Hydraquip hit the road

Hydraulic hose replacement specialist invests in new vans to extend national coverage and enhance local service

HYDRAQUIP, independent providers of emergency on-site hydraulic hose replacements, have continued the expansion of their mobile service vehicle fleet with the purchase of four new Mercedes Sprinter vans from Crawley-based dealers and long-term suppliers Rossetts.

The new vans, which are fully equipped to Hydraquip’s precise requirements and stocked with hoses, fittings and couplings purpose-matched to the needs of customers, will be pressed into service at the company’s depots in Scotland, north-west and south-west of England, and East Anglia.

During 2016, Hydraquip added 36 new vans to their national fleet and they will exceed that number during 2017, putting them on schedule to achieve their ‘2020 Vision’ of having 200 vans on the road by the year 2020.

‘We are an ambitious company,’ said service director Jay MacBain. ‘It is our intention to become the UK market leader in emergency on-site hose replacements. That will mean more vans, more depots and more engineers.’

Mr MacBain reports that the purchase of the new vans is merely the latest significant investment for a company that is currently enjoying an unprecedented period of growth across the UK.

Hydraquip recently relocated their Thurrock depot to better premises and have multiple depots planned for the coming years. The company also remains on a recruitment drive, bringing in experienced hydraulic hose specialists and training new engineers.

Supplied by authorized Mercedes commercial vehicle dealers Rossetts – a company that has been supplying Hydraquip since 2000 – the four new vans were selected and specified to meet the needs of customers, whilst providing the company’s engineers with the best possible working environment.

‘Our staff are our single biggest asset. They are the public face of Hydraquip. It is important that they are comfortable and, above all, safe when they’re in their vehicles,’ continued Mr MacBain.

‘In our opinion, the Mercedes Sprinter van is the best commercial vehicle available. It comes with Bluetooth connectivity as standard, so the engineers can communicate hands-free and listen to their own music.’

Each vehicle is equipped with a full line of state-of-the-art hose-cutting and swaging equipment, allowing bespoke hose assemblies to be produced on site to minimize customer downtime. This equipment is backed by a comprehensive stock of hose, fittings and ferrules that is matched to identified customer needs.

‘We monitor all hose and assembly sales electronically so that we can monitor trends in demand and then adjust the holding on each van, and in each depot, to match,’ explained Mr MacBain.

To provide customers with even greater peace of mind, Hydraquip stock high-quality Manuli Rockmaster hose that is said to be ten times more abrasion resistant than hoses on offer from their competitors.

‘Our customers often operate in applications…that are a hostile environment for a hydraulic hose,’ said Mr MacBain. ‘We offer Manuli Rockmaster hose as standard to ensure a rapid replacement or repair, and to provide the customer with a longer life for further reductions in downtime.’