About

In 1959 Ian Venus and Brian Hartung set up their first office in a small room at the back of 383 Flinders Lane in Melbourne.

A year later, when Australian import restrictions were lifted, Ian and Brian looked beyond Australia’s shores for supplies. They soon introduced new products such as jute twine from Scotland, brown kraft paper from Austria and water-activated tape from England to the Australian market.

In 1962 the partnership dissolved. Ian Venus retained Venus Hartung & Company while Brian Hartung established a new business and retained the non-packaging agencies.

Later in 1962, Venus Hartung won its first major contract – to supply the Australian government with cellulose tape imported from Austria.

In 1963, Venus Hartung’s first sales manager, Peter Rush, introduced a new concept in packaging tape – self adhesive kraft paper that was also silicone coated. Following this, in 1964, Venus introduced a self adhesive plastic PVC tape. Another Australian first that totally changed the direction of carton sealing in Australia.

By 1965 Venus Hartung had outgrown the 2 floors it occupied in Flinders Lane and built a new warehouse in Abbotsford, an inner Melbourne suburb, and in 1969 the company incorporated to become Venus Hartung Pty Ltd.

Throughout the early 70’s, under the guidance of Sales Director, Frank Trchala, Venus Hartung enjoyed enormous growth in the sales of packaging machinery, heat sealers for polythene bags, filling and unitising equipment, shrink wrap, skin packaging, carton sealing and strapping machines, and shrink and stretch wrappers for loaded pallets.

In 1976 the company diversified into ropes and twines for packaging, mining, fishing, transport and agriculture. Joe Schirrippa, Sales Manager from 1976 to 1993, led these developments, particularly in the area of harvesting twines and by 1985 the company occupied two city blocks with a warehousing and administrative complex that covered 100,000 square feet.

The appointment of Wayne Shearer as Marketing Manager in 1994 began an era when Venus classified its products into 15 distinct categories: Poly Bags, Films, Heat Sealers, Self Adhesive Tapes, Tape Dispensers and Carton Sealers, Strapping, Strapping Machines and Tools, Pallet Wrappers, Netting Products, Hotmelt Glues and Glueguns, Agriculture and Harvesting Twines, Warehouse Equipment and Materials Handling, Rubber Bands ad Ties, Ropes and Twines, Carton Stapling and Net Clipping.

Increasing sophistication in the range of heat sealing, band sealing, laminating, vacuum sealers, skin and shrink packaging equipment continued throughout the 1990s, making Venus Australia’s market leader in heat sealing.

In the 1990’s Venus expanded the range of harvesting products – in particular by introducing big bale twines in 1992 and HDPE netwrap for big round bales in 1993. When Phil Pomeroy joined the sales team in 1995 Venus added more big bale twines, then 3 layer pit covers and Venus stretch silage film.

Venus purchased the current property at 555 Church Street Richmond in 1997. The multi-million dollar project involved extensive re-building and opened in 1999. The 4 level complex covers a city block and has 3 container bays.

The company appointed Tim Venus as Operations Director in 2006. Tim brought with him extensive experience in marketing and sales.

In 2009, our 50th year in business, despite the global financial crisis, sales quickly recovered to 2008 levels and in 2015 Venus achieved the highest yearly sales ever.

Venus Hartung Pty Ltd now heads a group of subsidiaries and affiliates that includes tape manufacturing and printing, and exports to USA, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Kuwait, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, Thailand and Singapore.

Led by Managing Director, Ian Venus and Marketing Manager, Wayne Shearer, Venus Hartung is now Australia’s leading packaging company supplying packaging products to customers nationwide.