Complete Crane Solutions (CCS) expansion plans continue with the recent opening of a workshop in Western Sydney’s Wetherill Park. National General Manager Mitch Smidt and Workshop Manager Nathan Demanuele explain how the Sydney crane sector has responded.
“I’ve been working with Josh John for a couple of years and prior to joining CCS, I was working with Primero in the Pilbara where he and the team were servicing our cranes and heavy equipment,” said Mitch. “After joining CCS, I started in the Karratha operation, but I’m originally from Sydney, When Josh spoke to Nathan about the opportunities here and we decided to open this operation, I put my hand up to move back.”
He said the new facility is viewed as National Headquarters.
“There have been a number of exciting changes within the business. We’ve grown from servicing Karratha and the surrounds, to having operations in Perth, Queensland, Sydney and Victoria with a national management team now based in Sydney.
“Our intention has been to let everyone know we are here. The workshop is highly visible in a busy part of Wetherill Park, which is exactly what we needed. We have entered a saturated market with the crane original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and third party service providers and repairers well established. But we are confident in what we offer. Our strong focus on field service and responsiveness will be hard to compete with. We know we have to build our reputation in Sydney, and we are confident we will,” said Mitch.
A focus on service and a strong field presence will be the initial focus.
“In terms of capabilities we are aligned with the industry standard, it’s just that we are the new kids on the block and we have to make some noise to get noticed,” Mitch said. “We provide a 24/7 service, with our workshop operating from 5am until 7pm. We offer 24 hour call out, working on a flat rate even when it’s a public holiday. We work with customers providing times to service their cranes that suit them and their business. Given the market’s positive response, it appears likely we will outgrow this facility fairly quickly.
“When I was a client of CCS I knew if there was a problem I could call Josh, Ryan or Luke and one of them would pick up and do whatever it takes to get things sorted. That’s always been the culture of the business and that’s why it’s a great place to work,” he said.
CCS has been quick to build an experienced team to service the Sydney market. Nathan has 25 years of experience managing the servicing and repairs for a major European OEM and has helped recruit a number of experienced technicians.
“It is not often that you open a new operation with a team as experienced and dynamic as ours,” Mitch said. “Nathan has helped build a formidable team by combining experience and attracting young and enthusiastic apprentices who share our vision.
“The team has experience with every leading brand including Liebherr, Tadano, Grove and Franna but more importantly everyone is committed to do whatever it takes to get the customer’s crane back up and operating. Across the company we have close to 50 staff who have experience with every crane OEM, they’ve worked all over the globe and have multiple years of experience which is shared across the entire organisation,” he said.
“CCS is a service-driven business and we understand the challenges crane hire companies face, especially when they are operating remotely or in regional parts of the country. Servicing cranes in remote locations is a real issue, one that we are here to address. We’ve already engaged with multiple crane companies, and we have entered into service agreements with certain OEMs and have strong alliances with others.
“OEMs see the benefits of working with CCS because they have the confidence that after-sale service commitments will be met with full delivery. Our sole focus is repairing broken cranes, and we’ve built our business doing that. We’ve invested in service vans and trailers so we can get out there. Crane hire companies struggling to find the right service partner can talk to us, and they will understand they do have options.”
Nathan explains the approach to work in regional areas.
“When we get a call from a regional customer, we will ring other businesses in that area to let them know we will have a service technician there for a few days. We then split the cost of the time, accommodation and transport between two or three customers and instead of being there for a day, we’ll spend a week servicing the cranes.
He goes on to explain what customers can expect from CCS when it comes to larger repairs and significant works such as major inspections.
“The one stand-out customers can expect from us is transparency. Technically we know we have the best guys, so managing the job is straight forward. Tailoring the job to the customer’s specific needs is the key. There are different levels of major inspections which depend on what a customer requires from their asset. Do they want to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on completely stripping it down and rebuilding it? Or do they want to comply with OEM or the Crane Industry Council of Australia’s CraneSafe requirements?
“We discuss how valuable the asset is to the business, what they are trying to get out of the asset and build the right major around all of the information. We quote to the job as we see it and if we can get the cost right at the start there shouldn’t be any major surprises. There may be discrepancies depending on what we find, but these are immediately relayed to the client, every step of the way,” said Nathan.
He said CCS is a dynamic business to be working in and is attracting the right calibre of employee.
“When you look at the service and repair businesses in the crane sector, particularly in Sydney, they are mature businesses and many of their staff have been with them for a long time. Obviously, they have significant experience but maybe not the levels of passion for the industry they once had.
“When you are building a business, you need one or two guys with the experience managing young guys who are hungry, who want to do the big hours, who want to go out and set a tone, make noise and make their mark in the industry. Over the years, I have established good relationships with third-party repairers who are happy to build relationships with us and expose our guys to their environment. These relationships include hydraulic workshops where our guys learn to service and fix cylinders, auto electricians and pump repair businesses. It’s about exposing our team to various areas of the business and ensuring they receive training and experience in every facet.”