Company Background

The Michell family has operated continuously in the Australian wool industry since 1870.

Michell first began selling wool into China in 1948 and Japan in 1976.

MICHELL Australia remains 100% family owned and operated to this day.

The company now has processing facilities in Australia, China and Malaysia.

Annual turnover is currently AUD$80-90 million.

The company currently employs approximately 700 employees globally.

The company sells approximately 10 million kilograms of processed wool and 'commission processes' a further 10 million kgs per year.

MICHELL has been involved in every aspect of the Australian merino industry from growing wool, early stage processing, top manufacturing, spinning, weaving, knitting and garment manufacturing.

MICHELL remains the world's largest processor of carbonised wool. Carbonised wool is used in woollens as distinct from worsted fabrics. MICHELL also has the largest capacity wool processing facility in the southern hemisphere.

Historically MICHELL has been an 'early stage processor' and wool trader. Today, MICHELL is moving further down the value chain. In the past 4 years, MICHELL Australia has established businesses involved in yarn, fabric and garments.

Company History
For more than 130 years, the Michell name has been associated with the international wool textile industry. From modest beginnings in the is" Century, the determination of five generations of family members has established a global brand with a proven reputation for producing and delivering superior quality wool fibres.

George Henry Michell founded the business in 1870 - setting up a wool-scouring operation in the tiny South Australian township of Undalya and persuading local wool growers to sell him their wool direct.

The business boomed and in 1896 the operation moved to Hindmarsh, in Adelaide. By the late 1960s, a major relocation was required due to ongoing success domestically and overseas and a new plant was established on Main North Road at Salisbury South (20 kms north of Adelaide)- a facility which today rates as one of the largest and most sophisticated wool-processing operations in the Southern Hemisphere.

Over time, the Michell name branched into industries beyond wool-processing and exporting – including banking, farming, commodity-trading and property development.

In June 2004, brothers David and Peter Michell took over the reins of the original wool division, in a bid to keep the family name at the forefront of the international textile industry. Now trading as an independent venture under the name Michell Pty Ltd, the company today combines the best of the old traditions, with a modern and dynamic business model.

Quality. Reliability. Persistence. Ingenuity. These benchmarks remain at the heart of Michell and combined with a contemporary business approach, the company is now in a position to foresee and respond quickly to the needs of the global market and the changing demands of its customers.

Facilities
Michell has the global network and scalability to source and process wool in accordance with client's needs regardless of their size or location. Michell's specialty processing facilities in China, Australia and Malaysia give customers unique supply opportunities; processing fibre at other processing facilities gives Michell a rounded and specialist product offering.