It gives Atom the edge

Date : 19/05/21

Atom Heavy Hire relies on the latest on-board data gathering systems in its bulldozer & excavator fleet to give the heavy machinery company an edge in the highly competitive hire market.

Stu Cowdell started Atom in 2017 to service Auckland’s fast expanding sub-division construction sector.

The on-board telemetry with 24/7 satellite monitoring by his machinery supplier, Komatsu, has given him ‘invaluable’ insight to run his fleet with maximum efficiency, and to keep his customers fully informed of machine condition.

While his new machinery acquisitions have the technology built in, his company’s policy of also sourcing quality used machinery internationally has resulted in the unique retrofit program using Komatsu OEM Komtrax tracking equipment.

With two partners, he had just sold his business-to-business communications company, Digital Island after together developing it over 15 years into one of New Zealand’s most successful privately owned telco providers. Stu was keen to start a new venture which involved a complete change, ‘working outdoors’ and not in an office.

His brother Richard, a successful earth moving contractor, suggested he examine the opportunities available in the Auckland Civil Construction industry where the need to hire good machines on a job-by-job basis was growing exponentially.

“With my background in IT, frankly I was a little shocked when I discovered some of the technologically advanced systems, I was used to working with on a daily basis just weren’t on offer in the heavy machinery industry,” he said.

Mr. Cowdell decided to turn that to his advantage, introducing cloud-based accounting and CRM (Customer Relations Management) software to provide his clients with regular reporting systems equal to his previous business experience.

One breakthrough occurred when he discovered Komtrax, Komatsu’s OEM machine monitoring service which provides a broad range of around the clock reporting opportunities.

This is a key factor leading to more than 50 percent of Atom Heavy Hire’s fleet being Komatsu and the development of a close working relationship which has had direct benefit for Atom’s customers.

Atom uses Komtrax daily, to monitor machine hours, machine location, fuel-burn and power figures, and importantly to test for the potential for faults.

It has enabled the company to better manage its customers’ use of its machines, many of which are on long-term hire.

Two D51PX-22 bulldozers, one recently acquired in the USA, the other from Japan, on arrival were fully serviced, NZ specification safety accessories added, and repainted by Komatsu New Zealand for use on Atom’s fleet, with the final step being the installation of Komtrax monitoring.

This retrofit, exclusively using OEM equipment, was performed locally with direct reference to Komatsu in Japan to ensure complete compatibility with the global system while being in-line with local operating requirements.

The procedure is the first to have been undertaken in New Zealand.

“I rely heavily on the monitoring service, for my own peace of mind as well as that of my customers, and it gives me an opportunity to form a true partnership with those customers,” Mr. Cowdell said.

Atom Heavy Machinery Hire is expanding exponentially, largely Mr. Cowdell said as a result the quality of the machines and our customer service approach. He is anticipating an up to 30 percent growth in inventory in the next 12 months.