Since it was established in 1999, Protube Engineering has carved out a unique and important niche across Australia’s steel processing (plate and structural), tube and pipe, and fabrication industries, largely by working quietly behind the scenes.
“We’ve always kept a relatively low profile,” said Founder and Managing Director Robert Resch. “A lot of what we do is governed by confidentiality and long-standing trust. We prefer to work in the background with the stakeholders and let our work speak for itself.”
For over 25 years, that work has spoken volumes. Today, Protube Engineering is recognised as a leading supplier, solution driven integrator and engineering partner for some of the world’s most advanced metal processing machinery. The company serves major manufacturers in sectors like defence, infrastructure, construction, mining, oil and gas, and large-scale fabrication, many of whom have been very loyal customers since Protube’s earliest days.
Origins in a high-skill niche
Protube Engineering was founded on a simple insight: there was a significant gap in the Australian market for specialist machinery and solutions, consumables, wear items and process expertise across niche areas like tube and pipe manufacturing, wire making and related upstream and downstream operations.
In the late 1990s, Resch saw both the need and the opportunity.
“We started by focusing on these specialist areas within ERW tube and pipe manufacturing,” Resch explained. “That grew into what we call the upstream — into steelmaking processes like plate, open profiles, sheet and coil —and downstream processes, supplying service centres, stockholders and fabricators including niche processes in and around plate and structural steel. We always concentrate on areas that require specialist know-how.”
Drawing on extensive international experience and partnerships, established and nurtured over decades, with leading OEMs across Europe and the US, Protube positioned itself not simply as a supplier, but as a solutions provider.
“We always keep in mind productivity, efficiency, and safe and sound working methods in consideration with our unique local conditions,” said Resch.
A portfolio that spans the entire value chain
More than two and a half decades later, Protube’s offerings cover an impressive breadth of advanced manufacturing capabilities. From 3D laser, plasma, gas profiling, bevelling, deburring to large-scale plate rolling, robotic welding, forming, tube and pipe making and processing, and complex section rolling—just to name a few. Protube provides equipment and expertise across a wide spectrum of steel processing.
“In principle, we can assist with many tasks to do with structural steel, plate, tube making and related processes,” Resch said. “From primary steelmaking processes through to secondary or finishing processes like cutting, profiling, bending and structural fabrication, including the means to make work safer and more manageable at the same time. It all links together.”
Their portfolio is strengthened by long-term exclusive relationships with some of the world’s foremost machine builders, including Fives Group, ENRX, MicroStep, igm robotic welding and others. This allows Protube to bring, manage and support truly top-tier technology to the Australian market.
‘Your success is our business’
Protube’s philosophy is built on collaboration rather than salesmanship. This is more than a tagline. It’s a guiding principle for how the company operates.
“We can’t sell something to someone who doesn’t need it,” Resch said. “Our job is to identify what the customer truly needs, understand their challenges and ensure that when we leave, they are better off than before. Otherwise, we’ve wasted each other’s time.”
He describes the process as a three-way collaboration between Protube, the customer and the OEM. “It’s not about telling someone what to do. It’s a joint process that leads to a solution that benefits the customer foremost. Our customer’s success is ultimately our success.”
It’s a philosophy that has earned the company long-standing relationships with Australia’s most advanced manufacturers, some for more than 25 years.
Staying ahead through global insight
In an environment of rapid technological change, Protube relies on continuous global engagement to remain at the forefront.
“We travel extensively, both locally and internationally,” Resch said. “We attend exhibitions and conferences, and we bring engineers and developers from overseas directly to Australian sites so they can see first-hand what customers need and understand our distinctive, unique local circumstances.”
Protube also facilitates international benchmarking trips for local manufacturers, giving them rare access to world-class production facilities abroad.
Supporting Australia’s competitiveness
Australia’s steel and fabrication sectors are facing intense global pressure, particularly from highly mechanised producers in Asia. Protube sees its role as helping local businesses remain competitive through technology-led efficiency.
“A lot of competition overseas isn’t cheaper just because of labour. It’s because they’re often more automated and employ newer and more advanced technology,” Resch said. “Unless we create the same capability locally, create a level playing field and employ the same technology, it will be very difficult to stay ahead, remain, or become successful. That, in a modest way, is where we can, and do, help.”
Quality, compliance and local capability
Protube embeds quality into all its operations, is certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, and is uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between overseas OEMs, local end-users and Australian standards and conditions.
“We provide the services needed to ensure equipment arrives as expected, performs as expected, and complies with relevant Australian standards and safety requirements,” Resch explained. “This includes project management from the very initial stages, inspecting manufacturing compliance and progress, factory acceptance testing overseas, transport and shipping, through to installation oversight, commissioning, compliance documentation and long-term service support.”
The company’s role in supporting sovereign industrial capability is evident across its defence, shipbuilding and infrastructure projects.
Looking forward: A future of growth
While COVID-19 challenged many businesses, for Protube it validated the importance of local engineering and support capability.
“Covid was a blessing in disguise for us,” Resch said. “It showed there is real value in a company like ours that can provide the local expertise and support that overseas suppliers simply can’t always deliver directly. Local end-users often lack capacity to deal with investment driven, infrequent demands on their already stretched workforce. ‘Bridging the Gap’ is what we call this – it’s our speciality.”
With major projects underway nationally and a growing demand for high-performance manufacturing technology, Protube’s future is bright.
“We have a considerable amount of work and projects on-hand thanks to our customer’s support,” said Resch. “We’re going from strength to strength for which we are very grateful.”
