A Partnership with Doosan

Published:12/12/2016
Media Type:Article

Tags: Develon, In the news

Brand loyalty is a hard cycle to break. Whether it’s Toyota vs. Nissan, Holden vs. Ford or Honda vs. Yamaha, it will usually be decided by your experience with just one of the two products, be it good or bad. Have a bad experience and you generally won’t go back for more heartache. Sometimes however, as humans we just want to run with the crowd and do the popular thing, unwilling to buck the trend. But then there are those with an entrepreneurial mindset that don’t worry what anyone else thinks, they just go about their business on their terms. These are the pioneers and captains of industry.

One such entrepreneur is Peter Hall. A prime example of ‘‘my business, my way’’ within the construction industry. As co-founder and now sole owner of P&B Plant Hire based in south-east Queensland, Peter has overseen the growth and evolution of his business over the past 17 years since its inception in 1999. Having started with just one Daewoo 28 ton excavator that was bought second-hand, Peter immediately developed an admiration for the quality and reliability of the then ‘‘Daewoo’’ product.

In 2005 Doosan acquired Daewoo Heavy Industries and Machinery, quickly rebranding the construction equipment brand as ‘‘Doosan’’. As we go to print, P&B Plant Hire have just acquired their 46th Doosan machine. EEM caught up with Peter to discuss his loyalty to the Doosan product and to gain an understanding of the methodologies behind the success and sustainable growth of P&B Plant Hire.

The first thing you notice when you meet Peter is his relaxed nature. Peter seems to genuinely enjoy what he does and takes personal pride in not only the success of the business, but the success of his staff. In an industry where we regularly see other businesses fail, we asked Peter to share his recipe for success in the heavy construction hire game. Peter says: “It’s pretty simple isn’t it, keep your overheads low and provide a better product or service than your competitors’’. Peter went on to say “.... you need to keep your operating costs low, and build a good reputation for reliability with your customers so they keep coming back’’.

When we ask what level of influence “equipment brand’’ has on the success of his business, Peter has the following response: “I don’t think it matters a whole lot what brand you buy, I buy Doosans because of the run we’ve had with them... I just can’t fault them, they’re good on fuel, they don’t give an ounce of trouble, my operators love the way they dig and the back-up service I get from Clark Equipment is brilliant”. He adds: “We were buying Doosans when the previous dealer had them, but since Clark Equipment took them over a few years back, the support has lifted again”.

In response to our question on his method when it comes to his plant strategy, he says: “I just run excavators and wheel loaders, that’s it. We don’t own graders because good operators are too hard to come by, dozers are too expensive to repair and compaction equipment is too cut throat.

Everyone knows it, so the smart money is in the excavator and wheel loader market, which makes it competitive too.... On average, our machines will do about 1,800 hours per year and we plan to turn them over at around the four-year/6,000 hour mark, but you can’t always do that. Work is up and down so you have to be able to react to the market, which is easier to do when you can buy reliable equipment that the operators and customers like, for a better price than the competition are paying elsewhere. We do most of our own servicing in-house, and we’re firm believers that a good preventative maintenance program will do exactly that, prevent the need for further maintenance.”

When we ask him about his decision go with Doosan again for the 46th time, Peter explains: “it’s a pretty straightforward transaction with Clark Equipment. I have a good rapport with everyone, particularly Andy McLeod, the rep. that I deal with. They’re always fair with me, they tell you exactly what’s going on and they deliver what they say they will. That’s how I like doing business, that’s how we treat our customers, so I suppose I’m comfortable with it”.

Peter’s 46th Doosan purchase brings P&B’s current plant fleet to 28 units strong, and growing. With a mix of wet and dry hire predominantly in the civil construction industry, P&B Plant Hire’s Doosan fleet work in a wide array of applications, with multiple operators.

Given the transient nature of the workforce, their Doosan fleet has proven itself several times over. P&B Plant Hire have joined the league of Doosan converts worldwide who’ve seen the benefits of superior reliability and low operating costs.

The Doosan product line is sold and supported Australia-wide by Clark Equipment.

For a clearer understanding of the benefits offered by the Doosan product line, give Clark Equipment a call. 

Featured in Earthmoving Equipment Magazine, December 2016/January 2017 Edition