New TDX CEO Greg Slaughter shares his vision for the future, from electric machinery and Yanmar innovations to customer service and industry growth
Bringing over 20 years of senior leadership experience in the environmental and infrastructure sectors, new TDX CEO Greg Slaughter says that the ability to deliver quality machinery customers can trust is always enhanced by the people delivering and supporting those machines.
Yes, says TDX chief executive officer, Greg Slaughter, you always need world class products in your showrooms in order to be a successful distributor. But, he adds, it’s the people in those showrooms – and service centres – up and down the country that adds the extra magic.
“In the past I’ve been on the other side, managing fleets and buying machines. As a customer you want maximum uptime and minimal hassle, and before I arrived, I already knew TDX enjoyed a solid reputation when it comes to those deliverables,” says Greg.
“I say ‘world class products and people’, but actually it’s the ‘people’ part of that which should come first. No, you won’t get far if your gear isn’t up to the task. But without great people, how do your customers get to experience great products? I think TDX’s people are absolutely world class, which is just as important as those famous logos on our machines.”
With a career path that has seen him working for Fulton Hogan, Fletchers, Holcim and, most recently, Waste Management, Greg says there aren’t many parts of the multifaceted TDX business he isn’t immediately familiar with. However, those divisions that are new to him have proven real eye-openers.
“Forestry is new to me, as is stevedoring. I’ve now had the opportunity to get out into the field and meet customers from those sectors and they’re both fascinating industries. They share similarities too, in terms of the criticalness of both time and safety inherent in each,” he says.
“I visited the Port of Tauranga recently with C3 and Qube and was hugely impressed by the sheer volume of freight going through the port. It’s a very tangible reminder of the country’s manufacturers creating prosperity for New Zealand through exports.”
On home soil, Greg is under no illusions as to the domestic market challenges the heavy machinery industry faces as a whole. But he’s also positive about the opportunities ahead.
“It has been a pretty tough market across the board, but we know there is plenty of work in the pipeline. For TDX, as with our competitors, the challenge is how do we order for the future when we know that there is work on the horizon, but balance that by not holding onto too much stock?
“We need to get better as an industry at forecasting work and demand. There are obviously legislative complexities in this, but at the end of the day we know that the work is out there, so I’m positive we’ll continue to ensure our customers are tooled up and ready to go when the time comes.”
Those tools of trade have certainly evolved in recent years, with TDX brands such as Volvo Construction Equipment and FUCHS Material Handlers forging new paths into electromobility.
“The interest in electric equipment has been strong, and we have a number of orders for machines such as the Volvo L120 Electric wheel loader coming in, which is fantastic,” says Greg.
“The first machine to arrive in the country went to work for Fulton Hogan as a case study, and its performance has been very positive. This isn’t just a ‘green tick’ machine for Fulton Hogan – when you factor in running costs, they offer a real-world whole-of-life financial solution.”
On the electric crawler excavator side of the ledger, Greg says the Volvo JEC230 Electric has likewise gained plenty of interest among Kiwi contractors. Increasingly, the mix of high power, low noise and lower vibration that electric machines offer operators is resulting in much more enquiry.
“We’ll be showcasing the latest Volo technology, including the electric offerings like the L120 loader and EC230 excavator, at our Volvo Experience event early next year. I’m really looking forward to the ‘show and tell’ aspect of this, as it lets people get up close with these machines and see the benefits for themselves.”
Another recent arrival in TDX’s portfolio, FUCHS, demonstrates similar properties. Greg says it was a no-brainer for the distributor to add the German brand to its line-up when the opportunity arose.
“FUCHS offers comfortable and safe machines. They’re easy to maintain and every single model that doesn’t move comes with a plug-in option. They’re robust all-rounder material handlers and will be a great solution for scrap and recycling operators.”
While the need for new technologies on the job site is a given for the modern civil construction industry, having bulletproof machine solutions that simply get on with the task at hand is also vital. And alongside all the opportunities that electromobility and improved telematics offer, Greg says TDX remains immensely proud of the rugged hardware on the ground.
“At the end of the day you can’t go past the honesty and reliability of our roster of brands. This is easily exemplified by Yanmar,” he says. “Yanmar has been part of the TDX family for coming up 15 years now and they’ve been making compact machinery for decades. We’ll soon be introducing new machines from Yanmar that we believe will be game changers.”
Greg says the incoming 8.6-tonne Yanmar SV86-7 compact excavator will deliver ‘big excavator’ power and comfort within a much smaller footprint for contractors, while an entire line-up of new Yanmar TL compact track loaders will offer serious value-for-money to the industry.
“The TL range is built for reliability and efficiency – they’re perfect examples of what Yanmar does so well and we’re looking forward to getting them out in front of customers.”
With 18 branches around the country, Greg says he’s confident TDX’s sales and support offering will continue to serve customers all over New Zealand. In fact, one of his first jobs upon coming onboard at the end of August, was to get out and visit the network.
“That’s where you see the real evidence of good customer service – out in the branches. Our customers have demanding needs and if there’s an issue, then they expect it to be prioritised and addressed.
“I think one of the things that has always impressed me about TDX is the culture of proactive, clear communication with our customers. I’ve had the benefit of being on the customer side of the equation and, even before this opportunity presented itself, I knew that a dedication to fronting up with real people and real solutions is absolutely what TDX does for its customers,” Greg concludes.
“The people here – their knowledge and their passion for the product – it’s absolutely unbeatable throughout the organisation. It’s up to me to lead the team as we build on that legacy and reputation, and that’s an extremely exciting proposition.”
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