Your hydraulic equipment is the heart and soul of your business. When the time comes for maintenance or repair, you had best be ready with a great solution provider. The catch is, how do you identify the right hydraulic repair shop in the first place? Here are a few tips to help you make the right choice.
First, and most obviously, what is a shop’s reputation? What does the community have to say about the various shops in your area? Is there one that everyone knows to stay away from? Is there another one that your colleagues swear by and insist they would never take their gear anywhere else? That is a great place to start your investigation.
Next, while experience is key, successful experience rests on comprehensive training. Have a chat with your local trade school or community college and ask them about students that have graduated from their Hydraulic Training courses. Your local workforce development office is also a great place to start to identify local businesses that are hiring trained individuals. And don’t forget to ask any business you talk to about continuing education: are their technicians keeping up with new trends and technologies in the industry?
Lastly, you almost certainly have a preferred brand of hydraulic equipment. Consider reaching out to your preferred OEM and ask them about repair shops in your area specializing in that brand. Many OEMs even have their own training programs specializing in working on their own equipment. (Komatsu does, for example.) The simplest solution may be to stick with a preferred vendor, and guarantee that you hire professionals who know your equipment inside and out.