For mineral explorers in remote Australia, an equipment breakdown can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars in downtime, if not more.
That’s a scenario Carly Ascott, CEO of Western Air, wants to avoid for her customers.
As a supplier of high-pressure compressors and booster packages that power exploration drill rigs, Carly needs to ensure her products can handle the extremely tough work conditions and arid environments.
“It’s something you need to get right, otherwise time is money on site,” Carly said.
Partnering with the best
Founded in 1976, Western Air has pioneered the development of high-pressure boosters and compressors for deep mineral exploration.
During that time the company has continually focused on the development of innovative new products to improve its service offering and the reliability, durability and safety of its products.
That’s meant testing different equipment and parts from various manufacturers when designing their compressors and boosters, including the Volvo Penta engines that power their equipment today.
“We want to partner with brands that have strong, reliable and durable engines,” Carly said.
“Without a doubt, over the last 4 or 5 years, Volvo Penta has provided this exceptional service,” she said.
Customer service equally exceptional
But it’s not just the Volvo Penta engines that have stood out to Western Air.
Carly said the after-sales support, provided by Volvo Penta Western Australian distributor CPG, was equally exceptional.
“CPG has provided the most critical support in times of need for our customers,” Carly said.
“I think in today’s environment a lot of companies lose focus on the customer service element. Whereas CPG has very strong values, which are matched to Western Air, around servicing customers.”
“I would always recommend CPG because of their customer service. The people that run CPG, every single employee, every single staff, are always willing to help.”
Product and support go hand-in-hand
CPG director Mike Cippitelli said providing support to customers and Volvo Penta end-users in remote and regional locations was especially critical.
“In most instances, these exploration teams are located hundreds of kilometres away from the nearest town, so they not only need confidence in their equipment, but they also need to have confidence in the back-up support they receive so if an issue does arise, they know it will be rectified quickly,” he said.
“You can have the best engines in the world but if there’s no back up then you’re only doing half the job – product and support need to go hand-in-hand,” Mike said.
