An Elevated Approach To Rail Equipment Hire

IN 2019, SPECIALIST EQUIPMENT HIRE BUSINESS, PRESTON HIRE AUSTRALIA, ANNOUNCED ITS ENTRY
INTO THE RAIL MARKET. WITH DECADES OF EXPERIENCE IN SUPPLYING SPECIALISED EQUIPMENT AND
SERVICES TO THE CONSTRUCTION AND INFRASTRUCTURE SECTORS, THE BOOM WITHIN THE RAIL
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY PROVIDED AN OPENING FOR THEM TO EXPAND THEIR OFFERING.

“The rail side of our business evolved when we recognised a lot of the planned infrastructure projects around Australia for the next decade had a strong rail focus. We wanted to have a presence within that,” said Mike Thomas, Preston Hire’s Head of Rail.

In what has been a rapid series of months, Preston Hire’s approach to equipment hire has enabled the company to stand out and grow quickly within this new segment of the market.

“Preston Hire has always been focused on specialised hire equipment for niche markets. Our fleet of retractable loading platforms, cranes and EWPs have been carefully selected for the unique capabilities and solutions they offer to customers. Our Rail division has taken a similar approach,” said Thomas.

Thomas brings over 20 years of hire experience to the rail portfolio with extensive expertise in operations and sales. Thomas’s approach to the rail sector was to think about the industry differently.

“Rail in our business is a market, not an equipment category. We look at the entire market so effectively anything within a rail corridor or associated to a rail project is defined as rail within our vernacular,” he explained.

The right equipment to meet the needs of rail
Preston Hire’s signature yellow equipment is already frequently seen on track working with numerous rail projects nationally.

“We deal with many network owners who require flexibility and services that span multiple states. Our national footprint allows us to act promptly and efficiently delivering on these requests in record time,” said Thomas.

Approaching the rail market as a whole, Preston Hire offers a range of equipment suitable for the rail corridor.

“We have built an impressive fleet of hi-rail machines whilst complementing these with our non hi-rail specialised machinery into the rail space. This is a unique difference to our offering that has greatly helped many customers we work with,” said Thomas.

With the volume of rail work only expected to grow, Preston Hire has the right tools for the job. Thomas breaks down the sector into three pillars, beginning with rail construction and civil. He explains that rail civil incorporates a lot of their mini crane and hydraulic crawler crane fleets utilising the varying access and lifting capabilities. From compact spider cranes to large crawlers, Preston Hire can provide the right machine for the job.

The second pillar is rail maintenance. Preston Hire’s fleet of elevated work platforms are essential units for this line of work with the ability to complete jobs such as overhead wire repairs and signalling.

The final pillar is site services providing dry hire equipment across hi-rail trolleys, generators and lighting towers. Across all of these pillars Preston Hire offers not just the equipment, but the knowledge and services to make each job as productive as possible.

“We’re engaged with every aspect of the job from providing lift plans and lift studies to plotting drawings for our customers. We complete operator familiarisations and do field days to get people familiar with all our gear,” said Thomas. “We offer a turnkey solution; from inception to completion.”

Entering into the rail space has also enabled Preston Hire to work with its OEM partners to introduce new machinery to the Australian market. Working as partners, Preston Hire was the first company to introduce the RR14 EVO3 hi-rail EWP to the market ensuring the machine met the specific Australian standards for road-rail vehicles. “This was an extensive yet necessary process to ensure our quality standards were met,” explained Thomas. “It is also important that customer’s know we have taken the time to appropriately test our gear to meet certified standards.

“Rail for us is a vital market in Australia and so much more than just a hire opportunity. We are committed to providing services that truly provide solutions for our customers. We are a new entry to the rail market, however we are in it for the long haul” said Thomas. “I look forward to demonstrating our COUNT ON US approach to business”