WATM reveals secrets for success

The rise and fall of a crane’s boom somewhat reflects the ebb and flow of the construction and resources industries in this country over the years; and Western Australian heavy machinery business, WA Truck and Machinery (WATM), has been through it all.

The family-owned and run company was started in 1974 by Frank Lazenby and cut its teeth in truck and machine repairs. In the late 1990s, it dipped its toes in the materials handling business, specialising in crane sales, service and repair, and never looked back.

The company even went as far as altering its name to WATM Crane Sales and Service in the noughties to reflect its new direction and expertise.

The company now runs several premises across Western Australia and South Australia to service customers in both states as well across the country with some of its offerings.

Not one to rest on its laurels, WATM, now run by Frank’s son, Anthony, has continued to tap into new business opportunities. Its latest venture is a self-developed remote diagnostic tool named Net Tech specifically designed to service its crane fleet across the country.

“Net Tech was developed here from the ground up, including all the software and hardware,” Anthony Lazenby said.

“We are especially proud of this. The idea came because of the distances in Western Australia and South Australia when looking after the equipment.

“We have cranes all over the place, so Net Tech is the diagnostic tool that can monitor equipment in the field from the head office.”

Net Tech can be optioned on all new-generation Grove cranes or retrofitted on other models by WATM.

“It’s an extremely effective way of assisting customers with trouble shooting when there’s a technical problem,” Lazenby said.

“We use mobile phones and GPS technology to quickly diagnose problems in machines in remote areas and Net Tech gives greater precision to problem solving.

“All the intellectual property is with us and we have recently had a request for it from the US and it’s now under trial over there.”

WATM’s bread and butter is a long-standing relationship with premium crane makers Manitowoc and Grove – the former being a crane giant in the US (quite literally) and the other a slightly smaller German equivalent.

Manitowoc bought out Grove in 2002 but they remain stand-alone companies with each developing products in different weight categories.

“WATM has been the exclusive state distributors in WA and South Australia for Manitowoc and Grove since 2000,” Lazenby said.

“Grove has the largest market share of its all-terrain crane range in WA and SA and that’s reflected in the yellow cranes being seen at major construction and resources sites.”

He said Grove makes machinery ranging from 60 tonnes to 450 tonnes, while Manitowoc makes cranes weighing up to 2300 tonnes, although the largest unit WATM has sold in WA is 700 tonnes.

“Since we started with these two crane products in 2000, we have sold more than 300 units with the majority being the Grove brand,” Lazenby said.

“We sell to mining and construction companies, and also to crane rentals firms that hire out the machinery to a diverse range of industries, predominantly mining.”

In addition to Manitowoc and Grove, WATM also offers several leading crane brands including HIAB, Moffett, Multilift and Pettibone.

The key to looking after the customer, Lazenby said, is providing quality service to ensure machines that aren’t functioning are back at work as quickly as possible.

“It is really something that we pride ourselves on and we know that it can be very expensive for any machine to be sitting idle, even for a short time,” he said.

“We have a range of servicing options, including fixed price servicing, that gives customers peace of mind by being able to plan and budget for repairs and servicing schedules. We also have a 24/7 operation to suit the work cycle of our clients.”

WATM currently has four sites across the country- three in WA and one in SA, as well as warehouses in Perth and Newman that carry about $3.5 million worth of parts.

Each branch has full access to the warehouse inventory for quick parts retrieval when and where required.

Lazenby said the business tracks its parts and targets a 90 per cent availability. It also has transport options for its parts depending on client needs and location.

“We opened in South Australia in July 2018 because of demand, so with the two Perth locations and the one at Newman to service the mining sector, the four outlets cover sales, parts and service,” he said.

“The SA location is going very well. It has a lot of waste management equipment sales and repair, so is strong for us with the HIAB brand.

“In WA, supplying rental businesses with cranes is a major part of the business as larger companies such as LendLease and Multiplex have strong crane rental orders.”

WATM became distributors for HIAB in 1997 and now supplies the full range from the manufacturer including hook lifts and forklifts. WATM’s service includes fitting HIAB products on to trucks which required the business to have expertise in hydraulics and electrics.

“It’s an important brand for us and it’s been very well received, with us selling more than 3000 units since we started with HIAB in 1997,” Lazenby said.

“From 2013 we also became the WA and SA distributor for the New Zealand TRT company that makes the ‘pick and carry’ cranes under the TIDD brand.

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“A large part of our business is sales and service, and particularly rebuilding cranes and machinery and general repairs.

“We also carry our equipment inspections on cranes and heavy lifting equipment, such as the 10-year inspections, because it is regulated that this machinery is structurally checked and signed off for HSO compliance.

“We also buy and sell cranes and have built up a list of export nations that buy refurbished cranes from us.”

WATM currently employs 65 staff across its premises including four apprentices. Lazenby said apprentices have always been a key part of the business personnel.

“We also have a large number of women on staff, which wasn’t designed but rather as a result of employing the best people we could,” he said.

“Dayle Pires, for example, is our workshop manager. It may not at first appear to be the most desirable job for a woman but we wanted the best person for the job and it happened to be her.”

Last year, WATM employed two staff members from overseas, with one from the Grove factory in Germany.

“He is full bottle with the product from the factory level and that gives our customers a huge advantage for rapid problem solving and strong links to the people who made their crane,” he said.

“Customer service and rapid solutions to problems are extremely important with customers and so we give top-level back up support. It’s the core of our business so we have a 24/7 service operation because that’s the way our customers work.”

He said training for staff is equally important in this field.

“This industry, particularly the mining side, demands that workers are suitably qualified, have the correct tickets for the work, and abide by regulations and compliance issues such as safety,” he said.

“There’s a lot of work to ensure we get it right so we can work with our customers.”

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