Lane Engineering first came to Newcastle in 1919 when a manufacturing plant was established to produce rabbit traps which had previously been imported from the UK plant of Henry Lane Ltd. Rabbit control on the land had been badly neglected during the war so that, at its end, the demand for rabbit traps was so great that Henry Lane decided to move its entire wire spring trap production to Australia. Before long the factory had expanded to produce the second commodity for which the Company became so well known, the can opener. Both products continue to be made to this day. Within twenty years, Lane was producing castors, hinges and architectural hardware using zinc die casting, press metal forming, metal cleaning and polishing as well as having extensive electroplating facilities including one of the largest automatic zinc lines in the Southern Hemisphere. They have introduced modern technology including electrostatic wet and powder painting and progressive lockmaking facilities. They produce around 500 locksets per day for General Motors Holden.

Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering