[DISTRIBUTOR INTERVIEW] GETTING TO KNOW PACIFIC HYDRAULICS

As the demand for Poclain Hydraulics hydrostatic transmission products and solutions in Australia continues to grow, even amidst a global pandemic, so does our distribution network. Pacific Hydraulics is the newest addition to our distribution network in Australia and an expert in the field of hydrostatics – including hydraulic cylinder repair and filtration systems in mobile hydraulic applications. They service a very broad spectrum of needs in the market.

Continuing with our series on “getting to know” our Australian distribution network, Poclain Hydraulics recently interviewed Andrew Parkin, CEO of Pacific Hydraulics.

Can you share some background on Pacific Hydraulics – What’s your area of expertise and what do you specialize in?

AP: We cover a very broad spectrum, but we mostly do work in the mobile hydraulic market which is in line with our core supplier’s strengths. The business has been going for over 30 years and is proudly Australian owned. We do a lot of work with drill rigs, transit mixers, garbage compactors, cranes, and vac trucks. These are mainly the market segments that we focus on, along with shipping and forestry. We are also distributor for other brands of hydraulic components such as control valves and coolers.

What markets does Pacific Hydraulics serve?

AP: Mining has always been a strong market for us. Agriculture is certainly a strong market as well, but mining would be the biggest one for us. Shipping can be pretty good as well. Then you always have the civil side. The road constructions side…There’s a strong civil market here in Australia currently because of the infrastructure work currently underway. We’ve got a big country with a lot of infrastructure additions and upgrades currently required.

How does Poclain Hydraulics fit into your product mix?

AP: Over the years, we have always come across Poclain in the mobile and agriculture markets we service. It complemented what we were doing, because there are things that Poclain does that are unique in the market. We feel there’s a number of customers that we’ve dealt with that we haven’t been able to offer anything to, because we didn’t have the Poclain product. These applications are generally where you have got a high radial load requiring a compact solution. That’s where the Poclain [motor] comes into its own. So, certainly wheel drive applications are a real area of strength as well as winches. Poclain does it better than anybody else on winch drives on dredges. The ability to free-wheel is an excellent benefit – you can switch the motor to allow it to pay out cable in a winch easily enough, or if you’re doing a cable handling drive. We know there are definite benefits to the customer.

What regions do you cover in Australia?

AP: We cover all of Australia. The Northern territory [is covered] through our Queensland branches, and Queensland is our biggest market, [the] next [largest] is New South Wales (NSW) and then Western Australia. We service Victoria as well out of our NSW branch.

How many branches do you have?

AP: We have five branches: Toowoomba, Brendale, Richlands, Seven Hills, and Perth.

Curious to learn more about our Australian distributors? Look for the article on our Australian distribution network in our upcoming Poclain Mag or learn more about Pacific Hydraulics on their website.

Contact our Australian distributors.