TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT
CUSTOMER SOLUTIONS
PROVE SMART
WHEN HASTINGS DEERING AND QH & M BIRT FORMED A RELATIONSHIP BUILT ON TRUST AND EFFICIENCY, PROBLEM SOLVING EQUIPMENT BECAME A NECESSITY.
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or Civil Construction contractors QH & M Birt, the remote locations of project sites often require extensive forward planning and can lead to lengthy equipment downtime. With a specifically developed customer solution, a Hastings Deering 20FT Mobile Hose container, the company has decreased downtime and increased productivity. Codey Simpson, Workshop Supervisor at QH & M Birt, says investing in a mobile hose container supplied by Hastings Deering, a supplier of Caterpillar parts and products, was a good decision. It can be used on Caterpillar equipment and many other machines as a cost-effective and quality aftermarket solution. “Production hours have increased dramatically since the mobilisation of our hose container, and the inconvenience of breakdowns has been reduced,” says Mr. Simpson. QH & M Birt have been using the mobile hose solution for the past three years and have experienced less downtime as a result. “I can confidently say this is directly linked to ease, convenience and support from Hastings Deering and the hydraulic hose container,” says Mr. Simpson. QH & M Birt is a delivery-oriented contractor with more than 40 years’ experience in the construction industry and have become used to a delay in parts arriving, due to working in remote areas. “We’re always looking for better ways to help clients and find customer solutions that create less downtime in remote regions. Hastings Deering initiated the mobile hose container solution which helps multiple machines if not all, onsite,” says Dan Ware, Customer Support Manager at Hastings Deering. Hastings Deering sell, rent and offer support and parts distribution services for customers across a range of industries including mining, construction, civil transport
and commercial construction. Mr. Ware has delivered products and solutions to QH & M Birt for nearly seven years. He realised sustainable options such as the mobile hose container would be a great advantage to assist with problems in remote project locations. The first installation of the mobile hose container was for QH & M Birt at its Wepia site. This proved so successful in its first year that another a mobile hosing container was ordered for the commencement of the Groote Eylandt project. The Groote Eylandt project, located on an island in the Gulf of Carpentaria off the Australian coast, is remote. It proved to be an ideal test for the mobile hose container and also proved a great success. The unit helped QH & Birt to process, haul and place more than 50,000 tonnes of specifically graded rock materials, construct a decant ring and install earth settlement plates, along with other tasks. “For Groote Eylandt, the idea surfaced through the success and results the business had seen throughout the Amrun Project in Wepia,” Mr. Simpson says. It also helped reduce air freight costs. The Amrun Project required the construction of access and servicing roads, heavy vehicle haul roads, an engineered truck dump facility and much more. Mr. Ware points out companies sometimes disregard Caterpillar Hosing Solutions as a viable product, particularly for after-market use. Often customers choose price over quality. “Caterpillar hose and couplings are high-quality products compared to the general market.” He says customers find a lower failure rate when choosing the Caterpillar product. It enables less downtime on site, so much that Hastings Deering says it can enable remote projects to reduce downtime of two or four days to just hours. “Having the Hastings Deering Mobile
Workshop solution, minor hose issues that would normally be let go or left for a little longer, clients can now proactively sort issues easily. This means the overall quality and maintenance of the fleet is improved, along with productivity through greater machine availability,” Mr. Ware says. The ability to easily sort issues or concerns with Hastings Deering is also a major advantage for QH & M Birt. Mr. Simpson is happy with the strength of his company’s relationship with Hastings Deering over the years and puts this down to simplicity. “Many times, I’ve had some difficult questions, scenarios or issues and when I relay that information it’s always a welcoming voice that answers the phone. The reaction time is always impressive, and the follow-up is great,” Mr. Simpson says. Having a strong relationship with customers has always been a key focus for Hastings Deering, enabling customers to learn in order to increase productivity. “We provide onsite staff training, which is an up-skill to individuals, the employers and also means employees can change sites to assist elsewhere. Anything that QH & M Birt can self-service or do onsite, keeps the equipment working productively with little if any, downtime,” Mr. Ware says. Hastings Deering supplies a range of hose and coupling solutions, with each unit being tested and carrying a warranty.. The equipment is not limited to Caterpillar machines and can perform on all kinds of equipment. “The credit for this goes to the team we have on the ground and the system we have in place. With time, it’s become transparent how much easier the job has become with the correct tools,” Mr. Simpson says. “It’s taken some trial and error to find the desired stock levels, and whatever we don’t have here on the island, is mostly always available in Darwin.” roadsonline.com.au
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