New product: Water Tank Transporter Tag Trailer

Water Tank Transporter Tag Trailer

There’s no job too big when it comes to manufacturing trailers for clients.

PTE Group sales manager Gary Nicholls was approached by a potential customer to come up with a design and manufacture a custom heavy-duty, purpose-built tag trailer.

The trailer would transport two water tanks that have a diameter of 4.6m and 3.45m wide. Gary designed a unique trailer, which consisted of two arcs to cradle the tanks 200mm from the ground.

The trailer was fabricated with dimensions 8570mm long x 2480mm wide with ABS/EBS ADR38 specification axles for stability control and an “S” cam air-brake system.

The trailer also had to be fabricated to meet legal capacity and tare weights of the truck/trailer combination in which it was to tow.

The trailer was designed with hydraulic mechanisms to tilt the tanks sideways to off-load on site.

Another stipulation was that the tanks would have to be able to be rotated on the trailer on arrival to position manhole and outlets. Gary developed a hydraulic design whereby the tanks were capable to be lifted and rotated on a cam-roller system.

The design also had to include the transporting of the trailer at the legal length when unladen and be able to extend to allow for additional tank/ tanks when loaded to be transported by the truck.

Hydraulics were to be self-sufficient of the trailer so a separate dieselpowered hydraulic pump was produced to enable this to be operational.

The trailer was blasted, primed and painted with 2 Pak paint to customer fleet colours to a high quality standard. The top-floor section of the arcs were covered with a surface which was sourced not to mark or scratch tanks in transit.

A view from the client’s end comes from West Coast Poly’s CEO Stephen Thompson.

“We’ve been transporting tanks for 28 years. This trailer was purpose built specifically for our larger roto-moulded storage tanks. This allows for carting low to the ground and less manhandling at time of delivery.”

The trailers need to handle some rough conditions when the tanks are delivered on farm and to mines alike. This trailer makes it number 11, with a second, slightly modified trailer being built at the moment (by PTE), making it 12 trailers in the company’s vast fleet.

TRAILER SPECS

Custom trailer to carry two water tanks Custom-built single-axle tag 7T aggregate 3.2T capacity 8570L x 2500 75mm bracing 3mm flat steel floor plate with outdoor carpet covering to tank sections Hydraulic rams for tank tilt over Valve bank and hoses Diesel-driven power pack 95mm Bartlett hitch S-Cam air brakes Load-sensing valve/ABS hubs 17.5 radial tyres including spare Landing leg Hydraulic tank roller system Extendable drawbar x 1000mm LED lights Sandblasted and painted colour of client’s choice

Those solutions include the design, manufacture and delivery of exceptional Western Australian products from an equally exceptional team. And by teaming up with like-minded local companies, PTE is a shining light on a dark horizon. “The Boys”, as they are affectionately known, grew up in a family manufacturing business and commenced work at the age of 15 in the manufacturing industry. Jamie Pollard completed his business management course in August 2009 and then commenced Pollard Transport Equipment Pty Ltd with the assistance of younger siblings Vince and Monte.

Since, the establishment of the business under the PTE Group Pty Ltd flag was created in January 2014 to reflect the significant expansion in the business activities. Business growth forced PTE Group to relocate from Beckenham to Welshpool in 2012 in order to offer a complete range of WA products and provide a genuine one-stop shop.

Each brother brings a different skill set to the business from manufacturing, fitting, auto electrical and quality customer service. .../Continued from p15

Sales Manager Gary Nicholls

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PTE Group designs and manufactures all types of custom-made transport equipment, including trailers, steel trays, mining and fleet vehicle fit-outs, bull bars, tow bars, light bars and custom toolboxes.

PTE Group saves dealers on transport with its one-stop-shop capability. “We can provide so many in-house services from metal fabrication, accessories fitting to industrial painting services,” Jamie says.

It’s not just the big boys PTE caters for, but also private and small commercial operators. “Our customers have the confidence that PTE Group will provide prompt, honest and professional service. We aim to deliver an excellent and positive customer experience to every client, every time,” Jamie says.

“Our quality has to be up there as the big boys are fussy. You don’t get a second chance.”

While Jamie heads the team, he realised that expansion was needed to fulfil the desire for more innovative products flowing from the workshops.

To this end the game-changing move was to hire general manager Jonathan Snowden and sales manager Gary Nicholls.

Hailing from the United Kingdom, Jonathan has the ability to recognise where change can be implemented to accomplish the absolute best outcomes.

Customer service is like a second language to Jonathan. The support and appreciation of the staff for Jonathan’s managerial style is prominent within the workforce at PTE Group.

“As a manager and leader, I believe my greatest asset is passing my knowledge and experience on to others. Seeing team members flourish gives me great satisfaction.”

Jonathan says that as a business, PTE must always listen to its customers as their feedback will help PTE to improve and grow,

and, if necessary, review and change processes across the business, ensuring that everyone is made aware of the improvements through toolbox meetings and documentation so everyone is heading in the same direction.

“We must never get tunnel vision; always Plan, Do and Review!”

Gary Nicholls is entrenched in the Western Australian manufacturing arena and his arrival helped put PTE well and truly on the map.

“From building customised light transport and heavy trailers, Gary came on board in 2017 and expanded our vision into different types of heavy vehicles. The rest is history,” Jamie says.

The upturn in the mining industry was noticed by Jamie and his team about a year ago with more light vehicles, development vehicles, and new bodies being required in Port Hedland.

“Everyone started to order again — big tenders for government, large fleet companies and mining companies; the volume was escalating, with the trickle-down effect.”

For PTE it was a perfect fit. “It was good for us in fleet work as we would get the cycle — every two years there would be refurbs, especially refurbed trays.”

With mining companies on the move, shires also get busy and this is where Gary gets into his role, as his rapport with shires throughout the north-west is legendary.

Gary Nicholls’ 44 years in the industry includes starting at Osborne Motor Bodies in 2009 as sales manager and taking over as general manager 18 months later.

He says his role with clients is “hands-on”. “If someone has a project they’re thinking of, I’ll go and sit

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down with them and the first thing I will do is listen. We’ll sort out the role the vehicle or fleet is meant to fulfil and any technical considerations that can strengthen that role. By then I can build it in my head.

“I use the image I’ve then created in my mind’s eye to sit down with the draughtsman and create a product with a set of drawings that we can either export as 2D or 3D; whatever the client requires.”

Jamie says that watching Gary make reality from dreams is something inspiring. “He’s loving it and seeing people’s visions and the designs come to fruition.”

Gary has enjoyed the journey and seeing PTE expand four-fold in the time he has been with the company — “It’s a huge transformation”.

PTE has light and heavy divisions with the light division handling up to 120 vehicle trays a month. They are manufactured from WA steel, designed in-house and painted before being returned to the clients,” Gary says.

The light-vehicle trays are welded to Australian standards and meet all Australian Design Rules (ADRs). The AksoNobel paint system ensures accurate colour coding to your vehicle and uses the latest spectro machine to ensure the colour is perfectly matched.

PTE Group designs and fabricates light and heavy commercial vehicles to meet your requirements. The team can work with new or used commercial trucks to give

customers just what they want, and it can also modify tipper trucks and chassis modifications to comply with Australian standards.

PTE Group’s versatility and diversity is showcased with its unique tilt slides and car carriers/transporters.

“All of our products are built from the highest quality WA materials available to ensure your investment will remain dependable well into the future,” Jonathan says.

PTE is a multi-cultural company, employing staff from around the world as well as indigenous Australians.

T: 08 9356 1192 | E: sales@ptegroup.com.au 99 Dowd Street, Welshpool, WA 6106 www.ptegroup.com.au

(l-r) PTE staff members with General Manager Jonathan Snowden

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