Page 51 - Australasian Paint & Panel Mar-Apr 2019

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ers love their trucks, they want them to look amazing. How do we achieve that? First and foremost, through a top paint job and perfect colour match. We don’t have expertise in colour, so we rely on a paint sup- plier to take care of this very crucial, and sometimes very emotional facet on our behalf. AkzoNobel’s team and Sikkens BT have risen to the task. They proactively liaise with our end- users, making sure that our colour re- quirements have been met. Many cus- tomers have already been wowed by the sleek and robust finish that Sik- kens BT has delivered”.
Another part of the equation of get- ting on-board with AkzoNobel was the ability for the paint supplier to provide easily accessible and responsive R&D support with a streamlined process, allowing Drake to remain nimble and flexible with their customers and con- tinue delivering bespoke, outside the box solutions, including unique colours and textures. Drake needed someone that will evolve together with them.
Queensland’s AkzoNobel distributor for Sikkens, Colourfast, has also worked with Drake before, and understands the requirements and expectations, so the transition to Sikkens BT supply was pretty much seamless for Drake.
Drake has gone through significant growth since inception through to to- day. In 2015 the company acquired O’Phee, a general freight trailer manu- facturer, adding to their existing heavy haulage product line, which still represents about 70% of The Drake Group’s business.
Innovationandquality arethecornerstonesof
Drake’s reputation. People know that we can take pretty much any concept and design and build it.”
Some years ago, Drake was ap- proached by a major global truck man- ufacturer to enter the die cast models market, and has subsequently devel- oped a dedicated division, Drake Col- lectibles,, to drive this part of the busi- ness. The consistent and uncompromised quality of Drake trailers allowed them to become a licensee for some truly iconic brands, such as Kenworth and MAC. Drake models have won multiple awards around the world, and are widely known in Europe and the US.
Ron Warmington, AkzoNobel’s Queens- land manager who was closely involved in the signing of the supply agreement noted: “We pride ourselves on being an innova- tive supplier and delivering the best pos- sible solutions to our customers. We’re de- lighted to associate our Sikkens BT brand with the premium quality manufacturing standards for Australian made trailers".
Ron said "Drake are innovators, as are AkzoNobel with product, colour technology and business services. Drake thinks what would be the next “big thing” in heavy haulage and act on it. Trailers need to be stronger and lighter, and our paint needs to be more robust and be able to withstand the brutal conditions in which they oper- ate. With these obvious synergies, Ak- zoNobel and The Drake Group have joined forces to work together in future challenges and innovations “.
More information on Sikkens BT at: sik-
kensvr.com/au
or call on: 03 9644 1711.
MAIN IMAGE: Centurion takes delivery of its new 10x8 Drake Steerable.
ABOVE: Toll Transport’s new 4x4 Full Widener and 2x4 Dolly ready for action.
FROM LEFT: Another Drake 4x4 Full Widener added to the National Heavy Haulage fleet.
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