Neil Webb joined TRT Australia 18 months ago with a keen focus on customer service and ‘end to end’ product support. His strategies include recruiting experienced personnel and investing in service and support capabilities, ensuring the business maintains a path of sustainable growth. Today, these strategies are paying dividends.
“Right from the start, our main focus was to get the basics right and this involved ensuring our levels of customer service are up to my expectations and standards – and that is to be at the highest levels in the industry. We believe this level of support will ensure our customers continue to buy our high quality products,” said Neil.
“At TRT, we prioritise our people and their development, making substantial investments in training programs over the last 18 months. This commitment has resulted in outstanding outcomes for our business, as our highly skilled service technicians provide exceptional support to both our brands and customers.
“Thank you to our Service team for their ongoing drive to advance their knowledge and support our customers. TRT is one team and without the support of all sectors from Parts, Service, Sales, and our staff, TRT would not be able to support our customers, as well as we do,” said Neil.
An example of recruiting experienced professionals to the support team is Peter Kiwan, who joined TRT Australia this year.
“Peter is a great addition to our team as he is a vastly experienced master technician for Grove and Manitowoc products. He’s been with us from the start of the year and is proving to be a great addition.
“It is important to have a master technician in the workshop who knows the equipment inside and out and is willing to share his knowledge with the rest of the team,” said Neil.
significant orders for purpose built
trailers which save time when the crane gets to site.
There is plenty of experience in the TRT Australia team, including Neil himself.
“There’s no doubting that experience in the crane industry equates to credibility. Our customers are invested in TRT and know our advice ensures they receive the right crane for their particular purposes,” he said.
“Between Troy Hand, Cranes Sales and Pacific Island Manager, Brendan ‘Cooky’ Cook, Cranes Sales and myself, we have over 90 years of experience in the industry and that certainly reassures our customers and sees them come back and purchase from us time and time again.
“Cooky has been on board for 12 months and brings a wealth of experience in the pick and carry range of cranes. Troy is very experienced in every aspect of cranes. He is technically minded and experienced in crane service and repairs. This experience and ‘crane know how’ provides us with a deep understanding of what our customers require, they know and trust us which is exactly what we want,” said Neil.
“For the first time, we recently employed a full time Marketing Co-ordinator in Australia. Previously all our marketing was managed from New Zealand.
“Binita gives us a day-to-day focus on marketing, she visits customers with our sales team to get a better understanding of what’s required from a marketing perspective. Already she is proving to be a great addition to our team,” said Neil.
TRT’s investment isn’t just in personnel.
“Another example of our ongoing investment are the six new service vehicles we recently put on the road, and there are more to follow. The mix of vans and utes ensure we have the right equipment on hand depending on the role of the service technician,” said Neil.
Much of Neil’s approach to business is based on customer feedback. He ensures his team asks questions and listens to the answers and bases his business strategies on this feedback.
“The ‘customer experience’, positive or otherwise, is always received constructively. We work closely with customers and work hard to develop all aspects of our business to provide them with the best service.” Neil said.
An example of how this approach paid dividends occurred recently one Saturday.
“Our customer Walz was in the middle of shut down for Millennium Mine. I’m fishing 30km offshore when I get a phone call, fortunately I had reception. I answered the phone, but not only have I answered, a technician in PNG answered, and two technicians answered at home.
“With our technical support online, we got the crane operating quickly and within three hours we were able to fly a technician and the part out to site, replace the part and check the machine to ensure there wouldn’t be further problems,” said Neil.
The response from the customer, provided here, was very positive.
“The level of support and reaction time, getting a technician mobilised to the site was commendable. It’s comforting to know we can rely on TRT and the knowledge of your personnel. Thanks for the support Neil, and the TRT team.”
Neil says this is the service that TRT Australia prides itsself on.
“That’s an example of the experience from one customer which continues to buy equipment and the brands we deliver. Walz has ordered its fourth TIDD and they operate Groves and Kobelcos in their fleet.
“Our approach to support is paramount to the business and over the last six to eight months customers are really beginning to understand what this approach means.
“They can ring the GM on a Saturday or Sunday and he’ll pick up as will his service technicians and key sales personnel; they know we are here to help and support our customers, that’s what we are about,” said Neil.
He moves on to discuss developments around the TIDD pick and carry range and how successful this has been with customers.
“The major positive we are seeing with the TIDD product is that each time a customer buys a crane, they will normally buy a second, third, fourth or up to their sixth TIDD.
“And we are seeing that once operators are in the TIDD, they enjoy the crane.
Management and crane owners understand the vital safety features to protect their assets whilst the operators enjoy all abilities of the crane – said to be the most manoeuvrable Pick and Carry crane in the market, while maintaining outstanding lifting performance with the PC28-2 and un-compromised roadability.
Plus, customers know when they are dealing with TRT and its dealership network, they will get second to none product support.
“Nothing is too big a task, we have the parts in stock around the country and in New Zealand and we have the service technicians to support the growing population. TRT carries a large array of spare parts for all our products, including TIDD, Grove, Manitowoc and Kobelco, and our technicians are factory trained and ready to go,” said Neil.
Company culture is a strong theme throughout the TRT New Zealand operation and Neil has been working hard to develop a similar culture locally.
“A key part of my role is to support each of our employees, to ensure they come to work in a positive frame of mind because they believe TRT is a great business. We celebrate our wins, and we work through our challenges. We are outwardly focused supporting our wide network of customers and inwardly focused on the growth of our staff. I like to think TRT is a great workplace,” he said.
Neil continues to discuss the development of the TIDD range in terms of addressing the changing Australian Design Rules (ADRs) relating to vehicle emissions.
“New emission standards will be here in 2024 which has meant our design and engineering teams have been seriously focused on engine change to meet the standards, and this is an exciting place for us. At the same time, they are adding other developments and innovations to our TIDD range which are based on customer feedback. These developments will ensure we continue delivering products specifically designed to meet the challenges our customers face daily,” he said.
The recent TIDD PC28-2 upgrade has been received positively by the industry.
“We released the PC28-2 upgrade earlier in the year which has been well received. The great thing including our existing PC28 owners from the upgrade. We found a solution which provided a upgrade to a more powerful front suspension cylinder providing the increase performance lifting upgrade.
“We’ve seen on average, a 17% greater lifting capacity in the load charts operating on articulated or side slope.
“In some areas it’s up to 44%, so it’s a really significant upgrade. And for the cost of the upgrade, it’s relatively small compared to the results customers are seeing. Currently, we are getting in front of PC28 customers to explain the upgrade, so they are able to experience the latest innovation and the same lifting capacity as our PC28-2,” said Neil.
The TRT distributor network is critical in terms of new cranes sales product, and after sales and service. Neil explains more.
“Obviously the Baden Davis Crane Connection has been fantastic for our products in New South Wales. We have a very close relationship with Anthony and Ben and Troy, Brendan and myself, visit their yard as often as we can.
“We have dealer meetings every month and everyone in our dealer network attends. We rely on dealer feedback because they’re listening to and supporting our customers every day,” said Neil.
“Dealer feedback from Ronco in WA, Complete Crane Solutions up in the top end WA, RMB Services is SA, and JDM in Melbourne is critical to ensuring our machines continue to grow and develop.”
“With the TIDD product, we are focused on providing our customers with a solution that delivers in their workplace. And at the end of the day, the PC28-2 is a fantastic machine. It features critical benefits through various TRT innovations, like the CTI and Slew Safe. It has a 28t lifting capacity with it’s narrower design and 44 degree articulation to get into tighter areas.
“The front suspension is more like an all terrain suspension cylinder providing additional advantages. King Cranes is a TIDD customer and he’s about to take delivery of a third crane. He drove his first two cranes over 1,000km, from our TRT depot in Brisbane to his home base up to the Whitsundays, demonstrating the machines quality and how comfortable the ride is.
Over the last 12 months the Kobelco range, including telescopic crawlers, has proved very popular particularly within the construction sector.
“We’ve seen a real flurry of cranes being delivered into the foundation and piling sector. The Kobelco range of crawlers are based on traditional Japanese engineering and manufacturing and cope with the rugged nature of the piling industry. Kobelcos are operating on many of the infrastructure projects. We are also excited to see new orders from major crane hire companies as well,” said Neil.
TRT is also having significant success providing ‘turnkey solutions’ for customers.
“TRT is unique in that we design and manufacture the TIDD pick and carry and we provide all terrain cranes with the Grove product, tele and lattice crawlers with Kobelco and large capacity lattice boom crawlers with Manitowoc. We also design and manufacture support equipment like counterweight trailers, platform trailers to carry all your equipment needs and crane pads to provide ‘turnkey solutions’ for our customers with nothing off limits.
“Recently, we successfully secured orders for a series of bespoke trailers for transport companies working in the renewable energy sector. We already have customers operating a significant number of purpose designed built trailers. Borger Crane Hire for example, operates upwards of 100 specifically designed TRT trailers and is about to receive a significant number of Kobelcos.
“We are working hard in a tough environment We want the industry to know, we are here to provide complete solutions for our customers,” said Neil.
READ MORE: TRT’s comprehensive crane major inspections and rebuilding solutions.
READ MORE: Baden Davis offer ‘Try Before You Buy’ policy for TIDD PC28.