About AE Gibson & Sons Sawmilling History

Gibson History

AE Gibson and Sons is a fifth-generation family-owned engineering business which can trace its roots back to the late 1800s, making it the oldest and most experienced sawmill equipment supplier in Australia. The company is located at Kendall on the mid-north coast of New South Wales which was once the heart of Australia’s native forest industry.

Arthur Gibson was a qualified marine engineer who began business servicing the local fishing fleet and the sawmills surrounding Kendall. In the 1920s Arthur’s son Mannie became involved in the business, which became progressively focused on the timber industry culminating in Mannie developing Australia’s first rider-less log carriage in the 1960s.

In 1971 Mannie retired, and his two sons Mac and John ran the business until 1979 when Mac left the company to pursue saw milling interests in Fiji. John remained in Australia and assumed sole ownership of the company.

Under Johns leadership the company was actively involved in developing new products and more modern equipment which provided a solid foundation for steady growth. In June 2006 John retired leaving control to his four sons, who were already actively involved in running the company. John sadly passed away in June 2022, although the Gibson family continue on his legacy whilst ensuring the Gibson name remains in the industry.

In the past decade Gibsons have invested heavily in developing the latest technology. This has seen the company emerge as one of Australians leading manufacturers of hi-tech timber processing equipment. It has led to being awarded contracts to supply machinery as well as complete sawmills to Fiji, PNG and New Zealand competing against international opposition.

Our Current Team

Our team continues to grow and evolve with the latest technology. We recently introduced automation and robotics into our projects which complements the business, and has proven to be a natural extension for the industries we work with.

Today we have two manufacturing centres boasting an active management team controlling sales, product design and production. These operations have succeeded in making the name Gibson synonymous with service, quality and reliability in the industry.

Our Objective

The primary objective is to maintain a leading position in the design and manufacture of sawmill machinery, materials handling, automation & robotics, sensing, structural engineering and associated sawmill equipment.