MCS CIVIL AND KOBELCO

To be successful in business does not happen by accident. First and foremost you need to source and build a diverse, talented and experienced team. Secondly, you need to ensure you are ready to cope with the rapid growth of the business, from both an operational and management perspective. Thirdly, you need to have the desire and capability to exceed your client’s expectations with volition and without exception. This unique combination accurately describes MCS Civil, which after being formed in 2016 has seized every opportunity to grow into an organisation housing over 100 assets and approximately 40 staff.

The Company Director, Christopher Murphy (20 years’ industry experience); Maintenance Operation Manager, Kierren Stuart Watt (11 years’ industry experience); and Construction Manager, Roy Hendy (15 years’ industry experience) are all equally focused on the company’s growth and success, so you get the feeling there are big things ahead for this bunch of blokes. Partnering with Sydney Trucks & Machinery and Kobelco, there is no project too large with their impressive new Kobelco fleet, which ranges up to a 30 tonner.

MCS Civil is currently undertaking the concrete foundation package at Collector substation, which will connect the new 54 wind turbine farm to the national grid.  This project will comprise of over 220 footings and 70 bored piles from 600mm in diameter to 1050mm in diameter. MCS Civil was able to complete each aspect of the works with in-house equipment, staff and resources. MCS Civil also undertakes both wet and dry hire of machinery and plant, labour hire, and all forms of civil, rail and piling construction.

I chatted with Maintenance Operations Manager, Kierren Stuart Watt and Business Development Manager, Robert Thompson-Laing. EEM took the opportunity to peel back a few layers and explore the background and experience of both key team members.

Kierren shared, “I am 28 years old and a third generation mechanic. I’ve completed three trades: Mobile Equipment Mechanic, Heavy Vehicle Diesel and Auto Electrical. During my time I have worked across the Civil, Tunnel and Mining sectors, as well as gaining experience in OEM after-sales support. My role as Maintenance Operations Manager draws strongly on various elements and skills of my unique experience. I need to ensure a high level of performance and maintenance of our fleet. The success of that role is very closely tied to our relationship with STM and Kobelco.”

Business Development Manager, Robert is 32 years old and is a dedicated, passionate salesperson delivering Tier 1 machinery to significant projects across NSW, Queensland and Victoria. Backed by industry build experience with a focus on quality and works completion as per projected timelines.

Robert shared with enthusiasm, “our motto is: work safe, home safe. Home safe is the core of MCS Civil’s culture and policies.

We strive for quality control and our people and equipment are a reflection of this, backed by an in-house service, sales, and construction support team.”

The team at MCS Civil has worked hard to ensure all equipment meets the highest safety requirements through the integration of emergency stops (internal and external), UHF radio to ensure positive comms between plant and personnel at all times, and hydraulic safety lever lockout and/or neutral start ensuring machines cannot be started without the correct prestart procedures. Operator manuals and plant risk assessments are always present in the cab with critical safety signage and decals extracted and presented within operator viewpoints. It is this level of dedication to safety that has seen MCS Civil’s client base skyrocket over a short four-year period. MCS Civil utilises in-house, live onboard software to manage and ensure that the above policies and procedures are implemented across the plant and personnel resources they provide. The equipment is maintained and serviced to the highest standard with everything meeting Tier 1 compliance.

MCS Civil has targeted equipment with a Tier 3 and above compliance. Their machinery with advancements in engine emissions, fuel burn efficiency, DPF and EGR integration enables MCS Civil to see higher productivity across their fleet with less consumption and a smaller eco-footprint. It’s great to see companies like MCS Civil take the environment into account as much as possible when making decisions about machine purchases.

There are a range of options when it comes to which OEM and dealership to partner with for companies like MCS Civil, and Keirren’s comment when discussing the decision-making process spoke volumes, “there were a few options in terms of machine choice but the Kobelco’s power, fuel efficiencies, reliability and operator comfort stood out. However, the real deciding factor for us was the support we knew we would receive from STM.

Customer support and after-sales service are tremendously important in our business. This fact, along with the product quality, proven design and unmatched after-sales support meant we couldn’t go past STM,” said Kierren.

“They offer support in parts, service and sales across machinery and trucks within our fleet. This is highly beneficial because our fleet consists of both plant machinery, and trucks and vehicles.”

There is no doubt it has been a busy time for MCS Civil over the last few years, particularly in and around the Sydney Metro area supplying Tier 1 Kobelco machines to their clients, which so far haven’t missed a beat. Their new Kobelco purchases are also set to follow in the same footsteps.

Robert shared, “in the Sydney Metro area we are more and more often getting requests for Tier 1, 23- 30 tonne excavators with zero-turn capabilities and a blade. Kobelco was one of the few who could deliver on our spec requests and also came through with good pricing. Since receiving our machines we couldn’t be happier with our decision on STM and Kobelco.

Watch the MCS Civil video here.