UP FRONT / PRESTON HIRE
Crawler cranes feature predominantly in the Preston fleet.
PRESTON HIRE: TAKING IT UP A LEVEL How a vision to build a multinational operation providing cranes, access equipment and loading platform solutions became a reality. THE PRESTON NAME HAS BEEN synonymous with the construction industry for decades and continues to push boundaries and be a significant player in the hire and rental category. Markus Preston, group managing director, acquired ownership of the business in the early 2000s with a fresh vision, ambitious goals and strong determination to expand. At the time, the business was largely focussed on the hire of their SuperDeck Retractable Loading Platform System and only operated within NSW. His vision was to build a multifaceted, multinational operation providing customers with a large range of cranes and access equipment to compliment the well-established and respected SuperDeck System. Fast-forward eighteen years, this vision has clearly been achieved with Preston Hire (Australia) having a large group of highly skilled staff, a significant fleet of mini and larger hydraulic crawler 18 / CAL July 2019
and mobile SuperCrane’s, a variety of SuperElevate access equipment units and Australia’s largest fleet of SuperDeck’s. It is an impressive feat. Yet their outfit also extends beyond the borders of Australia, with Preston Group also operating internationally in New Zealand, North America and Europe under the Preston Hire and Preston Rentals brands. They also recently launched SuperService – their access and heavy equipment specialist mechanical service business in Australia and have plans for New Zealand to open later in the year. At this stage, Preston Hire (Australia) is the largest operation within the group, with the largest fleet of diverse specialised equipment. Operating using a hub and spoke model with the head office providing major resourcing, training and daily support to the five branches, each branch is then responsible for being experts in their market and fostering and growing local relationships and business
opportunities. “I’m really proud of our branch network, which allows us to service any location in Australia. Over the years, we have consciously expanded and tailored our product range to broaden our customer base and make us a multiindustry service provider. We work closely with clients in the construction, civil, road and rail, telecommunications, infrastructure and residential industries,” said Preston. Group general manager, David Serg, has also played an important role in the growth of the business. Serg attributes a key component of the success to having clear business values that contribute to the culture of the Preston Group. “Our workforce is the face of our business. We ensure that our staff and their livelihoods are at the heart of every decision we make and in return ask that they always represent the Preston Hire brand with enthusiasm, professionalism
