Chris Jones: "If you can't find it, we will!"

Finding good quality used machinery in the earthmoving, materials handling and transport industries is a time-consuming and difficult task.

Chris Jones of Adelaide-based CityState Machinery specialises in this field, promising customers in Australia and overseas that "if you can't find it, we will!"

It's a promise he's managed to keep since the age of 19 when he set up his own business as a machinery dealer, 30 years ago.

He recently supplied cranes to Pakistan and graders to India, and has supplied over 600 earth-moving machines to indigenous communities in Australia. The company is also adept at providing specialist equipment to remote mining locations.

The company's success, says Jones, is based on its longevity in the trade. "After three decades spent sourcing the right equipment for your customers, you pick up a thing or two," he jokes.

Vital to its success is the company's awareness of the various trends affecting the market. For example, it now leases a small amount of equipment on a long-term hire basis. "There have been significant changes in the industry such as the move by corporate business to hire rather than buy their equipment, and we have to adapt accordingly," explains Jones.

Another challenge faced by the company is the influx of cheaper Asian product.
"Sometimes companies can buy a new product, albeit of poor quality, for the same price as a good quality, used machine from us. It can be a costly experience for them by the time they realise that the locally sourced product from our company would have been the best solution."