Together CBC and Gates offer a dedicated selection of water hoses for a multitude of applications, from farm irrigation through to chemical treatments at wastewater plants. This variety is what keeps people like Kent Clark, Product Manager for Fluid Power at Gates Australia motivated to continually improve the industry.
Whether it’s launching new products into the Australian and New Zealand market or developing technical specifications for new applications, every day on the job is different for Kent.
“We have got a number of different hoses that are best suited for water applications and we get different requests daily. Then depending on the situation, we also have hoses with the correct tube compounds to handle the chemicals and other material that might be seen for wastewater jobs,” Kent says.
This is where the strong relationship between CBC and Gates comes in. Together the companies draw on their knowledge and expertise in the industrial hosing industry to ensure customers get the perfect hose for any application.
Solving unique issues for clients is a passion both Kent and CBC Industrial Hose Specialist Peter Stonehouse have in common.
“I enjoy travelling and seeing the country for different applications and plants. The industrial hose industry is so varied you can do anything from going to the Barossa Valley to find a solution for a winery, to visiting milk plants in the outback always making sure everyone has the best hose solution for their needs,” Peter says.
The most popular Gates hoses for water-based applications sold by CBC is the Plant Master® Xtreme™ 501 AR. Its popularity comes from its ability to suit a wide range of applications.
“The Plant Master Xtreme can be used in the mining sector, construction, poultry farms, abattoirs, quarries, shipyards, you name it. Based on the specifications of the hose, it can handle many types of liquid,” Kent says.
Due to the high working pressure of the Plant Master Extreme, care must be taken to select the right couplings to match individual circumstances.
To ensure the solution continues to work after the initial purchase with CBC, due to the wide variety of parts, the team will identify what the ongoing needs could be for that customer and prepare by ordering buffer stock.
This is especially important in applications that use specialised or custom hose equipment as this can eliminate a significant amount of downtime, if a fault did occur.
CBC’s partnership with companies under Inenco Industrial Solutions also acts as a great network for parts when customers need replacements quickly.
“We stock a very wide range of hose and fittings at our hose centres, as well as direct from our distribution centres. The next port of call would be sourced from one of our major supply partners,” Peter says.
“Our supply network has a national footprint, so that CBC can supply quality premium products direct to a customer’s location.”
This is where Inenco Industrial Solutions’ expertise and range of parts comes in to play.
“A hose is open ended so without fittings the hose can’t be used. It’s either got to be attached to a pump or a machine for any application to allow air or fluid to flow through,” Peter says.
“This is where it’s really important to have that support from CBC behind the products, because if you haven’t got one fitting, then the hose simply can’t do its job.”
The same principle then applies when receiving new or spare parts.
“In some cases, people just replace the hose and then refit the same fittings, in other cases people will come in for the fittings only and refit the existing hose,” Mr. Stonehouse says.
“You might have someone that has used a product in the wrong application and then you have got to ask the relevant questions to asses why it has gone pear shaped, and assess which component is best for a replacement.”
In most cases, due to the comprehensive assessment of clients at first purchase with CBC, parts are available in one of the many CBC branches across Australia. However, if the product needs to be sourced overseas CBC will work with its partners such as Gates Australia to get replacements to the customer as quickly as possible.
“If we are sourcing from overseas, we look at air freight options just to speed up the freight time to get the customer out of trouble. We do work closely with CBC in those events to best aid the customer’s requirements,” Kent says.
The strong relationship and comprehensive knowledge of industrial hose requirements between CBC and Gates works to keep the water pumping through thick and thin.
