Quarry spoke to industrial equipment hire company Stratquip about its strategy of hiring people with industry experience rather than salespeople.
Mitchell Creighton fell in love with pumps and pipes at age 15, when he became a plumber.
He spent five years in the industry, working closely with high-pressure jets and pump systems. After a while, though, he was keen to try something more exciting, which is how he started working in the underground mining sector.
“I started working for a company that did ground consolidation, travelling around Queensland and New South Wales,” he told Quarry.
“Seeing rocks the size of buses falling was thrilling, and with me being a young fella, I made the decision to get out there and get amongst it.”
His plumbing background helped him as he walked the belt, inspecting the fish tanks, underground pumps and sumps, ensuring they were running efficiently.
“Eventually wanting to challenge myself, I went into open-cut mining, working with production drilling,” he said.
After moving from mining to the civil construction sector, Creighton saw an opportunity that was too good to give up: working as the operations manager at a quarrying and concrete company.
“I sunk my teeth into running a sand and basalt quarry and started to study for my quarry manager’s practising certificate,” he said.
“While it sounds like I’ve had more starts than Phar Lap, it’s because I love to challenge myself. So, when I saw a position open up at Stratquip, I jumped at it.”
Stratquip is a specialist hire company that supplies pump sets and ancillary equipment to the mining, quarrying, and civil construction industries.
The company has extensive experience when it comes to water transfer using a solutions-based approach.
Creighton had worked with the company before in a roundabout way. During his career working on mine sites and quarries, he used dewatering systems supplied by Truflo Pumps, Stratquip’s parent company.
Immediately, Creighton felt that the company would be a good fit for him.
“In the interview, as soon as it started, you could tell the vibe was very inviting,” he said.
“If you have an idea, the team will listen to you. If there’s something that doesn’t work, they help you find ways to improve it. They are very supportive.”
Experience makes the difference
Truflo Pumps’ marketing and sales coordinator Martin Hygemann said the company seeks out people like Creighton who have worked in the industry, not salespeople.
“We look for someone who has worked in a mine, quarry or infrastructure and understands what our customers really require. They understand the pain points,” he said.
“People like Mitchell give us a point of difference, because our customers know that we understand and can solve their problems.”
That knowledge of the industry is vital for a pump hire business. When a mine or quarry has had a major rain event, the site is stuck until the water is removed.
Creighton said there’s no room for excuses.
“A quarry or mine wants to see results. It’s go, go, go from the very first call,” he said.
“I can put myself in the shoes of the client; they need solutions, and they need them fast. There’s no time to run around like a headless chook, you’ve got to be ready for them, with what they need as soon as possible.”
Stratquip benefits from Truflo Pumps’ engineering support, which has been vital to finding the right solution. All it takes is for Stratquip’s team to call Truflo Pumps about a problem, and within half an hour, they could have a drawing ready with plans to begin fabrication.
In many cases, business development managers like Creighton can use their experience to help solve problems over the phone, without having to head to the site.
“If I get a phone call, sometimes I can tell there’s an easy fix. Not only is it a great feeling for me, but for a quarry or mine, they know they can get back to production much faster.
“When we go to a site, we can also spot potential issues and provide solutions that they might not have noticed.
“At the end of the day, we put ourselves in the shoes of the client and want to build a relationship with them; it’s not just thanks for your business, see you later.”
Stratquip Queensland branch manager Mark Edwards said this approach has led to a lot of repeat business.
“We’re proud of the vision we’ve created, and the quality of our commitment,” he said. “That’s why we’re building a bigger and better operation for our customers in the near future.”
The company plans to move into a new, purpose-built premises that is double the size of its current facility by October this year.
In addition, it is growing and upskilling its workforce to provide quicker turnarounds for maintenance, rebuilds and warranty work.
Edwards said this will minimise downtime for quarries and mines, which can’t risk any downtime when it comes to dewatering.
“We’re looking forward to having a brand-new workshop with advanced tools and equipment that will help us to continue providing exceptional service,” he said.
“This move puts us on the pathway for future success and builds a vision for a future that is bigger and better.” •
For more information, visit stratquip.com.au
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