It’s no secret that unplanned equipment failure often leads to catastrophic halts in production, no matter the scale of the application. Time spent waiting on parts, technicians, and answers proves costly even before replacement components need to be sourced, which can have flow-on effects that negatively impact end-user satisfaction.
Many industrial projects around Australia take place in remote locations, distanced from retail hubs or easy access to engineering workshops. Whether it’s on a farm, highway, mine site or processing plant, it’s difficult to act quickly without reliable and accessible resources.
In response to these challenges, the 1800 HOSE VAN initiative was born – a nationally distributed mobile hydraulic repair and installation service. Established by Hardy Spicer in 1998, this ever-expanding fleet of service vans is operated by experienced franchisees with a comprehensive understanding of hydraulic engineering.
“It’s more than just an emergency hose repair service,” says Ollie Matheson, National Sales Manager for 1800 HOSE VAN. “We’re a company with over 70 years of experience working on industrial plants and equipment across all industries. Each locally licensed operator has the skills and knowledge to ensure timely and reliable installation or repair of hose products.”
According to Ollie, the business attends to equal rates of mobile repair and OEM installation services. With a wide-reaching coverage of mobile service vehicles, 1800 HOSE VAN attends do emergency hydraulic concerns 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Additionally, they position themselves as an ideal partner for hydraulic installation, modification, and parts supply.
“The support that each of our technicians provides is extremely diverse, ranging from agriculture and pharmaceutical to manufacturing and heavy mining operations” says Ollie. “For example, one of our metro operators doe’s a lot of work with a large-scale excavator OEM, while simultaneously servicing production equipment at a food manufacturing facility. Our offering is designed to be flexible and tailored to each industry’s specific requirements.”
Our operators are have a diverse range of skills another example has been a recent hydraulic support on arborist machinery for highway-adjacent tree cutting. Backed by a knowledge of electronics and pipework, the 1800 HOSE VAN team was able to make amendments to the design, allowing the machine to articulate at different angles while raised.
“Too often we see asset failure that can be prevented with hose audits our team members are extensively trained for fitouts and product selection making our hose audits a valuable resource to preventing costly downtime with lost production.”
To ensure premium lifespan and performance of every fitout, the network uses Gates’ portfolio of durable, high-performance hydraulic hoses and accessories on all jobs. This joint partnership began in 2015, to bolster the brand’s channel to market and provide 1800 HOSE VAN with consistent stock availability.
A key part of what makes Gates’ hoses ideal is their commitment to product quality and innovation. The Gates MXT and MXG range allows our operators to consolidate their hose inventory, with 30% lighter weight and 40% less force to bend ratio from conventional hose gives both the operator and customer benefits of routing efficiencies, running costs and longevity.
For mobile service operators these keys factors are important, says Sean Babbage, General Manager – Flow Technologies at Motion Australia.
“Our operation is all about reducing our customers downtime though breakdown maintenance that is set to last,” he explains. “The precision of the Gates componentry reduces overall cost of ownership for 1800 Hosevan operators because their ability to hold less componentry and cover more applications.
“The support of the Motion Australia network makes it even easier for customers, because we can liaise with local branches to get the right parts at the right time,” he furthers. “It’s a partnership of trust – instead of calling on an unknown local technician, most industrial businesses already know of or source products through us, so there’s a confidence that our mobile vans are best equipped to solve their challenge.”
1800 HOSE VAN is always on the lookout for experienced hydraulic experts to join this established national service, says Ollie, who encourages those interested in the franchise programme to reach out.
“The best thing about this type of work is that no day looks the same. Each technician is supported with product training and is backed by the support of a world-leading brand. We’re a collection of local operators focused on local needs, and it’s an exciting opportunity to apply industry knowledge where it counts.”
To learn more about 1800 HOSE VAN franchising opportunities around Australia, click here.
