Hillcock Industrial owner’s, Jarryd Hill & Sandra Alcock, recently celebrated the opening of their new business in Mackay.
Tell us about the journey that got the business to where it is today.
Both of us have a long history working together in the consumable distribution industry and working alongside the mining sector, delivering large change and cost out programs. We have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly! We decided to go out on our own with the backing of private investment to deliver industrial distribution differently. This was a big leap for us, both leaving well paid senior roles in the corporate sector to start something of our own, but we are excited by the opportunity and are here for a reason. We aim to be a distributor of industrial & safety products that the sector can rely on, offering high levels of service, quality brands, supply chain transparency and competitive pricing. We have invested heavily in our technology to streamline our business and to help our customers order, track and receive their goods in an efficient manner.
We took over our operation in Paget in late July and have been busily building the business, developing our technology, onboarding our supply partners, and recruiting our passionate team. We started trading in late January, making sure everything worked as it should before our official launch in mid-March. The exciting part is now ahead of us which is all about delivering great customer outcomes in this region.
What does this milestone mean for the business?
Our official opening is a huge milestone for the entire Hillcock team. A lot of laughter, sweat and tears has been put into creating a business from a white sheet of paper. Being open and ready to service the local market is exciting and we can’t wait to make a huge difference in the industry.
How will these premises improve your capability?
Our 3000 square metre purpose-built facility in Paget will help us deliver high levels of service to the market. Being able to match our locally held inventory to the needs of our customers reduces their lead times and working capital, providing a level of confidence in the supply chain. Mackay is also a great location, allowing us to service a wide CQ/NQ market with next day delivery of locally held inventory. We have used as many local suppliers as possible to get our facility in order and we are so thankful for the great support we have had so far. A big thank you to everyone who has worked on our facility to get us to where we are today.
Did you ever think starting out that you would be here?
As soon as we decided to start something of our own, we knew that we wanted Mackay to be our home base. Whilst our ambition is to expand in time to other mining dominant regions, we both agreed that Mackay was the best place to start. Mackay will always be Hillcock’s head office, and we are enjoying getting involved and supporting the local community.
Now you’ve ticked this goal off the list, what’s next?
What’s next is giving as many customers as possible who are willing to give us a go the experience of their life! I encourage business who buy industrial & safety consumables to benchmark us, talk to us about what we are doing differently and to give us a try.
We are also really looking forward to QME in July!
