Milestone Mack for SEQH

For container haulage specialists SEQH, the recent arrival of its 100th Mack truck doesn’t just underline its strong and enduring relationship with Mack, but also the theme of consistency that flows through all aspects of its operation.

The milestone truck, a Mack Super-Liner, is the latest in a long line of Macks that stretches back from SEQH’s first purchase in 2004, while its 50th Mack, which arrived in 2015, points to the growing momentum the company has achieved in recent years.

According to SEQH Managing Director, Brett Plummer, Mack has underpinned the company’s success throughout. “We’ve been growing this business steadily for more than 25 years, and Mack has been with us the whole time,” he said.

“Our operation is all about consistency: duplicating your training methods, workshops, systems and processes. This approach only works if you get a good product you can stick with, and Mack has given us that. We’ve switched trailer manufacturers in the past because they weren’t playing the same game as us, but Mack has been consistent.”

The SEQH fleet comprises the full gamut of Mack models, including Granites, Tridents, Super-Liners and Anthems, allowing the business to tackle a wide variety of applications.

“We’ve got A-Doubles, AB triples, some singles and a couple of B-Doubles running around and Mack has got a truck that suits each of them,” said Brett.

Vice President of Mack Trucks Australia, Tom Chapman, said much of the relationship’s success was down to both businesses sharing similar values.

“SEQH is nationally renowned for its innovation and efficiencies in the logistics operations space,” he said. “At Mack we share a very similar purpose of ‘moving and building a better world’, so there’s a lot of great synergy in the partnership and it’s one we’re incredibly proud of.

“We work closely with SEQH to customise trucks that not only meet port requirements, but also support SEQH’s business ethos of continual improvement. Over two decades, there’s been plenty to celebrate, so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to acknowledge their 100th Mack and reflect on what continues to be a very rewarding partnership.”

SEQH carries mostly cotton and grain for export along with all manner of imported goods, with depots in Brisbane and Toowoomba affording a typical operating range from the Port of Brisbane of around 500km.

“It’s not obvious that you’d move bulk products like grain or cotton in containers,” says Brett, “but a buyer in Bangladesh who only wants 1000 tonnes of grain has no use for a 40,000-tonne bulk vessel. Containers give people a lot more flexibility to get just what they need, delivered right to their door.”

Focussing on flexibility and efficiency has made SEQH one of the most successful container specialists in Queensland.

“Our secret is simple,” says Brett. “We just turn up every day and try to do everything a bit better. We don’t acquire other companies – we’ve grown organically, by keeping risk low, running a tight operation and just steadily getting more orders in the door.”

Brett’s been intentionally ageing his fleet in recent years, but he’s conscious that as the fleet expands, the older trucks are increasing the load on his workshop.

“We need a workshop, not just for the trucks but for all our plant,” says Brett. “But we’ve got around 30 of our trucks on service agreements with Mack now, just to help us manage the load.

“They’re running to a schedule. I might replace a few parts sooner than they recommend – I’m more concerned about uptime than the cost of parts – but handing over some of the servicing is all part of our expansion.”

Brett says that Mack has adapted to SEQH’s changing business requirements over the years.

“The Port of Brisbane has a lot of rules,” he says. “If you want to use the automatic stevedoring, for instance, your A-Double can’t be more than 30 metres long. We took that problem to Mack and it came out with a shorter-wheelbase Super-Liner that fits inside the 30-metre limit.

“Mack is paying attention to what the market needs, and that Super-Liner is the truck we’ll be choosing as we continue to expand our fleet. We’re aiming to hit 150 within the next five years or so.”