Aquaflo Hire, part of Truflo Pumps, has heralded in a new era following a comprehensive rebrand from top to bottom.
There is an age-old question: what is in a name?
If you asked the team members of Aquaflo Hire, part of Truflo Pumps, their response would be months of hard work and dedication.
The Australian company has been working behind the scenes for the best part of six months on the rebrand from its former name, Stratquip, to its new identity, Aquaflo Hire, part of Truflo Pumps.
It is more than just a name change. The company is rolling out new branding, branded merchandise, and a new user-friendly website design featuring comprehensive product information, all to coincide with its new identity.
“There were many people involved in making this happen, which shows the quality of the people that work in our company,” Aquaflo Hire state branch manager for Queensland Mark Edwards told Quarry.
“We gave ourselves almost six months with this changeover, and I am glad that we took that time because it is so much work, and if you don’t have the right people backing you up, it becomes very difficult.
“Every time we hit a roadblock or a pain point, the team came up with solutions and made it a smooth transition … this is not just a new brand with a slightly different colour, we’ve gone the whole hog.
“The website update has been huge. It now has comprehensive details about our dewatering solutions and what we can do through hire options.
“The new website is incredibly user-friendly and simple to use.”
The genesis of the name change stemmed from the team’s desire to accurately reflect its offerings to the Australian quarrying and mining sector. Stratquip, derived from strategic equipment, did not fully encapsulate the full scope of what Aquaflo Hire could bring to its customers.
The company is around 20 times the size it was more than a decade ago. Alongside this growth, the company has shifted from an east coast operation to a fully national one, including its partnership with ITT in Western Australia. As part of that agreement, ITT will provide technical and maintenance support to customers with Aquaflo Hire and Truflo Pumps’ solutions in Western Australia.
Aquaflo Hire’s marketing and sales assistant Martin Hygemann said developing a presence in Western Australia was a major milestone for the company.
“By developing a partnership with ITT, it means that they are able to provide the service and support for us over there, which makes everything run really smoothly,” he said.
The new name also aligns Aquaflo Hire closely with its parent company, Truflo Pumps, which is recognised globally for its pumps and dewatering solutions.
Aquaflo Hire has supported the rebrand with further investment. The company recently purchased an eight-tonne telehandler to on-load and off-load, as well as a 20-tonne Franna alongside its fleet of forklifts and small cranes. Its new Queensland facility, which is set to open this year, will double its workshop capacity and employee numbers.
The national scope of the company required a fresh identity that reflected Aquaflo Hire’s new direction.
“It was important for us to make that connection. When our business development managers go into a quarry site or a mine site, people can recognise that we’re part of Truflo Pumps, which is an established Australian based company with a good reputation and product,” Hygemann told Quarry.
Quarrying in focus
This new direction is encapsulated by the company’s recent emergence in the Australian quarrying sector.
The move was helped by Mitchell Creighton joining the Aquaflo Hire team. Prior to joining, Creighton had experience working in quarries and for a quarrying and cement company. His industry experience helped Aquaflo Hire realise it had significant potential to help the quarrying sector.
“While we used to do a little bit with quarries, now that part of our business is really growing,” Hygemann said.
“This is largely on the back of his (Creighton’s) understanding and knowledge of how quarries operate. It is a big leap that we’re now doing a lot of work in quarries.”
Aquaflo Hire’s expert team, which boasts considerable years of industry experience among its members, has the technical knowledge and understanding to advise customers on practical solutions.
“I would say we’ve got really good team members here, who have an abundance of knowledge,” Aquaflo Hire’s production manager Mick Dunshea told Quarry.
“With the hire side specifically, we offered tailored solutions. Most of the time, we can tailor a solution and get it straight out to the customer.
“We can offer products from the Truflo Pumps’ side … and we’ve also spent five years doing (research and development) on our own products, which have come out exceptionally well and our customers are really happy with these products.”
Expansive solutions
Aquaflo Hire offers a comprehensive range of rental solutions for its customers. It has around 270 units available for rent, stored across its warehouses in Bathurst, New South Wales and Sunshine Coast, Queensland.
The company has facilities across the two states, which provide it with significant scope to support customers in quarrying, mining or infrastructure projects. Aquaflo Hire’s range of ancillary items includes level sensors, flow meters, digital sensors, and digital switches, which can be tailored to meet the customer’s specific requirements.
“Because we’ve got our in-house engineers, we take the approach of ‘can we do this’ and 95 per cent of the time, the engineer will come up with a solution. It is customer-driven and based on what they want,” Dunshea said.
Aquaflo Hire also offers a suite of technologies, including protective sensors that can be integrated into its pump solutions, as well as remote control capabilities. These protective sensors, including water level sensors, serve as a safeguard against damage to the pump or engine, thereby avoiding unplanned and unnecessary downtime.
For example, an operator could monitor rising water levels in a quarry pit and activate the pump remotely to address the issue. It means workers are kept at a safe distance while the potential issue is efficiently dealt with.
The sensors can also help operators ensure that their water levels and pump rates meet regulations. Aquaflo Hire has collaborated with an Australian company on a new solution, as they are limited to pumping a certain amount of water per day due to environmental regulations. Aquaflo Hire’s system utilises a controller that ensures it pumps only the required amount, providing the customer with peace of mind.
While the range of technological inclusions brings a raft of benefits, Aquaflo Hire and, by extension, Truflo Pumps, have maintained a user-friendly approach to their products. Hygemann pointed to the Aquaboss Control Panel as an example of Truflo Pumps creating easy-to-use equipment.
“I came from marketing and knew nothing about pumps, but I spent five minutes being taught how to use an AquaBoss Controller, and now I can turn on a pump and make it run efficiently because it’s such a user-friendly interface,” he said.
With a new era underway at Aquaflo Hire, the company is excited to write a new chapter in its history.
“You need innovation to maintain a high level of solutions,” Edwards said.
“We’re always innovative about where we’re going and what we can do. We’re not resting on our laurels with what we’ve done; it’s about what we can do in the future.” •
For more information, visit aquaflohire.com.au
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