– By Caroline Falls –
Exhibitors at the trade and equipment show accompanying the IPWEA Australasian Fleet Conference 2018 held this week at the Royal Pines Resort on Queensland’s Gold Coast cited overwhelmingly their decision to participate was because it gave them access to fleet decision makers. Following is a photo story of a few of the displays and exhibitors, who were asked why they decided to take a stand at the event and what they were showing.
Guy Tome, Manager Qld and Northern NSW at Conplant, said: “We were advised by some of the fleet managers that we deal with at some of the local councils that this conference was actually the one that they got the most benefit out of and which had the most amount of fleet managers attend, so we took their advice and thought we’d try it given it’s only the second year it’s been around”.
“It’s proven to be a good move. Conplant is a family owned Sydney-based business that’s been around since 1961. We are the sole distributor for Amman heavy compaction equipment, or road making equipment. Amman is a Swiss company which manufactures in the Czech Republic and Germany. We also have 850 rollers for hire Australia wide”.
Meyer Diedericks, Business Development Manager of Pinpont Communications said attending as an exhibitor was “an opportunity to network with councils. Many of the councils that are here are customers of ours so it’s a good chance to meet them and share the story of Pinpoint.” Pinpoint is a telematics fleet management providor. “We do a lot of technology in that space and assist councils managing their operations and their risks. We provide a holistic solution for the councils.”
Matthew Dow, Composite Stands, said one of the delegates who was interested in Composite Stands jack products suggested other participants at the IPWEA Fleet Conference would likely also be interested and that he should come along. The Composite Stands is a stand or jack that’s used to hold up mobile equipment utilising a composite material that vastly reduces the weight of the product and replaces the traditional material steel used; it is lighter weight and addresses issues with manual handling. Manual handling is one of the most common workplace injuries and has significant direct and indirect costs. The product is Australian made and has only been available since January this year.
Steve Danyluk, Sales Area Manager for Brisbane and South West Qld, at Groeneveld Australia said: “We already have a lot of existing clients within the local government area and they’re experiencing the efficencies we supply from our automatic lubricating systems equipment and also our active safety sensors systems so it’s to talk with likeminded clients”.
“The people here are decision makers dealing with fleets. Sometimes in their busy day we may not get time in their offices so conferences like these are perfect because they just dovetail with our business. They are all looking for efficiencies these days and our products give them those efficiencies. Our automatic lubricating systems save on equipment downtime”.
The IPWEA event also had a mini truck and equipment display in the grounds of the Royal Pines. Mercedes-Benz exhibited a G-Class Professional utility that drew plenty of admirers. The G-Class was designed in the 1970s for military use and has built up a cult following in many parts of the world. It has been available in Australia for only about 18 months, and it is gaining a new following as a practical (and stylish) workhorse.
