MARKET CONFIDENCE LEADS TO MULTIPLE CASE DEALS

Market confidence, the government's 50 per cent tax break on new equipment and confidence in the Case product has led several contractors to recently undertake multiple unit deals.

Jason Reid, who runs JCR Earthmoving in Bright, north east Victoria, recently expanded his fleet with four new excavators following a boom in business. "We already had a fleet of larger Case excavators but after winning a new contract for pipeline work, we needed a fleet of mid-sized excavators to do the work."

The new models include a five tonne Case CX50, a 13 tonne CX130B and two 16 tonne CX160Bs. "They've all been purchased on a six month rent-to-buy option," Jason said. "This way, we have the flexibility to purchase them or return them, depending on if the work continues at this level.

"We've been using Case for 10 years and have a lot of faith in the product. In fact, over the past 10 years, we've never had any major issues. The machines are all designed for ease of use and comfort which is important given that we have 20 operators who probably spend more time in these machines than they do sleeping."

Fellow Victorian Iain Murray, who runs Ausland Landscapes at Laverton, 20 km west of Melbourne, recently purchased three new Case machines. "We needed to upgrade some of our older equipment and the government's tax incentives gave us the push we needed to do it sooner, rather than later," Iain explained.

Iain chose two new 420 skid steer loaders and a CX50 five tonne excavator for work on streetscapes, parks and gardens. "With the government's tax incentives and our trade-ins, we ended up being able to purchase three brand new machines at a minimal cost."

The new equipment is being used on commercial developments around Melbourne, with the CX50B chosen due to its power, and the skid steers selected because of their versatility to switch between working speeds and road speeds at the flick of a button.

"There's just so much work out there it isn't funny," Iain said. "Given the declining economy, which has led to increased competition, it's a little harder to win those jobs, but having good gear like Case certainly helps you get over the line in a tender situation."

In Queensland, Carsburg Earthmoving also expanded its fleet recently with 12 new Case 420 Series 3 skid steer loaders. The business provides earthmoving and excavation equipment and operators for hourly hire and constantly upgrades its fleet of more than 100 machines and trucks to maintain its reputation for service and reliability.

Commenting on the purchase, Neil Carsburg said, "We have had a strong relationship with Case for more than 30 years. The Brisbane dealership, McDonald Murphy Machinery, provides excellent service and it's always an easy decision to buy more Case machinery."

Jason and Iain also chose Case because of the brand's reputation for reliability and the dealer commitment to service. Jason said, "We're actually in quite a remote area, three hours north east of Melbourne, so having confidence in the brand is vital as we can't just drop down to our local dealer if something goes wrong. Plus, we have a good relationship with our dealer, Hartwigs at Shepparton so if something goes wrong, we know they will go out of their way to fix it." 

Iain added, "We wanted a one stop shop for sales and service and Case Victoria delivered."