, leaving others to follow.  It remains the brand of clothes line best known by Australian consumers. Meanwhile, Hills has also developed into Australia’s leading manufacturer and supplier of television reception antennas and teledistribution equipment.  The recent introduction of pay television in Australia has provided Hills with further expansion. The company is also a part owner of Radio Frequency Systems Pty Ltd (RFS), which produces telecommunications equipment for domestic and international sale.  Hills operates its own large tubing division and owns Woodroffe Industries, a major manufacturer of metal products for the building industry and of precision metal products for a variety of uses.
	Each of Hills three business groups is committed to an ongoing program of product innovation to predict and meet the markets needs.  Executives of the company persistently travel overseas both to forge long term relationships with international market leaders and to ensure that the most current product and manufacturing technologies are utilised to the benefit of its customers both internationally and in Australia. The Home and Hardware Products Group has maintained its leadership position by virtue of introducing Galaxy ladder levellers, and a new range of single sided step ladders, both designed to improve safety in the workplace.  Major innovations have been introduced to the Playtime product range of children’s swings and trampolines.  The HomeGuard range of screen and security doors has been redesigned and improved. As Australia’s leading manufacturer of wheelbarrows Hills has assisted retailers and consumers with the introduction of a CKD range of wheelbarrows and the building trade will gain efficiencies by utilising a new poly tray wheelbarrow which has a pouring lip to facilitate the pouring of concrete into tightly defined areas.
	Hills Electronic Group now leads the Australian market with a comprehensive range of space protection equipment designed for use in both commercial and domestic environments.  Acquisition of the highly respected Paycom CCTV business and its alignment with Hills’ existing Vicam product range now puts the company in the vanguard as the premier supplier of camera surveillance equipment for banks, gaols, public transport systems and other sophisticated commercial applications which not only demand the worlds best products but also a supplier of undoubted integrity.  Hills qualifies on both counts. Hills is Australia’s only manufacturer of satellite dishes and has been able to significantly meet the demands of the emerging Pay TV industry in Australia. The Building Products Group has enhanced its position as  a manufacturer of roll formed metal tube by winning major contracts to supply the needs of Australia’s leading furniture manufacturers and added value tubular components for the white goods appliance industry.  This Hills Business Unit has also been chosen as the manufacturer of tube which will be utilised in the production of spectator seating at the Olympic Games in Year 2000.  This follows success in being selected as the preferred supplier of similar facilities at the Atlanta Olympics. Through its shareholding in Radio Frequency Systems (RFS), Hills produces telecommunications equipment such as microwave distribution systems and antenna panels for cellular telephone systems. RFS has supplied antenna structures for Australia’s Over-the-Horizon Radar project, which monitors the country’s northern coastline. The Hills subsidiary Woodroffe Industries services a broad cross-section of customers in the construction, telecommunications, defence, electronics and leisure industries.  Products range from roofing and walling, gutters, metal fascia, windows and skylights, fencing, downpipes, carports and verandah materials through to  cabinets for sophisticated electronic equipment, and soft drink dispensing units.
	As one of Australia's icon brands, Hills has enjoyed an extremely high profile. Research shows a very high recognition factor, with unprompted recognition at 82% and total recognition at almost 100%. The company's key promotional focus is to align with its customers to provide tactical campaigns to sell product from the retailer's shelves. This strategy has seen Hills build strong links with major retailers throughout Australia. Additionally, the company takes every opportunity to maintain brand awareness in the community at large.
	The Hills brand is now respected both in Australasia and internationally.  Although without doubt this position had its genesis in the Hills clothes hoist it has been sustained and expanded by the company’s commitment to innovation, product quality and an absolute commitment to servicing its customers needs with enthusiasm and integrity. Australian homes use an average of just over four Hills products, surely a unique position for a manufacturer of consumer durable products.  Industry, government instrumentalities and commercial organisations, increasingly have come to depend on Hills ability to design and manufacture a wide range of individual products to meet their needs. From clothes dryers to metal tube, satellite dishes to metal fencing material, hot dip galvanising to military radar systems, CCTV camera systems to telecommunication towers, Hills Industries Limited is Australia’s leader.

HILLS
		Hills has manufactured and sold over 7 million clothes dryers around the world.
		Hills has manufactured over 100 million metres of metal tube.
		Hills has used over 600,000 tonnes of Australian steel strip in the manufacture of its products.
		Since incorporation as a publicly listed company in 1957 Hills has never failed to declare a profit for its shareholders.
		Hills staff represent over 30 ethnic groups from around the world.