Making Everyone’s Lives Easier

Marcus Webb

“If everybody was as easy to deal with as Marcus, my life would be a whole lot easier!” says Ertech’s Plant Hire co-ordinator Michael Hill. “Nothing is ever too hard for Marcus. He jumps straight onto things and gets the job done. He has continually gone over and above to provide a great service to Ertech, whenever needed. If we have any issues or parts required, Marcus organises it quickly and efficiently with minimal downtime.”

At KEE, we always strive to Keep Exceeding Expectations, and this is why we are so proud of our Maintenance Co-ordinator Marcus Webb.

Originally from Whangārei in New Zealand, Marcus and his family moved to Perth when he was six. His first impression of Perth was the lack of crocs! As a child he had the impression that Australia would be full of the man-eating critters.

His father, who sadly passed away in 2013, was very inspirational. “He just taught me to get on with it,” said the 44-year-old, “through good times and hard times, just to keep going,” he said, “and Dad told me to always look after those who are around you.”

As a child, Marcus wasn’t fond of school, but he had a good coach who helped him with rugby league and he ended up playing fullback/ centre for nearly ten years.

One thing many may not know about Marcus is that he likes to box. To those of you who know him, he has a mild-mannered temperament but put him in the ring and you’ll see a different side. He once even competed in front of a thousand people at a charity event at the Crown Pyramid in Burswood. “I was put in the heavy-weight category, and I had to eat as much as possible for a month beforehand.” He had to weigh in above 95kg, but when he was training, he kept slipping down to 93kg. “At one stage I was eating two chickens a day just to put enough weight on for the fight!” On the day of the weigh-in, he ate one and a half chickens and drank four litres of water. “Just before I stepped on the scales, I filled my pockets with coins in the hope I would make the required weight,” he confessed, “and it worked!”

Over his career, Marcus has worked for various companies, all within the large plant industry. He has been a purchasing/ store co-ordinator for SVA, Thyssenkrupp and Schenck Process and he started in the KEE Group workshop four years ago. Marcus starts at 6.30am every day, and his tasks include processing off-hire reports and charges, raising workshop jobs, liaising with customers and contractors to arrange on-site repairs, purchasing of parts and supporting KGNC with warranty claims and purchasing. It’s a big job and it needs someone with a calm, stoic personality. If he takes the finger off the pulse, it means the flow in the workshop will stall.

“I believe the best practise is to always keep it real,” he said, “there’s no point in sugar-coating things, it’s best to be honest and direct so the client knows all the information upfront”. His top tip in working for the industry; “Be patient and look after your customers”.

Marcus has one son; Chace, 12, and two daughters; Ella, 9 and Georgia who is 2. His favourite holiday destination is Northern Ireland, where he loves to visit family and friends.

words and pictures by © Katharyn Quinn

I’m a Fitter Get Me Out of Here!

KEE On-Hire Manager Natalie Martin tells of her intrepid adventure to South Africa with KEE Maintenance Manager Mitchell White.

“Mitch and I flew over to visit the BELL HQ in South Africa. We were the lucky two who had been chosen for the mission, with thanks to KEE, Dale Smulders, Sales Representative, CE Equipment and Hitachi Construction Machinery Australia.

We landed in Johannesburg and met up with fellow industry professionals from Australia and New Zealand. Todd Alexander, National After-Sales Manager and Raj Singh, Customer Relations Facilitator (from Bell SA) greeted us at the hotel and we headed out for dinner to get to know the rest of the group.

The first morning we paid a visit to the BELL Logistics Centre in Johannesburg. The centre was huge and full to the brim with parts and oils for all the BELL Equipment, along with some pretty impressive packing machines.

We then caught a one-hour flight to Durban to the BELL Farm in Richards Bay. There, we were met by Warren Swart, OEM Product Manager, Jerremiah Mokhomo, OEM Product Marketing Manager and Llewellyn Roux, Product Marketing Manager who explained the latest technology and updates which focus on safety and cost efficiencies. These included; automatic daily check, automatic park brake and hill assist.

After test-driving the new BELL B45E ADT we headed off to the factory to learn more about the family and their company and after lunch, we were given a full factory tour. Well, what can I say? Wow, the BELL factory is very impressive. The field service unit they use for remote breakdowns is a helicopter! Mitch was slightly jealous. The factory builds an impressive 30 ADT’s per week from start to finish. Each machine is put through vigorous safety checks and once the team is satisfied, they are signed off and shipped to their customers, wherever in the world they may be.

It was very exciting to be there and see in person one of the next KEE B45 ADT and B45 AWT off the production line. Once fully tested it will be ready and shipped over to Hitachi in Forrestdale, ready for delivery to KEE Hire Welshpool (hopefully, this side of Christmas). We cannot wait!

After the tour, we headed to St Lucia, South Africa’s first UNESCO World Heritage site famed for the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. There, we were treated to a two-hour guided hippo and croc cruise and then we were whisked off to Bayala Private Game Lodge for the Sunset Safari.

Before the start of the safari, the importance of not disturbing the animals for our own safety was drilled into us:

  • Stay in the truck
  • Keep still
  • Do not spend too much time at a sighting

On our tour, however, all three were quickly thrown out of the window when the truck we were in blew a tyre in the middle of the game reserve. We only had 30 minutes left of daylight and the enormity of the danger we found ourselves in only became apparent when the tour driver could not fix the wheel.

I was asked to “keep look-out”. I’m not sure what I was looking out for as the animals are notorious for their cunning camouflage and I am half-blind at the best of times! However, after persuading the driver (who was taking far too long), that perhaps utilising the skills of the six fitters sitting in the truck would be a better idea, he eventually agreed and the gents jumped out to help.

As the men lifted the entire truck (with me in it) off the ground, I kept watch. It was, at that moment, that I felt the lives of my six associates fall heavily into my hands. I had been charged with looking out for man-eating predators while everyone else was doing the three things we had been explicitly told not to do!

Once the tyre was fixed, we pulled away and our driver Brian, located the lions. Brian wanted to get us there by the shortest route possible, by going up a track that he said he swore “he would never take again”. So in ‘Nat style’ I asked him why are we taking it then? We found the lions, with one tyre

off the ground. One of the group stood up to try and balance the weight and just as Dale yelled “sit down” Mitch was hit in the back of head with a tree branch. It really was a comedy of errors!

As frightening yet funny as this experience was, looking back, it was one of those moments that I will treasure.

Mitch and I are so thankful to the entire BELL team. Their interest, kindness and hospitality shown to us throughout the trip were faultless. This was certainly a trip neither of us will ever forget.”

The Colour of Money

KEE Hire is proud to announce a new eye-catching initiative to help raise funds for charities.

KEE welcomes two brand-new Hitachi B30E water carts with a difference- one has been painted a bright, bold blue and one is a striking pastel pink.  So, what’s the significance of these colourful beauties? The water carts will be representing several different charities, chosen by our staff and customers, meaning the more they are hired, the more cash KEE can raise for good causes.

Hire Mr Blue, and KEE will donate a percentage of the revenue from these trucks to organisations that support men’s health. Hire Miss Pink and KEE will donate to women’s charities.

These charities will include Beyond Blue, Movember, Men’s Shed, Domestic Violence Crisis Services, and various cancer foundations, as well as others suggested by our KEE employees and our customers. We are happy to announce that both of these machines are already on hire – one at an iron ore mine and the other on a major infrastructure project in Perth.

Many thanks to the team at Barton ADT Engineering for fulfilling our unusual brief and to Hitachi for yet again supplying bespoke technologically advanced super articulated trucks! Let’s get hiring!

Surfacing Receive High Praise for Airbase Project

Our profiling crews have received excellent feedback about their work at Gingin RAAF Airbase, WA. Fulton Hogan’s Senior Project Engineer, Andrew Bartel said: “KEE Surfacing has made the project experience seamless. I found the crew to be exceptionally hard-working and easy to communicate with. I was particularly impressed with Leading Foreman Mitch Hobday’s (pictured) work ethic. He was early to site every day and his crew fully briefed and prepared for the task ahead.”

Andrew continued, “The KEE Profiling team really helped us out of a major bind.”

If you have surfacing requirements, KEE Surfacing are here to help. We provide asphalt, profiling, spray seal and base course services that have a demonstrated capacity of delivering the largest projects. and of course, we the best crews in town! Contact our KEE Surfacing Manager Bumpy Samuel on 086401 8500 or 0487 178 352

The Australian Mining Review- an article on KEE Group

MINING REVIEW

For mining companies, manufacturing companies, large warehouses and construction companies, heavy plant equipment is an essential asset to get jobs done. If a company needs to move dirt, they could rent an excavator or buy their own. The same goes for transporting materials, whether it’s over land to another location or shipping goods to customers. This is where a plant hire service becomes an ideal option.

The Benefits of a Plant Hire Service 

You may be wondering why a mining or construction company would need to rent heavy machinery when they can always buy it? Well, these are a few of the benefits associated with plant hire.

Save Money 

Saving money is one of the main reasons. Rental prices for heavy equipment can be much lower than buying it, especially if the company’s only going to use it for a short period.

Purchasing heavy machinery also takes money upfront. And if the machinery has to be shipped to the location, the shipping fees can be astronomical. If a company only needs the machinery for a short period and isn’t going to use it after that, it’s a better option to rent instead.

The company will also save money in the long run because they will only pay to rent the machinery they need.

Save Time

Another advantage to renting over purchasing is that the former takes less time. Finding a machine to do a job for a few months or a couple of years is less time-consuming than the process of purchasing machinery.

Choosing Heavy Equipment for Hire? KEE Provides Three Useful Tips for Hiring Heavy Equipment for Your Plant:

1. Know What Is Needed for the Job 

Companies need to rent equipment that fits the job. For example, an excavator may do the job, but it’s not ideal for every situation. The wrong equipment can lead to frustrations, problems and wasted time.

Lighter machinery is better for jobs like digging and moving dirt, while heavier machinery is better for moving large gravel piles.

2. Make Sure You Hire Equipment That’s Easy to Use

It’s also helpful to hire equipment that’s easy to use. If it takes a while to figure out how to operate the equipment, you’re wasting valuable time that could have been spent on getting started with the project. So, in order to maximise the hire period, rent equipment that is easy to operate and is supported by a company that knows and cares.

3. Ensure the Equipment is Insured 

This is a very important part to consider, as renting heavy plant machinery can be dangerous if not operated properly and you will need to know what the operator is covered for.

A Plant Hire Service Can Save Time, Money and Effort

At the end of the day, a plant hire service can help companies save money, time and effort.

Rental prices are lower than the price of purchasing, and they can be more affordable than having to maintain purchased machinery that hasn’t been used for a long time.

They can also be convenient when a company only needs the machinery for a short period. If a company decides to purchase heavy machinery, they could have to wait a long time for the equipment to be delivered and also find a space to house it.

KEE Group has all the answers if you need a reputable plant hire company in Perth, Port Hedland, Albany and Australia wide. KEE is Australia’s most effective and unique civil and mining support service. AMR 

This was an article written and published in The Australian Mining Review APR 2022

For the full review, go to: www.australianminingreview.com.au

 

Exceeding Our Expectations

Don’t you just love it when someone exceeds your expectations?

In the hire industry, it is a rare thing to have a machine or vehicle returned to the yard spotlessly cleaned and polished, but this is exactly what happened when Road Line Civil returned a water cart to us after six months on a job in Broome.

This was the work of their star water cart operator Phil Ryman. He has been with Road Line for six years and treats hired plant machinery like it’s his own.

Road Line’s Operations Manager Rudy Braward said, “Phil is a top operator. Everyday, after his shift he cleans every part of dust off of the machine. He even buys his own polish, and when there’s a bit of spare time on site he will polish the cart, section by section.”

“Many hire machines are mistreated on site, so to have a gentleman like Phil actually care for our gear is a breath of fresh air” said KEE Director Clayton Spiers. “He takes pride in his work and that is why he is such a great asset to Road Line and to KEE Hire.”

Rudy said “We have a strong partnership with KEE Group. They are a straightforward, no nonsense say-what-they-mean operation. KEE are easy to deal with, consistently reliable and give us awesome support.”

Based in Broome, Road Line are renowned experts in the fields of earthworks, civil contracting, drainage, pipelaying, infrastructure assets, mining works, heavy haulage and plant hire. Roadline Civil Contractors are approved vendors to major companies such as Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton as well as a number of large and smaller companies and government agencies throughout Perth and the North West of Australia. 

 

Enquire today

Get a Quote today!

Please fill in your details and a KEE Hire team member will reach out to you very soon.

Alternatively, you can contact us via the details below:

contactus@keegroup.com.au

+61 8 6401 8500

"*" indicates required fields

MM slash DD slash YYYY

Our people are our greatest asset

KEE Group are growing fast and we are often looking for the right people to help us make it happen. If you would like to join our team and share in the excitement, get in touch today!

Join The Team