INDUSTRY PEOPLE
example is that health and safety policies have become
It’s apparent that Simon and Greg are interested in side-
more robust for some businesses. Since they are now
stepping the usual route to business rules..
their own hose repairers, they don’t have the worry of
While forestry is the main target for this business model
contractors attending their site, risking
— since the remote nature of that industry
health and safety.
“That will be a nice entry- leaves it vulnerable to downtime — BOA are
“The other advantage of self-sufficiency is point for some of our moving more into civil work. Although not
if the hoses on a machine look a bit raggy, clients. They will own the quite as remote, civil contractors might work
there is a preventative aspect to it. The guys inventory. The set-up could across multiple sites.
are more likely to maintain the machines with be towed to the site, and “Forestry has absolutely been our growth
the equipment onsite increasing machine then they are ready to rock area. We’ve just started getting civil on board
uptime.
‘n’ roll.”
last year. This year we’ve got a huge amount
“The autonomy thing is a bit bigger than
of forestry work to do,” Simon explains.
even we initially thought of. We are learning all the time,”
“Civil is very different, it’s often very close to town, so their
says Greg.
downtime may be two hours, not four.
“We’re not a franchise. We never say ‘you MUST buy
“They can have a number of sites, hence a mobile facility
our products’. But we want there to be no reason
is in the pipeline. We designed and produced an interim
for our customers to move on to other suppliers for
model last year, and we are thinking of offering that as a
their hoses and fittings,” Greg explains. We show our
rental product. That will be a nice entry-point for some of
customers love; they always come first, hence the
our clients. They will own the inventory. The set-up could be
reason our offer is so different.
towed to the site, and then they are ready to rock ‘n’ roll.”
“We’re selling them a concept and through
And just when you think you’ve come to the
that whole process they become quite “We’re selling them a end of the innovation, there’s more.
attached to us.”
concept and through that
BOA has developed an app to help with all
The other challenge BOA have encountered whole process they become of the issues around self-sufficient hose
is that some contractors have had to ‘sell’ quite attached to us.”
construction.
the idea of assembling their own hoses to
“This is a seriously exciting release for us. We have trialled
their staff, who might see it as another task they have to
version one and we named it the BOAhub, giving clients
take on, on top of their normal day job. However, once
a hub of information for ordering, inventory management
they experience the simplicity and speed of the fix, it’s
and asset control.”
actually an empowering thing to acquire that new skill.
“It will do the basic ordering and reordering of inventory,
Simon explains that there are a number of considerations
but you can actually digitally make a hose on it with the
to support customers’ staff. A merit system could be rolled
right fittings. It will create a little image and do all the
out in future, rewarding the staff member who replaces X
auditing and quality control, and locate the hose and
amount of hoses with product, or a reward system.
fittings on the piece of equipment being fixed. When a
hose has a life expectancy of 5000 hours, the app will flag
that the hose is due to be changed.
It’s nearly ready to hit the market and will give us the
opportunity to capture smaller guys too.”
The BOA guys are full of energy. The enthusiasm for their
model is palpable. In order to make all of this work, they’ve
assembled a hell of a team. Marketing has been a huge
part of getting the ideas to the client, and they’ve brought
in Simon Leitch, formerly of Icebreaker, to manage how to
communicate and broaden the BOA brand.
That strategy will oversee a global approach in 2019, with
Australia, in particular, in their sights.
The Boakes muse about the changes they have seen
take place in the businesses that have taken on the BOA
solution. Some of the changes are an unexpected by-
product of self-sufficiency. Businesses report immediate
improvement, even, in the morale of contractors who are
no longer sitting around with that tepid cuppa.
It seems that to teach a man to fish is a great business
A set-up for forestry work, typically in hard to get to or remote
areas.
model after all.
78
CAM February 2019
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