Hidromek equipment has been domiciled in New Zealand for seven years. Deals on Wheels finds out why the distributor first decided to release the brand locally.
The Hidromek brand first landed on New Zealand shores in 2018 and has found a niche following at the top-end of the heavy equipment market, thanks to the dedication of machinery supplier Magnum Equipment.
The journey towards Hidromek started around 2016, when Magnum Equipment founder and director Liam Field had a tense conversation with one of his machinery suppliers.
“Back then we had been selling secondhand equipment for quite a few years and ran this alongside our sister business Magnum Hire,” says Liam. “A portion of the machinery we sold was the ex-hire stock.”
Things come to a head
“We used to buy a lot of new machines for Magnum Hire, but I got disillusioned with the brands as they were setting up their own hire divisions.”
Things eventually came to a head one day when a supplier’s sales rep confronted Liam.
“He said to me: ‘Liam you need to understand that we will be a big player in the hire game and will go head-to-head with you’. So, not only were they wanting to compete with me they wanted to sell me their machines to compete with.”
“As soon as he said that I escorted him out the door and asked a staff member to book me on a flight to the upcoming Bauma Show.”
Figuring, that instead of buying machinery from a distributor in New Zealand, he would try and secure a brand of his own, Liam jetted off to Europe in search of a manufacturer.
For those in the know, Bauma Europe is one of the world’s leading trade fairs for construction and allied industry equipment, where more that 3500 exhibitors from over 50 countries display their goods and services.
“The show is huge and manufacturers from all over the world attend,” says Liam. “I knew what we needed, it was just a matter of finding something durable enough for our hire fleet and ideally a brand that we could market in New Zealand as well. I came up trumps.”
Grabbing his attention
Liam says that his eyes lit up when he located the Hidromek stand. “As soon as I rounded the corner and saw the white and black machinery on display, it got my attention,” he says. “I was aware of the brand, but didn’t know a lot about it. I quickly found out that they sell into something like 130 countries, so they are not small-time manufacturers by any means.”
“The thing is, you walk around any Hidromek machine and tap the panels, then look at the solid construction of the undercarriages of the excavators and it doesn’t take long to realise that they are very well-made pieces of equipment with steel that is heavier gauge than what we are used to seeing.”
Going along with the solid build quality, Liam cites the well-known suppliers that make up the engine and hydraulic componentry of the Hidromek machines.
“If you look at the excavators for example, they run Isuzu engines and Kawasaki pumps,” he says. “In New Zealand, you can easily buy parts for this stuff. It’s not like you have to wait weeks for something to arrive from overseas.”
Feedback direct to manufacturer
With his curiosity satisfied, Liam returned to New Zealand to get everything prepared for the new brand. “We were already well set up to market new equipment. It was just a matter of ensuring we could accommodate the spare parts and learn what we could about Hidromek machinery.”
Part of the learning process included trips to Hidromek HQ in Ankara, Turkey, where Liam says he was impressed by the quality of the factories.
“The factories were amazing. You could eat your dinner off the floor. I found out they make their excavators in just two factories and to me this sounded better than a bunch of places around the globe assembling machines. These days most buyers haven’t got the slightest clue where their machines are made.”
“Hidromek also wanted to know how we wanted the New Zealand machines setup, and for this I was able to give feedback directly from our clients, which they took onboard. I’d like to see someone try and do that with some of the other brands out there. All the way through our journey, we’ve been able to deliver good constructive feedback.”
First machines arrive
By late 2017, the first ten machines had been ordered, and Magnum Equipment staff eagerly awaited their arrival, which happened early in 2018.
“The whole process was relatively straightforward and everything arrived undamaged and in excellent condition,” says Liam. “We went with excavators first as we needed machinery for our hire fleet and kept a few aside to demonstrate for customers. Some of them were already aware of the brand and had heard good things, so were keen to try the equipment out on their jobs.
“We knew we were releasing a high-quality machine that was speced for the top end of the market, so if buyers weren’t owners operating the machines themselves, they would have their top people behind the controls. We were interested to see how they would be received.”
Next month: The first machines hit Kiwi job sites.
For more information, visit magnumequipment.co.nz
Images from DOW library