The background
Barons Beverage Services is an industry-leading beverage system supplier operating across Western Australia. The Baron family has been in the beer dispense business for four generations – and today, Barons has designed, installed and serviced draught systems at over 3,000 venues in WA, from the QT Hotel to the Camfield.
Of course, servicing 3,000 venues requires a well-designed fleet, and that’s where Bull Motor Bodies came in.
The problem
In the past, Barons had always used dual-cab utes with a well-body, three windows and a standard-issue dealer canopy. This set-up limited the type of equipment that Barons technicians could get in and out of vehicles, and rendered it increasingly difficult to utilise the whole space inside the canopy. That of course meant many return trips too and from the workshop to pick up tools and parts – which was not ideal when servicing a remote pub in Esperance or Karratha!
As Barons operates in such a niche industry, the team was unsure they would be able to find a fleet fit-out solution that would meet their very specific needs. Luckily, Bull was more than up to the challenge – although we’d never designed a solution for the beer dispense sector before, we got the job done with ease.
The solution
After seeing more and more Bull-branded vehicles on the road, the team at Barons decided Bull’s reputation preceded them and went ahead with requesting a quote. When the Bull and Barons teams got together, they designed the perfect solution for a Barons Beverage Services technician:
- Fully customised drawer set and six stacked roller cases – to organise parts
- Rear under-seat drawer – to store power tools
- Inverters – to run small machinery and charge power tool batteries on the go
- Dropped high-level shelf – to store all tubing, keeping the floor space free
- Large floor space – for job-specific parts and tools
- Interior lighting – to make early mornings and late nights on the job easier
- Full-scale dust seals – to accommodate for frequent driving on gravel roads
- Drop-down vice – as part of a small mobile in-vehicle workshop
All of these features were designed into both the Metro Series and the Trade Tuff series canopies. A combination of both was selected to allow Barons both canopy height and canopy space versatility – because having a low vehicle clearance is critical for their team when accessing small areas in the CBD, but having a spacious canopy is critical when travelling long distances for a regional job.
Barons Director Liam Baron said he was impressed with the level of customisation available from the get-go.
“We were able to create a custom vehicle that was perfectly designed for the work we do daily. A lot of the options we could add into the vehicle were things we weren’t actually aware of until we met up with Bull! Their previous experience in creating motor bodies meant they could understand what we needed to make it easier for our technicians on the road.”
Liam also said that as a small business owner, he was most impressed by the high level of collaboration and communication from the Bull team during the design phase.
“From start to finish, you know what’s happening. Being able to see a 3D render and layout and all dimensions right at the start means it’s not guesswork – you can measure up everything to fit in the vehicles, and you know the products you’re getting. Communication was excellent – we knew exactly when to take a vehicle in and when it was coming out, which made our planning and scheduling much easier. That was critical to me as a business owner.”
The results
Once the new Barons fleet hit the road, its many benefits became immediately clear. The new fit-out allowed their team to carry a lot more equipment to a job than before, which eliminated the past problem of needing to return to the warehouse frequently throughout the day. Now, Liam is confident he can send any vehicle to any job on any day, and his team will be fully equipped to handle it.
An additional benefit to Barons has been the new fleet’s professional outward appearance.
“When the guys roll into a job site, they look professional. The vehicle is very well stocked – we often invite our clients out to the car when we get a spare part, and they’re always impressed with the organisation of the vehicle itself.”
It’s not just the Barons clients that are impressed – the Barons technicians are, too. Liam noted that his team loves how much the Bull partnership has made their jobs easier. The fleet is a huge drawcard for recruitment too – Liam notes it’s ‘like Christmas’ when his new starters get their ute!
To the team at Bull Motor Bodies, the partnership with Barons has been highly rewarding. One unforeseen outcome has been that Barons vehicles have increased Bull’s brand recognition, too. As the Barons team finished their fleet with powerful branding and professional signwriting, their vehicles are ‘head-turners’ on the road. They’re a leader within their industry and we’re a leader within ours, so this partnership has been a great opportunity for both of our businesses.
Our team thanks Barons for their support, and looks forward to their continued partnership in future!
