A decade ago, a new company put itself forward to become a distributor for an international heavy equipment manufacturer – despite not having a business name or a facility.
Fast-forward ten years and Onetrak now employs 70 people and has locations in five Australian states.
The company, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in April, sells a range of machinery, with the mining and quarrying industries making up a large part of its business.
After it was appointed the Hyundai franchisee for Tasmania, the firm said it got off to a successful start thanks to booming general work and primary industry activity levels on the island, as well as customers keen to give the new kid on the block a go.
“Looking back, we were lucky to be appointed the dealer for Tasmania because at the time we did not even have a name, let alone a facility – just a very thorough business plan and some established networks,” managing director David Hazell recalled.
“It astounds me when I think of the growth the company has achieved in the last 10 years.”
Within a couple of years, Onetrak accepted an offer from Hyundai to take on the franchises for Victoria and south east New South Wales – a big step up as it meant tripling both the number of sites and staff.
The expansion happened just six months before the global financial crisis struck but despite this setback the company was able to weather the storm and continued to grow.
Over the years it has expanded its product range to include items from manufacturers not in direct competition with Hyundai, such as hydraulic rockbreakers from Alicon/Daemo, Berco and ETR undercarriage and Robotec material handling attachments.
In 2014, the firm added the Dressta dozer product line to its inventory. Hazell said there has been “quite a bit of interest” in the equipment and Onetrak has already made some sales to general earthmoving contractors hired through local government.
He attributed his company’s longevity to “hardworking” staff, customer loyalty and the products themselves.
“The [Hyundai] brand is increasing in popularity as every year goes by. It is every bit as well recognised as its Japanese competitors,” Hazell said.
Reflecting on how the quarry industry has changed over the past decade, Hazell said quarry owners “are very well educated now and subsequently are more in the know with the choices they have available to them. That’s the change we have seen, which is not necessarily a bad thing”.
Onetrak’s facilities are in Tumut, New South Wales, Mt Gambier, South Australia, Bunbury, Western Australia, Brighton, Tasmania, and Hallam, Victoria.
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