Tell us about your business.
REDARC Electronics has been designing and manufacturing innovative power management and control solutions in South Australia since 1979. What began as a small business operating out of two rooms shared with a real estate agent in Blackwood has grown into one of Australia's most respected manufacturers, today employing nearly 400 people across Australia, New Zealand, North America and Europe.
Founded by Robin (Bob) William Mackie, an electronics engineer who identified a gap in the Australian trucking industry for reliable voltage reducers, the business earned its iconic name from the distinctive "red arc" produced by Bob's 911S Electronic Ignition System.
In 1997, following Bob Mackie's untimely passing, Anthony and Michele Kittel, along with Michele's parents Denis and Joan Brion, purchased REDARC Electronics that was then operating out of a tin shed in Lonsdale. It came at enormous personal cost, mortgaging the family home, selling their car, and taking a pay cut, all while raising a young family.
The company they acquired operated from a tin shed in Lonsdale with just eight employees and a turnover of around $700,000. When Denis retired in 2002, Anthony and Michele became sole owners of something they had staked everything to build.
Early challenges arrived quickly. A major product recall threatened to destroy goodwill and cash flow, but rather than walking away, the couple acted decisively, introducing a no-questions-asked warranty replacement policy and rebuilding customer relationships around a simple but powerful philosophy ‘The Customer is King’. Three commitments underpinned everything that followed: an unrelenting focus on innovation, a passion for continuous learning, and the deliberate building of a team-based culture.
Today, REDARC’s advanced power conversion and electronics solutions are trusted across a wide range of applications, from recreational vehicles to critical infrastructure. REDARC support customers across Australia, North America, Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and South Africa. REDARC is trusted and relied upon by iconic Australian organisations including BHP and Telstra, as well as emergency services and councils nationwide. As Anthony puts it simply: "If it's got a battery and it moves, it's a customer."
REDARC is also a true family story in every sense. Anthony and Michele’s eldest daughter, Emma Kittel, continues the family legacy as Customer Experience Manager, a fitting symbol of the values and vision that have driven REDARC from the very beginning. “It’s special to be part of the family business and contribute to something I’ve grown up around, having worked in the business through all departments in all my school holidays starting at the age of 12.” she says.
What has been your greatest success?
Our greatest success is rooted not in products or profits, it's in our people.
When Anthony and Michele took ownership in 1997, they made an immediate and deliberate choice to retain every one of the eight existing employees and involve all staff in defining the company's values; Innovation, Customer Satisfaction, Quality, Integrity, Teamwork, and Environmental Awareness. Those values remain the heartbeat of REDARC to this day.
Built on that foundation, the milestones have been remarkable. REDARC has consistently bucked the trend of the Australian manufacturing decline, growing and creating jobs at the very time auto giants were closing their doors in Australia.
2007: Opened a purpose-built manufacturing facility at Lonsdale, supported in part by a $2 million Federal Government grant.
2014: Named Telstra Australian Business of the Year, praised for proving that domestic manufacturers can capture value and not just survive, but thrive.
2018: Completed a $22 million factory expansion, nearly doubling the workforce and introducing world-class Surface Mount Technology, collaborative robots, and a 100kW rooftop solar plant.
2023: Named South Australian Exporter of the Year for the second consecutive year, along with the Manufacturing and Advanced Materials Award.
REDARC now stands at its most exciting chapter yet, with the expansion of the REDARC Group to include REDARC Defence & Space, a trusted partner to the global defence community, providing the technology and capability needed for mission-critical operations. The Group's dedicated Defence & Space division has completed phase one of a landmark $50 million Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Hub in Lonsdale, a world-class, highly secure facility set to create 200 new skilled jobs by 2032 and advance Australia's global standing in defence and space.
What’s also critical to our success is giving back to the local and broader community, through its partnerships with numerous sporting, social, health, and wellbeing organisations and individuals.
What do you value about FBA?
Running a family business is one of life’s most rewarding experiences, but it comes with a unique set of challenges that only those who have lived it can truly understand.
Michele and I have a rule within our family that anyone interested in joining the family business must first complete their studies and gain at least five years of experience building their own career outside the business before applying to join REDARC and undertaking the standard 3-interview process.
When Emma returned to REDARC after building her own career at William Buck, it highlighted the need and value of connecting with and learning from other family businesses.
Joining Family Business Association gave us access to a community of like-minded owners who share that understanding, a trusted space for navigating the balance between family and professional roles, planning, and finding peers who offer honest, experienced advice.
What advice would you give to other family businesses?
Nearly three decades of building REDARC has taught us many lessons. Here is what we would share…
Back yourself. We mortgaged our house, sold our car, and took a pay cut to buy REDARC. There was no safety net. If you genuinely believe in your vision, be prepared to put everything behind it.
Never stop learning and invest in others' learning too. Anthony's career was shaped by continuous education, and BHP's investment in his development left a lasting impression. REDARC has replicated that generosity ever since, supporting staff through further study, including funding MBA programs.
Back your people before your products. We had no background in electronics when we took over REDARC. What we had was belief in the team already in place. Involve your people in shaping company values and invest in their development. Without a highly skilled, empowered workforce, our products simply would not be at the technology level they are today.
Invest in culture as deliberately as you invest in capital. Culture doesn't happen by accident. Our values have guided every decision and every hire. They are the DNA of REDARC.
Invest relentlessly in innovation. Each year, REDARC pledges up to 15% of sales revenue into Research and Development, a commitment maintained even through the Global Financial Crisis. The businesses that thrive are those that refuse to stand still.
Establish an advisory board sooner than you think you need one. Independent voices who know your business deeply, but aren't inside it, provide objectivity that is almost impossible to find elsewhere. Don't wait until a crisis forces the conversation. One of REDARC's own formative decisions reflects this. In 2006, we established a formal Advisory Board, bringing in three of South Australia's most respected business leaders. Tom Phillips (former CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Australia), Paul Crawford (Joint Managing Director of CMV Group), and Jamie McKeough (former Managing Director of William Buck Adelaide). As Jamie observes, "An advisory board provides a valuable external perspective and creates additional accountability for senior executives and often plays a key mentoring role for the owner or managing director." FBA extends that same value on a broader scale.
Prepare the next generation early. A family business is one of the greatest gifts you can pass on, but can also be one of the greatest challenges, as our advisors at William Buck remind us. As Michele says, “It’s been great to introduce our children to the right advisors. They now have their own relationships and the same trust we’ve built over many years. William Buck have helped us in developing our own family constitution, outlining our values and aligning on what’s important for us as a family. There are no expectations for our children to join the family business, they can choose their own paths but we’re fortunate to be able to provide them with that option.”
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