The Lucas family has been attending local field days since the 1970s and quickly recognised events such as the East Gippsland Field Days as an ideal “shop window” for their product.
Field days provide potential buyers with the opportunity to see and handle a wide range of machinery in action.
While the internet has, in recent years, opened up a new platform for promotion, field days across Australia and internationally remain central to the company’s marketing strategy.
In fact, online platforms are often used to inform customers about upcoming field day appearances.
For new products, such as the Lucas Mill in 1994, field day Inventors Awards have proven invaluable in building exposure and credibility. Visitors to events like the East Gippsland Field Days actively seek out innovation displays, and associated media coverage offers significant benefits for start-ups.
The company secured 50 orders from its first three field days in Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania in April–May 1994, providing strong motivation to continue showcasing the Lucas Mill to a broader market.
In Australia, the company sells directly to customers, while overseas it focuses on securing reliable agents to promote and distribute its products. Once established, these agents are granted exclusive rights within their regions, supported by a proven field day-based sales approach.
To date, more than 24,000 sawmills have been sold into over 100 countries. The business operates with approximately 50 international agents and maintains a workforce of around 35 staff at its Wooragee factory.
The original goal was to develop an affordable, efficient, easy-to-use and portable sawmill – an objective reflected in the product’s uptake across a wide customer base, including farmers, owner-builders, contractors and hobbyists.
The original Model 616 (6-inch cut, 16hp), introduced in 1994, remains largely unchanged and is still in production.
Since then, three larger models have been added, culminating in the Model 10 (10-inch/254mm cut, 30hp).
Across all models, a range of attachments – including slabbing, planing and sanding equipment – has been developed to meet demand for processing large timber slabs.
The company continues to demonstrate its products at field days, backed by confidence in their performance and reliability, as well as a three-year manufacturer’s warranty.
In recent years, the company secured an order for 67 Model 8 sawmills from the Japanese Government for a foreign aid project in the Solomon Islands.
Over time, thousands of units have been supplied across the Pacific, supporting selective timber harvesting and the construction of community infrastructure and housing. The ability to produce durable, insect-resistant housing in regions affected by diseases such as malaria has been a key benefit.
The company also maintains strong service and support networks through agents, including Farmset in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
Feedback from customers has highlighted the role of the sawmills in helping farmers recover from drought, fire and flood, with some crediting the equipment for enabling income through salvaging timber from damaged trees.
The Lucas family says it remains committed to attending the East Gippsland Field Days into the future, continuing to showcase its evolving product range to the local community.
