Kieren started Simtrack in 1996, producing finished products which are used by someof the top racing clubs around the world in countries such as Russia, South Africa,Malaysia, Vietnam and New Zealand. However he recalled the most memorable orderto be the one made by France Galop in 2009, one of the preeminent racing bodies inEurope.
“France Galop had a locally made barrier installed for its premier event the previousyear, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Apparently a number of the starting gatesfailed to open, leaving some of the race favourites rooted to the spot. It was a hugeembarrassment, some heads rolled, and it led the body to want to find an immediatereplacement,” Keiren said.
“We decided to put ourselves out there by air freighting a small sample of horsestarting gate to Paris and flew my father over to present it. Within half an hour oflooking at our product, the translators were telling my father that it was definitely thestandard they were after. Following further negotiations they signed off on an orderwhich saw us producing 27 starting gates over a period of six months.”Kieren said the process of sending a Simtrack representative to personally supervisethe horse starting gate setup process has been one of the keys to success in theinternational market.
“There’s a lot of technical know-how involved in the installation process – the gatesmust be set up absolutely accurately because it’s so important they open consistently.If a client has a big race coming up, we’ll aim to coordinate things so that the containerarrives a week prior. We’ll then put it together, stay for the event and watch thateverything goes smoothly,” he said.
Kieren credits the durability of his company’s products to an ongoing supplypartnership with Orrcon Steel, from who they receive ALLGAL® RHS and ALLGAL® SHSalong with Hot Dip Galvanised (HDG) pipe. Kieren said the initial decision to go with whatOrrcon Steel had to offer was a “no brainer” and very timely.
“Before Orrcon came along we were getting a standard product at a reasonable price.However being an international exporter, we wanted to have something that was seenas better than the standard. Orrcon managed to find us – a feat seeing as we’re tuckedaway in the Adelaide Hills and generally keep to ourselves. A rep showed us whatOrrcon had to offer and we liked what we saw: it was a quality product at an extremelycompetitive price,” he said.
“The main reason Simtrack has been around for so long is because of the quality oftheir product, and that’s something we work hard to maintain for them. Before us theywere buying from a merchant, who tend to offer different brands from a variety ofsuppliers. Brands can often differ – whether it be the shape, processing characteristicsor consistency of the material,” said Orrcon Steel Gillman Account Manager ChrisSargent.
“To supply Simtrack we can only use steel from BlueScope. That enables us to ensurethe product is consistent and always meets the exact needs of the customer.”“Orrcon products have a high amount of resistance against degradation and corrosion,which is conducive to the manufacturing of our starting gates and rail systems. Ourbarriers are well built and designed to last a lifetime. We’re not one of those businessesthat have the ideology: ‘Let’s make a product that’s going to be useless in 10 years so wecan sneak another sale in.’ We aim to make gates and rails that are going to last for atleast 30 or even 40 years,” said Kieren.
“ALLGAL® is galvanised on both the outside and inside, so it has that extra protectionwhich is important – especially after the manufacturing process.”Simtrack also benefits from the overall reliability of Orrcon Steel’s stock and thegenuine support they receive. The value-added services also help them provide a betterquality service to overseas contractors.
“They always have stock on hand to meet our requirements and the local rep is readilyavailable should we need any help or advice,” said Kieren.“Orrcon Steel has assisted us in the past with looking at different painting methods,surface preparation, material data. If an overseas contractor wants to know thespecifics about a batch of steel – the batch lot, where it came from – our Orrcon SteelAccount Manager will be able to provide all that kind of information for us very quicklyand efficiently. That way we’re not delaying the contract.”Simtrack’s supply partnership with Orrcon Steel is one that has allowed themanufacturer to be a leader in the global racing market as a maker of premium quality,long-lasting equipment.
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