Tell us about the business.
Penske Australia & New Zealand distribute commercial vehicles, diesel engines, gas engines, and power systems, with 24/7 parts and service support globally. We are proud to be the OEM sales distributor and service provider for the industry leading MTU 4000 Series engines which support our Off-Highway customers as well as the proven Detroit, Western Star, MAN and Allison products for the On-highway customers and special applications.
How long have you been doing business?
Penske has been involved with the Hunter Valley mining industry since the 1980’s and the current Hunter Valley branch was ceremoniously opened in 2006 by the President and CEO at the time Doug Seneshen. Nearly forty years on, we are continuing to evolve with the demands of the local industries – mining, civil works and road transport.
How many people work for the business?
Penske proudly employs over 1300 people nationally in a diverse range of roles. Locally, we employ more than 55 dedicated personnel to support the demands of the Hunter Valley branch.
Describe a typical day at ‘The office’.
Every day is different, but our team is always ready to respond to the needs of our customers, 24 hours a day.
With over 280 MTU powered vehicles in various mines throughout the Hunter Valley and countless engines powering the road transport vehicles, our days and nights generally revolve around talking with our customers and responding to labour and parts requests for both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance and repairs.
We also have a few large and exciting projects in both development and implementation stages that require the input of teams of engineers, sub-contractors and end users to help bring it all together.
What are the biggest challenges facing your business?
Like most businesses, we aren’t immune to cost pressures. We will never compromise on quality to reduce costs which can sometimes be a challenge, so we evolve to work smarter and more efficiently to provide the best possible products and services whilst maintaining agreed price points.
Another challenge in the current climate is securing technical labour with skills and values consistent with our business model.
What are the biggest opportunities for your business right now?
Put simply, our relationships, our products and our willingness to evolve with the changing demands for both on highway and off highway products.
There are some exciting repower projects in development and being rolled out now and these come off the back of listening to our customers and being able to offer a world class product that provides them with a higher TBO, reduced fuel burn and extended component life.
What is the business most proud of?
Our people and our relationships.
We have a dedicated team of technicians, parts interpreters, warehouse personnel, supervisors, service advisors, technical experts and administrative personnel and we have several employees with 10+ years of service and even 20+ years locally. It’s the company values of Ownership, Passion, Teamwork, Integrity and Care that build the foundation for this continued commitment.
Community or other causes close to its heart and values?
We are a supporter of local apprenticeship programs and other training schemes that provide real skills to people looking to have a career within the mining and road transport industries. We currently have five full time apprentices in the Hunter Valley workshop.
We also support our local communities through our involvement in Open Days, providing insights into future career paths and this extends to offering work experience placements throughout the year to the local high schools.
Any employees that deserve a shout out?
All our employees deserve a shout out for their hard work and dedication, but a special mention should go to the technicians on the shift roster who are available 24 hours a day and 7 days/nights a week.
