Cover story: Attach2

Date: 06.12.2021

The story behind the success of Attach2—a well-known brand in the earthmoving industry

The story or idea behind Attach2 was "to challenge the norm", says Logan Hamlin, Attach2’s sales manager.

"It was common for attachments to require modifications to fit a digger, which may have had a limited pick-up range if it had a quick hitch.

"My father-in-law, Joe Hart, was a contractor most of his life, and when buying attachments, he always said: ‘Does it come with a free grinder?’  

"It was his understanding of what contractors wanted that started Attach2. Originally, he was hiring out gear and found attachments to be a real problem in the business, and with hire, he had a few machines, so he thought, why not build it better and keep us busy at the same time? That’s where it began, and it went on from there."

A team of 70 designs and builds attachments

And so, like most well-established businesses, Attach2 began by solving a problem that most were encountering in the industry; they made sure attachments were built in such a way that they fit correctly the first time.

Attach2 built up their initial portfolio of products by designing and engineering specifically for common models and pin specifications.

"We started with just rippers and then buckets back in 2004. Today, we’re supplying hitches, grabs, buckets, and general attachments for excavators one to 40 tonnes, covering every major brand available in New Zealand and Australia," says Logan.

Logan adds they also sought to challenge other ‘norms’ in the attachment supply business, such as supply times by building their attachments ahead of time to meet demand, rather than when an order was placed. The business planned ahead as accurately as possible, which was not something that had been done to a great extent by manufacturers before.

"Generally, attachments were built once an order was placed and waiting weeks for it to be ready was standard business practice. By ensuring we were maintaining stock levels, Attach2 reduced wait times from weeks to just days," says Logan. "We also weren’t afraid to try different things, think of different ways we could improve attachments, or bring new ones to market.

"Back in 2011, we introduced the Multi Grab Bucket, and to begin with, people were very sceptical of it. But now, it’s common to see contractors using one, and the implement has earned itself a place in the ‘toolkit’ of attachments. In 2018, we released the All in One Bucket and in 2020 the Mini-Tilt, which we’re both different from the traditional but offered contractors more choice and enabled them to do things differently."

A look behind the curtain

Logan explains how Attach2 goes about designing and building attachments with 70-plus people located in New Zealand and Australia, along with an international supply chain; it certainly is more complex than at first glance from visiting their Masterton head office.

"As we’ve scaled, more models, more excavators to fit, and importantly feedback from users, we’ve refined our products and build—all of which has been well received.

Attach2 built up their initial portfolio of products by designing and engineering specifically for common models and pin specifications

"We’re not afraid to say that in the beginning, our products and processes had some rough edges, but no company’s first products are ever their best. By working with our partners and customers, we’ve continuously improved on our attachments so that now we’re only making small tweaks to issues that aren’t immediately obvious, but all add up to the best products out there, and we’re thankful to our customers for working with us to help improve all the time," says Logan.

Incremental improvements

When discussing incremental improvements, Logan mentions they are always proud of the quality and specification of Attach2’s attachment design—one of the most tangible benefits for users.

"We build all our attachments from a mix of steels, taking advantage of different steel properties to provide rigidity in the right areas and flex in others. It’s what really makes a difference, and a bucket is no longer just a bucket," he says.

Attach2 has more than 300 unique product models

"By using structural steel, high-tensile, and wear rated steel, we’ve improved our attachment’s ability to flex where needed, resist abrasion, and handle high load. This applies to more than just our buckets, and we apply it to our hitches and grabs, too. Little things such as up-spec’d cylinders, actuators, and pivot pins all provide extra strength and performance, something you would never know until you buy an attachment that has saved costs on these things."

How it’s all put together

Speaking of how Attach2 designs the products, Logan says, "With more than 300 unique product models, it’s a huge task planning it all in. We have a long and varied international supply chain, from steel suppliers to hydraulics and actuators. To maintain quality and consistency, we choose partners carefully and partner directly with them, allowing us a direct link to work with them on what we need. Then finally, in New Zealand and Australia, we’re assembling and prepping ready for their respective markets with each taking the lead on different product lines," he says.

Like most businesses in the industry and country, Attach2 says their supply chain has been affected by the global supply challenges.

A key value proposition is that customer service is more important than the product

"Like most other manufacturers, we rely on international shipping to source materials and special components. We’ve been fortunate that we have the scale to justify a robust supplier network, and even though we have slowed down a bit, our goal is to deliver in just three days with 90% availability. Recent events have stretched that, but like all challenges and ‘norms’, we’re looking to overcome it, and we’re catching up. And if anyone is buying off us, we’re making sure they’re well informed of lead times and stock, whatever helps them," says Logan.

Service is more important than the product

"Something we’ve learned along the way, some hard lessons, too, is that support is more important than the product," says Logan. "Companies and people try to hide from mistakes or even say they’ve never had any, but if you’re going, to be honest, there will always be a problem or mistake that comes about. It’s not the problem; it’s how you deal with it, something that we are very passionate about."

A recent independent market study (Reload Australia, 2021 Market Research undertaken on behalf of Attach2) conducted also indicates that Attach2 has been fulfilling the promise of backing up their product with service.

Logan Hamlin, Attach2’s sales manager

The study surveyed purchasers who voted Attach2 as having the best service out of attachment suppliers.

"We’ve built up a dedicated service team in both countries. This year alone, we brought on another six people to the customer services team, which underpins not only our three-year warranty promise but also if users and dealers need information or anything else we can supply that quickly," says Logan.

A different take on things

In the past 12 years, Attach2 started as a relative newcomer with a completely different take on doing things, whether it be how they ensure fitment and faster delivery, through to new product lines says Logan.

"Making it easy is our driving thinking behind our business: how do we make it easier? Is there something we’re missing? By working with our partners and customers, we understand what they need from us as a supplier and how we can meet that challenge for them. Just like how they’re meeting the challenges of their customers."

For more information, contact 0800 100 683, sales@attach2.com or visit attach2.com. 

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