The background
Mader Group is a solution-driven global maintenance provider powered by mechanically minded specialists. Helping their customers make light work of heavy equipment maintenance, Mader is the go-to company for heavy mobile equipment and fixed infrastructure support.
With over 1,600 employees travelling often over remote and complex terrain to access mine sites, it’s absolutely critical that Mader works with a trusted fleet motor body provider. After running into some issues with their previous supplier’s product, the team at Mader were actively searching for a new motor body partner that could collaborate with them to design a truly fit-for-purpose and turnkey fleet solution.
After a short time in procurement, Mader landed on Bull Motor Bodies – and ended up selecting them for their unprecedented customer service, proven product range and demonstrated capacity to handle a fleet of Mader’s size.
According to Rick Dillon, Executive General Manager at Mader, it was the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership.
“We liked Bull because they were so easy to deal with. The team was friendly, we received great customer service, and most of all we appreciated their willingness to work with us on the design of the product. They really bent over backwards to make everything happen.”
The problem
Mader’s previous utility vehicles incorporated mine spec steel trays with two, heavy steel, boxes on either side. This design was not only heavy, but it also provided very little protection from dust and water, causing water damage to operators’ tools and equipment. Mader have always strived to be the leader within the mining industry and their vehicles needed to represent their level of expertise.
Mader needed a far more protective, professional and lightweight solution which could be fully sealed against the elements to suit their needs across the country – and by working collaboratively with the consulting team at Bull, they made it happen.
The solution
Since the partnership began, Bull has designed and built over 450 vehicle fit-outs for Mader using their chassis mounted, lightweight and waterproof fully-enclosed module.
Both businesses found the Bull product range suited Mader’s needs beautifully, and additionally gave the Bull team the chance to really branch out and optimise their approach to fleet solutions.
Bull General Manager Simon Rawnsley said “Our partnership with Mader has been a really good test of both our product and of our back-end service. Essentially, our product has been put through its paces, but the simple fact that they [Mader] keep repeating their orders and increasing them year on year is the sign of a great thing.”
Rick at Mader said partnering with Bull Motor Bodies produced an unexpected benefit. “Bull canopies add a different and more professional dynamic to the overall look and feel of our brand. Our fleet is now so easy to spot, and the utes look truly premium when rolling up on site.”
This has been especially pertinent during a time of exceptional competition in the mining industry labour market. While it’s impossible to measure the incentivising power of a top-tier vehicle set-up, Rick has seen firsthand just how much their team enjoy using the product.
“Lots of our guys still remember the ute number they had five years ago. They really take pride in them. We get lots of photos from when they’re out in the field, and often we have to remind them to send pictures of their Mader mates and not just the vehicle!”
To the team at Bull, that’s a sign of a job well done. A perfectly curated fit-out means a happy fleet manager, a happy team and more importantly, a happy customer!
The results
According to Simon at Bull, “Our supply partnership with Mader has been one of our most important relationships over the last 2-3 years. Both Mader and Bull are rapidly growing businesses in our respective industries, and together we’ve steadily grown to be leaders in our fields. The working relationship we have is fantastic and I look forward to working with the Mader team for many more years to come.”
Having enjoyed a fruitful business alliance for the past five years, the team at Mader plans to continue working with Bull Motor Bodies well into the future – citing their flexible, collaborative and willing approach to their diverse fleet needs as key reasons why.
Toward the end of 2021, Bull Motor Bodies will be celebrating the 500th vehicle they have produced for Mader. The team is thrilled to reach this milestone – because those 500 vehicles prove that our collaborative approach, world-class design, unbeatable quality and superior service make for industry-leading fleet vehicles time and time again.
