 Tampitt Forks specialises in Hyster forklift service, repairs and sales. |
When it comes to hard times, country folk appear to be more resilient, observes new country convert Trevor Brown of Tampitt Forks in Tamworth.
He tells Forkliftaction.com News that the people just get on with their businesses and seem less vulnerable than their city counterparts in the current economic slowdown.
Having spent most of his life living and working in Sydney, Brown opted for a tree-change for himself and his young family and made the move to the rural town of Tamworth in 2007.
As sales manager of Tampitt Forks, Brown offers some good old-fashioned country advice on how he operates in the forklift industry: "Be honest with your customers. Tell them the truth. Listen to what they need and treat each one as an individual."
Tampitt Forklifts, established 14 years ago, is the only forklift company in Tamworth that services the whole of the New England area, providing repairs and rentals, and a range of second-hand and new forklifts, attachments and accessories in a variety of different brands.
"Hyster is still a favourite though," adds Brown, having spent 15 years in Sydney working with one of the major forklift manufacturers in the industry.
Brown started his career with Nacco in 1994 as an order picker in the spare parts warehouse before becoming a spare parts interpreter involved in diagnostic work. He became spare parts manager in 2002 for Yale Products and then moved into the aftermarket products and servicing sector until 2007, when he left the company to move to Tamworth.
Brown believes the current economic challenges will result in fewer privately owned companies in the Australian forklift industry. "Over the next 18 months, I think we'll see a number of privately owned companies getting out of the business for good. The major players will be fine and they'll actually increase market share as the smaller players leave."
He says the forklift lease business is "taking strain at the moment" due to the increase of second-hand equipment on the market as a result of companies going insolvent. "The market is being flooded with second-hand units and prices are down so many businesses are choosing to buy rather than lease equipment."
Another issue still of concern to the local market, says Brown, is the challenge of Chinese-made forklifts. "They're cheaper than the European machines, but are not built to last more than five years so we get a lot of phone calls from desperate owners, complaining that they can't get spare parts and there is no service available."
He believes there needs to be more governance on the safety standards and spare parts availability of these products before being allowed to be brought in and sold.
His personal motto on surviving the downturn is to keep focus and continue to listen to the changing needs of customers' day-to-day operations.
Brown is enthusiastic about the growing popularity of all-terrain forklifts in the market. "Out here in the country, we get so many enquiries about the new four-wheel drive forklifts that are being developed in France, Spain and Italy."