Family-owned and operated multi-brand dealership STM Trucks & Machinery reflects on its journey as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
What once stood as a small commercial vehicle dealership with a single yard has been transformed into a multi-branch company with locations across New South Wales and the ACT, representing more than a dozen brands covering trucks and earthmoving equipment.
The original idea behind STM Trucks & Machinery was straightforward — operators in Western Sydney and the broader Macarthur region needed a truck dealer that understood their work and was close to where the projects were carried out.
STM was built on this principle, and half a century later, it still is. Now, the machinery dealer is well-known for Kobelco excavators and ASV Posi-Track loaders.
Although the scale of STM has changed, its core values and the way it operates have remained a constant. Customers can still pick up the phone and speak to an experienced STM team member without the layers of corporate approval, and decisions are made quickly because the people making them are the ones who built the business — the Gerace and Papallo families.
At the helm of the business are Dealer Principal Michael Gerace, Sales and Marketing Director Rocco Papallo, General Sales Manager for Trucks Bruno Gerace, General Sales Manager for Machinery Mark Morris, as well as Ralph Gerace and Nick Papallo in leadership roles.
“That kind of continuity means customers build real relationships with the people looking after their equipment, not just the dealership logo on the building,” Rocco said.
“Customers deal with the same people year after year, with some of our team being with STM for decades. It’s a big part of what makes STM different.”
State of origin
While it’s known as STM today, the business was originally founded as Tri-City Trucks in 1976. Back then, its single yard was located on what was then the Hume Highway — now Camden Valley Way — in Western Sydney, selling International Harvester trucks.
By the early 1980s, the business had taken on Mitsubishi Trucks — which later became Fuso — growing steadily over the next decade until it outgrew its premises and moved to a purpose-built facility at Narellan in 1993.
It was only a matter of time before Tri-City Trucks outgrew this site too, and by 2004 it purchased its current Smeaton Grange property, leading to the rebrand of Sydney Trucks & Machinery in 2006.
This facility has served as the headquarters of the business ever since, sitting on eight acres with about 32 service bays, two drive-through B-double service pits, a 30-metre weighbridge, and a dedicated parts warehouse.
2008 was a turning point for the company, as it took its first step into the earthmoving market by partnering with Kobelco to become one of its authorised dealers. This changed the direction of STM, which had only offered trucks until this point.
“It gave STM a presence on job sites in a way that trucks alone didn’t,” Rocco said. “When you’re supplying both the excavator that is doing the dig and the truck carting the material, you become a more complete partner for the customer. That’s exactly what happened.”
Fulfilling a demand
After integrating Kobelco into its offering, it became obvious STM’s customers needed more than excavators. They also needed telehandlers for material handling, compact track loaders for tight access, and site dumpers to move material.
It’s why STM has gradually expanded its machinery offering, having become an authorised dealer for ASV Posi-Track loaders in 2014, Merlo telehandlers in 2019, D’Avino site dumpers in 2020, CNF mini dumpers in 2021, and Hydrema site dumpers in 2025.
Most recently, STM has also added New Holland Construction’s compact track loaders and skid steer loaders to its lineup.
“Every brand we added solved a specific problem our customers were already dealing with,” Rocco said.
“Rather than sending customers elsewhere for those products, STM chose to bring them under one roof. It means a customer can deal with one team for their excavator, their telehandler, their dumper, and their truck.
“One parts department, one service team, one relationship — that’s the logic behind every brand addition. It’s not about collecting logos. It’s about being able to say yes when a customer asks if we can help them with something.”
Standout offering
STM’s reputation depends not only on its service but on the products it stands behind, which is why it became an authorised dealer for the brands it believes are the best available in their categories — not the cheapest or the most marketed.
Offering mini, midi, and large Kobelco excavators, these machines shine through Japanese-engineered components and fuel efficiency, which is noticed by operators. This is important in an industry where fuel is one of the largest running costs.
ASV Posi-Track loaders are purpose-built track loaders, not converted skid steers. The undercarriage design gives them lower ground pressure and better performance on soft or uneven ground, which Rocco said suits a lot of the sites STM’s customers work on.
Merlo telehandlers are Italian-engineered and built for serious work in construction, agriculture, and industrial applications, thanks to their versatility and build quality.
STM covers the site dumper category at different scales, with D’Avino models for the larger jobs and CNF for the compact end.
European-engineered Hydrema articulated dump trucks and site dumpers provide STM customers with an even greater offering for their earthmoving equipment needs.
For prime mover customers, STM’s flagship brands include Fuso and Iveco. STM’s dedication to the trucking and earthmoving industries has been recognised on numerous occasions with Fuso Metro Dealer of the Year awards and multiple Kobelco awards, such as the Greatest Number of Units Sold, the Most Improved Heavy Excavator Share, the Parts Dealer of the Year, and the Kobelco Dealer of the Year for 2024.
“There aren’t many dealers in Australia where you can buy a Kobelco excavator, a Merlo telehandler, a Fuso truck, and have all of them serviced under one roof,” Rocco said. “That simplifies life for fleet managers and business owners.”
Continued growth
In addition to its headquarters in Sydney’s Smeaton Grange, STM has several other locations.
Its Bathurst branch covers the Central West of NSW, the Wollongong branch services Illawarra and the broader South Coast region, and its Canberra branch caters to the ACT and Southern Tablelands region.
The establishment of these additional locations was the reason STM dropped ‘Sydney’ from its name in 2022 — the same year it acquired local Kobelco dealer Siteworx, which became the current Wollongong branch, known as South Coast Trucks & Machinery.
STM also now operates the Daimler Trucks South Coast facility at Kembla Grange, the latest investment of the company. The purpose-built 16,500 square metre facility has allowed STM to add the Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner truck brands to its portfolio, while still covering Fuso.
When the Gerace and Papallo families started the company in 1976, they never could have imagined seeing what it has become today, and it’s why they’re so proud of it.
“It has been quite a journey, not just for the owners but for the long-serving staff who have been with us over the decades. Some of our people have been here 20 or 30 years, and they have seen every stage of that growth firsthand,” Rocco said.
“One of the most rewarding parts is seeing the next generation of Geraces and Papallos now working in the business. That continuity, from the founders through to their children, is something you can’t manufacture. It speaks to what the business means to the families who built it.”
The next chapter
Celebration will be a theme for STM this year given the milestone, but looking ahead, the company will continue building on what it has already established.
Having grown from a single brand in one yard to a multi-site, multi-brand operation, the platform is now in place to continue expanding into new markets and new product categories as customer needs evolve.
The Daimler Trucks South Coast facility was the largest single investment STM made, and it signals growth isn’t slowing down.
On the earthmoving side, STM continues to look to where it can add value for customers. The recent addition of New Holland Construction to the lineup is evidence of this, with STM always keeping an eye on what products and partnerships can help its customers work more efficiently.
While the company will continue to grow, the fundamental values won’t change.
“STM will still be a family business, still be focused on service, and still be the kind of dealer where customers can pick up the phone and speak to someone who knows their name,” Rocco said.
“We’ve got a few things in the works to mark our 50th anniversary throughout the year. We’re not giving everything away just yet, but there will be some fun ways for customers and the broader industry to join in the celebration — stay tuned.”
For more information, visit stm.com.au
