“Today most machinery available on the market is good but what differentiates a brand is the company itself and the level of service it delivers. Kemach JCB is the number one reason we stick to the brand; the service we receive from the team is truly extraordinary,” comments Natie Ferreira who, together with Marius Brink, co-owns BF Hire (Pty) Ltd.

The Natie and Marius have been dealing with leading compact earthmoving equipment specialist, Kemach JCB, since 2016, when they stumbled upon a good deal on two new JCB 3CX TLBs. With the assistance of Kemach JCB they acquired both machines which lead to the formation of BF Digger Hire (the company taking its name from the co-founders’ surnames). What was initially a side line business grew so rapidly that it was impossible to manage everything after hours. Within twelve months Natie decided to dedicate his full time to the company.

In 2018, Natie and Marius made a business decision to establish a new company, BF Hire (Pty) Ltd., together with a strategic business partner, Boland Grondwerke, with whom they have been working for over a year. “Forming one company was simply a natural progression,” affirms Natie. “BF Hire’s biggest asset is the people that work for us,” state Natie and Marius. “Not our machinery, not money in the bank, not a good cash-flow, it is all about our people. Without them we wouldn’t have been able to build this business.

They are our best marketing tool through good and fast work. They are the guys responsible for customers always coming back to us. If they didn’t commit to the business in the same way we did, all would be lost.

We try to support and help them in difficult times and circumstances and that gets repaid in full through their quality of work. Once any owner of a company starts realising that workers are the biggest and best asset, worker attitudes towards the business and customers will change completely. We as owners cannot operate 15 machines ourselves, we need our people to help take the company forward.”

BF Hire currently caters primarily to the agriculture and construction industries in the Western Cape region. Natie and Marius are able to offer a machine that is perfectly suited to their customers’ needs from their Kemach JCB fleet consisting of five TLBs (3CX model), three excavators (86C, JS140, JS205) and one skidsteer with broom attachment (JCB 135HD).

Thanks to the versatility of these efficient machines, customers can conveniently and cost-effectively complete a multitude of diverse tasks using only one adaptable machine. These rugged machines are right at home even in the toughest of conditions, clearing out rivers and dams, installing drainage, building dams, ridgeing, performing various odd jobs on farms and even developing mini soccer pitches for the Worcester community.

Natie and Marius agree that Kemach JCB machines are famous for their quality, performance, reliability, efficiency and ergonomics. “The building quality of Kemach JCB products is excellent and it is evident that quality control is high on their priority list.

We are extremely satisfied with the top-notch performance of all our Kemach JCB machines. Same goes for their performance and reliability; our JCB fleet has never let us down.” Focusing on the power-packed performance of the JS140 and JS205 excavators, Natie says that these are some of the best performing machines in their different size brackets.

Natie considers the efficiency of the 3CX TLB which is one of the best-selling TLBs in the world, as absolutely extraordinary. “Equipped with the ‘Torque Lock’ Powershift gearbox option, our 3CX TLBs can travel up to 55 km/h on the road. Moreover, while travelling between jobs, these remarkable machines save us around 30% on fuel. The fact that we are therefore able to move the machines by road without having to use a truck and lowbed delivers massive savings for BF Hire.”

Natie adds that in comparison to other brands that he has cross-hired in the past, his JCB machines trump them all in the fuel-consumption department. “Our JCB 86C midi-excavator astonishes us with the fuel consumption we get from its Kohler engine. This little machine averages around 4.2 l/h.”

Operator comfort and safety are amongst the first factors Natie and Marius take into account before buying a new machine and they rate Kemach JCB machinery to be better than the rest of the market. The co-owners consider JCB as a worldwide brand that is dedicated to the safety of the machines as well as the people that operate them.

“Excellent customer service is a passion shared by both Kemach JCB and BF Hire. Their complete understanding of our needs and preferences position them as our preferred supplier in the machinery market,” affirms Natie.

He advises that when buying a new machine, the first thing a customer must consider, long before brand or price, is the quality of the after-sales service. “Bad service will turn even the best into a poor product. Fast and efficient aftersales service and maintenance are crucial to extending the lifespan of machines and reducing production standstill. Kemach JCB gets that any downtime of a machine is costly to both us as well as to our customers. To minimise production losses, they are servicing our machines over weekends and afterhours. In my opinion, that demonstrates total commitment from Kemach JCB not only to their customers but also to their end-users.”

Natie is impressed with the dedication shown by De Wet Pretorius, Branch Manager of Kemach JCB in Cape Town and his Service Manager, Jaco Brand, which he terms as nothing short of excellent. “Despite being situated approximately 120km from the Kemach JCB branch, they send someone out immediately whenever we require assistance. Consequently, the downtime of our fleet is kept to an absolute minimum. Not only is their commitment to our business a step above the rest but their parts supply and technical assistance is on a different level.”

BF Hire also compliments the technical and operator training received from Kemach JCB during machine delivery which ensures that their operators have a complete understanding of the equipment. Kemach JCB conducts full day on-site training on an annual basis during which all operators are given a refresher course on technical do’s and don’ts of the machinery.

“We have had the privilege of sharing BF Hire’s successful journey since the company’s inception and we are extremely proud to have this dynamic company as our customer,” says De Wet. “While we strive to provide not only efficient, robust and superior quality machines to valued customers like BF Hire, delivering service excellence that exceeds customer expectations is always at the forefront of all that we do. We look forward to continuing a long and successful journey with BF Hire.”