Milas Group
A brother duo based in Arncliffe NSW are busy putting their mark on Sydney, one house at a time.
Started in 1999 by Ali and Jimmy Salim, the company has already built well over 25 homes in the suburb alone. From a young age, the brothers got a taste for the trade while working for separate companies in their respective fields, Ali as a builder, and Jimmy, a plumber. But it wasn’t until they finished building their first home together for their family back in 2001 that they decided this was the way to go, by joining forces to create the Milas Group.
“We still do some work for other civil companies but usually we work for most of our own development projects in-house. We are happy to go out and see where the work takes us, but the Sydney area is our bread and butter,” tells Jimmy.
The Kobelco team visited the guys out on site while they were getting the foundation work underway on one of their latest protects in Turrella, another new house for a family member. To help with the work coming in, the brothers brought on a new operator to join them, who was busy operating the new Kobelco 5.5 tonne excavator.
“We used to hire out a 5.5 tonne Kobelco but we thought it was about time we got our own. We have had a long history with the brand, back in 1999 we bought our first machine, which happened to be a Kobelco, the SK008. Since then, we got ourselves a 3.5 tonne Kobelco, and we have never had any issues with either the machines. That made the choice easy when it came to buying more gear, I didn’t want to muck about and just went straight for the Kobelco when the time came. We believe the Kobelcos are bulletproof, they are that reliable,” Jimmy states.
“We used to deal with Melroad Equipment in Campbelltown back when we first started the business, but now our local Kobelco Dealer is Sydney Trucks and Machinery (STM). Over the years of dealing with them, they really are now like family. Plus, they provide A1 servicing, which is what you need when you are constantly moving from one job to the next and can’t allow for any downtime. Like with everything you have your ups and downs as you are dealing with machinery, but I haven’t had a bad experience yet.”
The company’s latest new Series 7 machine also had Jimmy impressed, in particular with its next-level comforts and spacious cabin.
“The SK55 has plenty of elbow and leg room, and the seat was awesome. Power wise, Kobelcos are just far superior to anything else, and the machines operate so smoothly. Having used other brands over the years, I just couldn’t settle for anything other than a Kobelco, nothing else seems to measure up. You feel like a king when you’re in one, it’s very hard to go back to other brands once you’ve been in one,” confesses Jimmy.
The Milas Group have no plans of slowing down any time soon, “we have a couple of young fellas moving through the ranks and they eventually will be part of the business once they finish school, which they are very excited for. The sky’s the limit, and we are looking forward to what comes next”.
