A new Canning Vale facility will allow DCT to better service Perth and the surrounding areas, the parts supplier says
Don Clark Tractors (DCT) has been in business for just over six decades – and the family-owned and operated company is still expanding to this day.
In July, DCT established a parts centre in Canning Vale in Perth, WA, allowing the company to better service Perth and the surrounding areas.
The new 1,000 square metre warehouse, located at 2 Mordaunt Circuit, will focus mainly on civil construction while DCT’s Kalgoorlie operation will remain mining-related.
Prior to opening the new warehouse, DCT already boasted warehousing facilities of over 4,000 square metres between strategically placed warehouses in Castlereagh, Dubbo and Orange in NSW as well as Kalgoorlie in WA.
DCT was established in 1963 by Don Clark, to provide service and maintenance support to the local earthmoving industry.
In 1984, the company expanded – not for the last time – with the beginning of the parts division which today consists of a multi-million dollar computer-controlled inventory that numbers over 100,000 line items.
Today, DCT offers parts and services to everyone from sole owner/operators to some of the world’s largest mining, construction and agriculture companies.
Spanning three generations and still family owned and operated – four of Don’s grandchildren are now actively involved in managing the company – DCT sources, manufactures and supplies OEM quality aftermarket and replacement parts with a quality and life equal to the original part.
The DCT service division operates out of purpose-built workshops in Castlereagh and Orange NSW, while its Dubbo, Kalgoorlie and now Canning Vale operations are parts-only.
Both service workshops have welding, boring, milling and machining capabilities, as well as the correct tooling and personnel to complete everything from a simple hydraulic cylinder repair to a complete machine rebuild – with all the technicians experienced in working on Caterpillar machines.
DCT’s company director Brett Clark – son of founder, Don – speaks to Earthmovers & Excavators about the company’s new parts facility in Canning Vale, working closely with family members and how the business has expanded from day one.
“We took ownership of the Canning Vale site in July and we’re still setting up but we’re open and ready for business,” Brett says.
“We’re in and we’ve begun work.
“We’re ready to go now really – we’re putting in stock and shelving and racking, and we’re just loading it all up at the moment, ready for business.
“The new parts centre means we will be able to service the Perth area better than we were out of Kalgoorlie,” he adds.
There is already a manager in place at DCT’s Canning Vale site, and Brett says the company plans to hire additional staff for the facility in the coming weeks and months.
He admits that, no matter what part of the country you’re in, finding quality staff can be a tricky endeavour – but adds that DCT is confident of building a strong team in Canning Vale.
“We’re hoping and expecting the new site to get busier and busier as time progresses,” Brett adds.
Family ties
Being a family-owned and operated business makes DCT stand out from the crowd – the company spans three generations of the Clark family and shows no signs of deviating in the near future.
Working so closely with family members presents its own unique dynamic as well as some unique challenges, Brett explains.
“It’s certainly a different dynamic – challenging would be a good word,” he laughs.
“We work our way through and it works.
“You say things to family that you don’t say to employees, and they say things to their boss that they wouldn’t say to any other boss.
“I suppose it does make us stand out from the crowd – customers understand and appreciate that we all have skin in the game and that we’re here as not just regular employees.”
After 61 years in business, a company might be forgiven for resting on its laurels – that prospect never crossed the minds of those behind DCT.
“It’s great to see continued expansion even after so many years,” Brett says.
“We’ve expanded from day one really – it’s just something we’ve always done.
“It depends really on what market you’re in but there is plenty of expansion available to us. There’s always demand for parts and there’s always demand for service work,” he adds.
“The biggest hurdle you’ve got with the service work is keeping service technicians.
“We still do some service work on the east coast, but we’ve figured the smarter thing for us to do here in Canning Vale is focus on parts for the existing local repairers.
“This parts centre is another step in the right direction and it’s exciting times.”
For more information, visit Don Clark Tractors at www.donclark.com.au
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