Advancing the Master plan
December 1st 2006

A carpet cleaner who found truckmounts the best route to quality results, John Gotts went to the States 11 years ago and came back a HydraMaster distributor.Now settled in to its new purpose-built Cornwall facility, he thinks this year will be the biggest yet for HydraMaster UK. Brendan Coyne reports

HydraMaster UK has come along way since humble beginnings in Gotts' garage, where the first unit was shipped and the first hose reel built (which Gotts says had to be cut in half to fit out of the garage door).Then trading as CarpetMaster UK, Gotts and Craig Lincoln, (now general manager) initially shipped and adapted single units.

Giving demonstrations across the country and using trade magazines to promote the product came next."It generated a lot of interest, because no-one really knew much about them," says Gotts."Only Prochem had done any other initial promotion. And they're undoubtedly the big boys....At this juncture! But I pushed HydraMaster hard because I love the machines. From experience I know they are genuinely the best way to clean carpets." Gotts says what attracted to him to HydraMaster, after visiting several other US firms,was engineering and R&D investment."The engineers were aerospace and automotive derived as opposed to carpet people – craftsmen who were passionate about applying their expertise into carpet cleaning machines.They were spending money on the future – whereas too many people are rushing products out of the door and looking at the problems afterwards." A decade on, the new facility gives the UK team a more comfortable working environment – and better reflects the company's ambitions.

"People come here and are impressed," says Gotts."When you buy a truckmount, it's a relationship between customer, machine and supplier that lasts many years.The new plant reflects that: it gives us a much better corporate identity, reinforcing the fact we're here to stay." Equally impressive is the company's new engineering arm, LaserMaster, a production facility equipped with precision laser profiling equipment, enabling specialist bespoke work."It's accurate to a thousandth of an inch, so we can precisely profile and cut a specific item – from sheet steel a millimetre thick, up to an inch thick in stainless steel.

We also have a fabrication shop where we can weld aluminium for any product – and we can even weld titanium.We'll bespoke anything to individual requirements. If someone wants a hose reel that takes 1000ft of hose they can have it. Or a water tank that'll take 1000 gallons – or two gallons – no problem. From water tanks to hose reels to petrol tanks,we can fabricate it here. And we can also personalise machines and vans with logos, cut outs or anything the customer wants." The company now has a large training and demonstration facility too, with IICRC courses scheduled either side of next year's Cleaning Show, and again in August, which marks the annual HydraMaster open day.

More of a long weekend than a day, the event follows the success of this year's official opening celebration. Gotts says he wants to continue giving something back to customers."The idea is to combine hospitality – food,drink, bands,games, live entertainment and organised outings – with networking and training. Everything from stain removal seminars and training to marketing and customer retention courses,"he explains.

"It's largely an owner-operator business, with a lot of hardworking families: it's in the school holidays and we want people to bring the family and have a good time on us.People come a long way to see us – from Aberdeen downwards. So we've got to give something back." But even Gotts admits Cornwall is a trek for some customers. So HydraMaster UK has opened an Oxford service centre, carrying out repair and warranty work, and aims for additional facilities in Manchester and Scotland soon.

Partially necessitating increased geographical coverage,Gotts says the company's three year warranty – offered independently of the US manufacturer – has encouraged customers to service machines at regular intervals and thereby increase working machine life."We launched the warranty at the last Cleaning Show and the response has been superb.We are the only people in the country to offer a three year warranty on any truckmount.But it's because we know the machines inside out.And customers appreciate that."After such a busy period, the HydraMaster team could be forgiven for stepping off the gas. But with everything else now in place, the company is focussing equally strongly on its chemical business:As part of the expansion,HydraMaster now has a storage facility that holds much larger stocks of its exclusive range of chemicals.Gotts claims they have "no equal when it comes to performance or value for money''.To back up such a bold claim, the company offers a full refund on the purchase price if the products don't do what they say they will more economically than anything else on the market."Who can argue with a deal like that?"asks Gotts.

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