About

“Fluid power technology is what makes machinery or equipment come to life. Without quality hydraulics, companies often fail to deliver on projects and can flounder, their opportunities for growth and profitability evaporated by faulty systems.”

Australia’s Quality Hydraulics Leader For 50 Years

Fluid power technology is what makes machinery or equipment come to life. Without quality hydraulics, companies often fail to deliver on projects and can flounder, their opportunities for growth and profitability evaporated by faulty systems.

At Hydraulic Controls, machines and fluid power technology are treated with the same respect and awe as the human body. Controls are the brain that tell the machine what to do, hydraulic pumps are the heart that provides power, and hydraulic tubes are the veins that run fluids throughout the equipment. As an ISO 9001 certified business, we have served thousands of customers all over Australia for 50 years. We have a deep knowledge and passion for hydraulics, and it’s backed up by decades of practical engineering experience in manifold design, manufacture and systems integration.

Hydraulic Controls has a track record over several decades and a solid, established reputation within multiple industries – having designed, built and supplied parts to the Mining, Agriculture, Marine Industries & Inventors. From mining equipment, trucks, harvesters, sweepers, forklifts, theatre stage lifts and much more…

Over the years a vast library of both historical and new products has been built. There are rare technical data sheets that have been collected over the years; many of those are now no longer readily available anywhere else.

This database of old and new, the actual inventory onsite, our practical experience, and our commitment to modern design and testing combined with quality management … All of this allows us to innovate for our customers in a way that other companies can’t. We are able to design and support unique hydraulic systems—not just copy what’s available in the market—because we know first-hand what’s been done, what’s worked and what hasn’t.

From the beginning

Company founder Ray Evans, a Melbourne native, understood the key role that quality hydraulics play in the repetitive industrial tasks that are critical to a company’s success. He spent his entire career designing, pursuing and creating the best possible hydraulic solutions for companies around the world.

An aeronautical and mechanical engineer by training and an inventor by nature, Ray joined the Royal Navy after school and served for eight years as chief engineer for the Fleet Air Arm, where he was in charge of jet aircraft for active squadrons.

The hands-on experience he obtained from the military inspired Ray to head to England and seek out companies that would benefit from his innovative ideas and drive to succeed. He held several senior engineering positions with leading firms in England, before deciding to return to Australia in 1971. Ray immediately founded UCC, a hydraulics component supply company.

The following year he created Hydraulic Controls Pty Ltd, which specialised in the manufacture and marketing of hydraulic valves and hydro-electronics and was the parent to today’s Hydraulic Controls.

Over the next 20 years, Ray set up several other global companies for cutting-edge hydraulic systems, including items for the automotive industry, such as regenerative braking technology and hydrostatic transmissions. Ever the inventor, he held many patents in Australia, China, the UK and the United States for fluid power products and consistently received the equivalent of ‘Engineering Oscar’ awards for his achievements.

Ray’s enthusiasm for hydraulic engineering and systems development flowed through to the engineers who worked with him. Many hydraulic engineers, especially in the Australian marketplace, have been trained and touched by Ray’s passion for bringing machines to life.

Although Ray died in 2015, his spirit of innovation and commitment to providing quality solutions lives on in today’s version of Hydraulic Controls.

Delivering Innovative, High-Quality Fluid Power Systems

Design and CNC Machining Capability | Hydraulic Manifold Design and Manufacture Hydraulic System Solution Development | Product Design for OEM

Team Players

Robert Le Couteur,

General Manager/Director

As General Manager/Director of Hydraulic Controls, Robert Le Couteur’s brief is to build on the strength of the company’s solid history to become a world-class manufacturer supporting the hydraulics industry in Australia. Prior to HC, Robert led a number of other manufacturing businesses to profitability and market leadership. He has worked in engineering based, business-to-business manufacturing organisations for 45 years, many of which were in General Manager/Director positions in Australia and the United States.

In addition, he has been successful in business development, winning multi-million dollar projects and breaking into local and global markets. He has also managed multimillion-dollar engineering projects. Robert holds a bachelor’s degree in business and certificates in production engineering, materials handling and leadership development.

Tim Daniels,

Project Consultant

Tim has been at Hydraulic Controls since 2016 and brings over 17 years’ experience in hydraulics, sales, costing, warehousing, distribution and administration skills.

  • Certificate IV Fluid Power
  • Advanced Mobile Hydraulics
  • Circuit Design
  • Hydraulic Schematics
  • Industrial Hydraulics
  • The Fluid Power Safety & Awareness

Leonard Patchett,

Assistant General Manager

 

Experienced Lead Mechanical Engineer with a demonstrated history of working in the Aviation, Aerospace, Rail and Mining industries. Worked with mission-critical and simulation equipment.
Proven track record across all phases of projects: from definition and acquisition; to design and development; IV&V; Transition to Manufacture; sustainment and through life support.
Confident and comfortable in the boardroom, the toolroom and the showroom.
Skilled in Negotiation and Business Development, Engineering and project management.
Strong engineering professional with a Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) (hons) / Bachelor of Medical Sciences (BMedSc) from the University of Sydney.

  • Mobile & Industrial Applications
  • Hydraulic Integrated Circuits (HIC’s)
  • Pumps, Motors & Valves
  • Accumulators
  • Power Take Off (PTO’s)
  • Control Systems
  • Power Transmissions
  • Fluid Connectors

Brands that we work with