South Australian firm under the name of Worldwide Camps Ltd began at Elizabeth South on 4 September 1952. In 1965 it moved to 27 acre site in the Elizabeth West industrial area. It also had a metal fabricating plant in Fisher Street, Salisbury. The company manufactured camps which are sent to the most isolated parts of Australia and the world for the comfort of oil drillers, miners, hydro-electric construction workers even Indonesian bus drivers in Saudi Arabia. It won an export marketing award in 1972 and a timber industry award for a portable home design. ATCO units were being used in 31 countries.
ATCO started in Australia in 1962 and in Elizabeth in 1964, in response to the need for oil drilling camps in the early exploration days. Throughout the mining boom and the years that followed, ATCO’s camps were constantly adapted to meet new requirements. ATCO has led the industry in design and construction of on-site accommodation and facilities.
The firm occupied 80 000 square feet with an additional factory of 30,000 square feet and employed over 400 staff.
ATCO maintained its position as the market leader through innovation, speed of reaction and customer service.
ATCO’s plant capacity has increased from an original 3 or 4 units per week to the 65 units per week (on a one shift basis). Its range of buildings has developed from purely work done type requirements to buildings that cater for all aspects of every living, for example;
Family housing
Workforce accommodation
Site Offices
Lunch rooms
Audio booths
Schools
Laundries
Kitchens
Police stations
First Aid Units
Recreation Units
