The move to transition and consolidate all the Australian-based businesses owned by Motion Asia Pacific into one singular business – Motion Australia – will translate to better services for customers in the agricultural and food and beverage industries, say industry experts.
“What’s exciting about this model, is that it will improve our product and service offering to customers under the ‘One Motion’, giving them better access to all of our active business streams, which each bring a specific set of skills, products and market-leading culture to the Paddock to Plate industries,” enthuses Grant Gray, who is the General Manager of National Sales at Motion Australia. “Having these businesses integrated and streamlined under the one banner – whether it be solutions in fluid transfer, sealing, power transmission, bearings, fastening or engineering – simplifies how customers do business with us, and will significantly improve our ability to cater to all their industrial needs.”
The businesses that will now operate under Motion Australia include AIP, BSC, CBC, Cram, Hardy Spicer, Seal Innovations, Sealing Solutions, SpecFast, Walterscheid and WebsterBSC. Grant says that while customers have historically been aware of the businesses, they may not have made the connection that they fall under the same organisation.
“We can now have discussions with our customers about other areas we can help them with. For example, in an agricultural application where we’ve traditionally supplied bearings or power transmission products, we can now offer hydraulics, specialty plastics, sealing solutions, a whole gamut of products and services that they may not have realised we had,” he elaborates. “We also have a clear line of sight on our supply chain, which enables us to work with our customers on delivering what they need. For agriculture this means we can help ensure they’ve got supply of spares for harvesting equipment, which has been critical for bumper cropping seasons. The move to ‘One Motion’ will enhance and strengthen our supply chain even further.”
Russell Randal, who is the National Business Development Manager for Agriculture at Motion Australia, is enthusiastic about how the transition to ‘One Motion’ will make life easier for his farming customers.
“It will open up a lot of opportunities in terms of a widening of product range, but also being able to leverage our supply chain will bring benefits to customers, such as shorter lead times on parts and spares,” says Russell, who is based in the Agricultural heartland, Wagga Wagga. “The challenge for farmers is that they need all hands in the field during harvest times. Offering a one-stop shop and trimming down the time spent locating the parts they need, is a big help.”
The Wagga Wagga branch in New South Wales already serves as an agricultural hub for the Riverina region where farming businesses come to as a ‘destination’ for all their equipment parts and maintenance needs. Russell believes this will be exemplified in other branches around the country under the one Motion Australia.
“We are able to offer specialised products and services in all these different streams of business, and for agricultural customers, it’s also having confidence that the quality of product is there and available, and is backed up by 24/7 service, which is what we do,” he explains. “Having all these businesses consolidated under one just makes it easier for customers, as they can get everything they need under the one roof. This will be accentuated in many of the branches around Australia now – customers will have access to these full-service hubs under ‘One Motion’.”
Leon Stefanec, the National Business Development Manager for Food and Beverage, says tangible benefits such as reduced costs in administration can be immediately realised by customers.
“The reduced cost of having one purchase order is a clear accounting benefit for our existing customers, who have previously had to have multiple purchase orders to conduct transactions with the various businesses,” he notes. “Additionally, customers will now have access to subject matter experts in all these industrial businesses, so they’re not just dealing with one person, they have a whole team behind them able to provide technical expertise – this will be a huge benefit.”
According to Leon, the new business model will put Motion Australia in a unique position.
“What this move means to our customers is that we will be a truly national supplier for mechanical and drive solutions, flow technologies and industrial and engineering support products, the likes of which has never been seen in Australia before,” he says. “What we can offer is priceless because it’s not just the supply of product, it’s the knowledge and technical expertise that come with those products, as well as a whole host of engineering capabilities. We can custom-make or reverse engineer products, and we can also provide workshops for product maintenance training, which is particularly useful for companies in the Food and Beverage industries where there is a skills gap and labour shortages.”
Moreover, Grant says the move will benefit Motion Australia’s partners, which in turn, will prove advantageous to customers.
“Our Strategic Suppliers have been operating predominantly through our Industrial Solutions business streams, however now they have access and a high level of engagement across all the Motion businesses, which means extended coverage across all Australian branches,” he explains. “Not only does this open up opportunities for our strategic suppliers in terms of increased customer exposure to their products, but it also gives our customers wider accessibility to different products too.”
To summarise, Grant reiterates that the move to streamline the business model will serve to improve and enhance Motion Australia’s value proposition to customers.
“It’s important to note that we will not lose any of the strength of our brands and what they stand for, and one of those core strengths is the ability to be nimble and respond to customer requests and requirements swiftly,” he says. “This move will not change that, but instead build on that foundation and increase our ability to deliver what our customers need, when they need it.”
