Hiab says its strategy to increase network coverage across the UK and Ireland is paying dividends as more businesses – including JT Dove – invest in its service support and truck-mounted cranes.
To keep trucks moving, a 150-strong team of professional support engineers are on hand to support drivers who have an issue with a Hiab crane or demountable when on the road. And Ian Mitchell, Hiab UK Managing Director, explained that this level of on-road support differentiated the firm in the market place, proving to be a deciding factor for companies investing in cranes and specialist on-road handling equipment.
He said: “One of the biggest strengths we have in the UK and Ireland is our network coverage. We have access to 150 highly-trained field engineers in the UK; this level of coverage gives us a leading edge over the competition and it’s paying off as we are seeing businesses choosing Hiab as a result.”
It is a view endorsed by JT Dove, which has recently invested in seven Hiab X HiDuo 158 cranes on Mercedes chassis, with the merchant’s Operations Manager Chris Pearson stating that the decision to choose Hiab was made easier because of the service support it offered.
Chris said: “Hiab has seven service engineers in our region in comparison to the competitor who only has three. The number of engineers on the road makes a big difference to us – we are more reliable and able to provide a better-quality service to our customers.
JT Dove has expanded its customer base significantly across the Northern region over the last decade, with Chris noting that it has trebled the size of its business in that time. It operates 44 HGVs from 19 locations and will be opening a new branch in South Shields later in the year. The seven new trucks with Hiab cranes will support this new branch, and are part of JT Dove’s ongoing modernisation and fleet expansion programme.
Chris added: “We have ambitious plans to secure even more of the market share in this area; to do this we need the best and most reliable kit which is why we have chosen Hiab. Thanks to the number of Hiab field service engineers, we are confident that any downtime is minimised so we can continue to deliver for our customers.”
Of the new cranes, he said: “The Hiab X HiDuo 158 has an excellent stability system. We do a lot of deliveries round back lanes and in rural areas, which can be challenging with such a heavy load, but the extra few millimeters give us extra carrying capacity for the lift. I look forward to upgrading our fleet of trucks very soon.”
Ian Bebb, Regional Manager for the Hiab UK North, added: “Our customers are never more than an hour away from one of our service engineers. Reducing downtime and having confidence in the support network is a big part of our plan to become the number one partner of choice for suppliers.”
Click here for more information about Hiab’s range and servicing support.
