FROM general merchants in groceries, wine and spirits to convening Australia’s first Windmillers Association, W.D. Moore & Co’s story has been one of continual transformation.
The company won the Fourth Generation prize in the Family Business Awards.
Adaptation and innovation have been part of the company’s history since William Dalgety Moore opened for business in Fremantle in 1862.
Succession planning has helped it continue over four generations and keep the name Moore in the company owners and managers list.
The original Moore building now houses art exhibitions, while the company manufactures solar-powered pumps, windmills, and associated parts at its O’Connor headquarters.
Due to its reliance on the rural sector the company has learned the importance of monitoring wool and livestock prices and weather conditions, including drought, floods and cyclones.
WD Moore marketing manager Eliza Moore said the company offered large discounts on windmills and parts to station owners affected by cyclone Vance.
Reassessment of all its operations has also paid off over the past two years, with profits exceeding expectations in difficult trading times.
Over a much longer period, the company has endeavoured to meet customer demand for low-maintenance products. It was quick to patent its low-maintenance bore-hole system and made a decision in the early 1980s to develop a solar pump in-house.
To combat the ageing of Australia’s windmill contractors, and with numerous agents and a large customer base outside of WA, the company created a Windmillers Association.
