Callcott & Downey was established in 1926 as a motor garage in Thomas Street Subiaco. Named after its two founders, the company was contracted by the Ministry of Defence to carry out work during the Second World War, and in the following years expanded its services to include engine reconditioning and general machining.

In 1978 the Scottish based group, Lithgows Limited, bought the company from the surviving relatives of the original owners, as a means of generating funds to develop their large cattle property near Augusta, Western Australia. At this time, the company had outgrown its original premises and engine reconditioning was no longer its specialty. A new factory was built in Kewdale and was officially opened in February 1979 by Sir Charles Court (Former Premier of Western Australia).

A major expansion into Hard-Chrome Plating in 1981 complemented the facilities and services already offered.

In 1985, the decision was made to sell Callcott & Downey. The management negotiated a buy out from Lithgows Limited, which became effective in August 1986 .

The next major change came in February 1988 with the opening of the Kalgoorlie branch of Callcott & Downey. This new branch offered similar facilities, but on a smaller scale to the Kewdale factory. Callcott & Downey first achieved quality assurance on July 25 1995, and recently achieved recertification to the AS/NZS ISO 9001:2000 standard.

In recent years, both factories have undergone major expansion with emphasis placed on continuous improvement of services, and the upgrading of machinery and facilities.