Learn why the Lincom Group has recently expanded its presence with a new branch in South Australia.
Clint Hart understands what quarry managers are going through. He has spent the last eight years managing them.
But a few months ago, a new opportunity came knocking. The Lincom Group, a specialist company that supplies the quarry industry with crushing equipment, conveyors, and more, was looking to expand its presence in South Australia and the Northern Territory.
“The interesting thing about the quarrying industry, is that every cubic metre of dirt is different,” Hart told Quarry. “There’s no one-size-fits-all solution.”
“I saw the role as a great opportunity for me. I’ve been involved with quarrying for about 16 years, and I have an understanding about what quarries need when it comes to equipment, personnel, parts, and reliability.”
The new branch, located in Wingfield, Adelaide, is part of Lincom’s strategy of strengthening its relationships with customers throughout the region. The facility was selected for its strategic location, that provides easy access to major highways.
The warehouse is stocked with a comprehensive range of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts as well as quality spare parts sourced locally.
The company’s CEO, Stephen Watterson, said throughout Lincom’s history, it has been a priority to expand its reach across all major Australian cities, with a sharp focus on delivering exactly what customers need, when they need it most.
“Our Adelaide branch embodies this philosophy perfectly,” he said. “Our success is built on a foundation of exceptional customer service and the simple yet powerful idea that being closer to our customers is paramount.”
Closer to customers
Previously, Lincom supported its SA and NT customers from its Victorian and Queensland branches. Spare parts were shipped out from the main branch in Brisbane, or from Ballarat.
With the establishment of the new warehouse, spare parts are stored significantly closer to customers.
Hart said there have already been situations where he has been able to take parts out of the warehouse and deliver it to site personally in a matter of hours instead of days.
“Downtime in the quarry industry is quite expensive – one cog can derail the rest of the outfit,” he said.
“If equipment isn’t running, that means the plant isn’t producing. If an operation is producing around 1000 tonnes of material a day for example, then goes down for three days, that’s a fair bit of missed production and material at a cost.”
“Having replacement parts available quickly is vital. Our parts team can work out what our clients require and how quickly they can get it to them.”
For the NT, this is even more important. Many quarries in the territory are quite remote when compared with the east coast, so they need equipment that can be relied on.
Lincom’s expansion has freed up more resources within the company to cover the region and has begun to provide customers with targeted support already.
Hart and the Lincom team have made visiting NT quarries a priority.
“These give us an understanding about our current customer base and what it could look like in future,” he said.
“We’re in discussions about who we can be working with up there to store parts even closer to customers. Moving forward, we want to supply them more frequently to what they’ve previously experienced.
“In places like Katherine, trucks will go straight though to Darwin, get unloaded, then head back down. We want to know what people have on their sites, what the most common parts they need, and support the market.”
Training and support
One unique support offering that Lincom has available is a Technical Institute that opened in April at its Narangba facility in Queensland.
Here, clients can get up close and personal with Lincom equipment and undertake in-depth training to further understand and utilise equipment.
This training is part of the group’s belief that to use equipment properly requires more than just a basic understanding. This is why the company has designed programs from beginners to professionals to provide a thorough understanding of the equipment’s fundamental systems, coupled with practical tips and techniques for maintenance.
Hart said customers in SA and NT have and will be invited to make use of the facility.
“It’s been an eye-opener for some of the customers I’ve caught up with,” he said. “Our customers can now visit the training centre, work through different diagnostic and problem-solving exercises with our equipment and improve their skills.”
“While it’s only been open for a few months at this stage, it’s been really popular. As a previous quarry manager myself, it’s a strong step – Lincom is one of the first in the industry to do something like this.”
Hart said the industry response to the new branch has been heartwarming, with customers throughout the region excited to see the investment.
In particular, he’s proud of how much the company as a whole has focused on providing support for its customers.
“I can see Lincom having more of a major impact on the market. Customer support is their top priority,” he said.
“I’ve seen what it’s like when you’re trying to run a quarry without that support and am glad that caring for customers is just as important for Lincom Group as it is for me.”
This article was published in the November issue of the Quarry magazine.