Hay barn biz partners global giant
A COMPANY THAT STARTED OUT AS A SMALLTOWN family tyre business has just become a partner with a global oil company.
Tyreline Distributors, started 30 years ago by Grant and Barbara Rushbrooke in the hay barn on their Te Awamutu farm, became the new Shell Lubricants New Zealand distributor in April.
Shell is the second multi-national brand that the husband-and-wife business has forged a close business relationship with – Tyreline having built a Michelin-accredited tyre retread factory in Hamilton 17 years ago.
e company that started out as an agricultural tyre distributor – making deliveries with the Rushbrookes’ farm ute – says it’s NZ’s largest privatelyowned importer and distributor of premium tyre brands, headquartered in Hamilton, with warehouses in Hamilton, Auckland and Christchurch.
As Tyreline managing director Grant Rushbrooke says: “ e business has gone from strength to strength – and it’s down to the relationships we have with our valued partners and customers.”
Since signing the partnership with the oil multi-national, Tyreline has grown its Shell sales force “to ensure that customers are serviced throughout the country.”
Troy Chapman, executive director Shell South East Asia Oceania Lubricants, says there were several reasons Tyreline was chosen – and mentions the Kiwi company’s “strong network of partners and its vast experience in the automotive industry.
“We look forward to working collaboratively to accelerate growth, increase Shell’s lubricants market share in NZ and provide competitive solutions to our customers.”
Grant Rushbrooke says it’s exciting to expand the business and what it can o er customers: “Our business is constantly evolving and the partnership with Shell was the perfect opportunity to grow our business and provide the best quality products to our clients.
“Shell invests around $US1billion per annum into research and development – the highest in the industry – so NZ consumers can have con dence that, together, Shell and Tyreline will o er both quality and value.”
e company’s commitment to the environment and exploration of second-generation biofuels, was also a drawcard, says Rushbrooke: “As a company they understand that longterm success depends on their ability to anticipate the types of energy and fuels people will need in the future, while remaining commercially competitive and environmentally relevant. We were heartened and inspired to hear that from a world-leading oil and gas company.”
Shell Lubricants is present in more than 100 countries around the world and has been the number one lubricants brand globally for the last 10 years. Its products are used by customers in consumer motoring, heavy-duty transport, mining, power generation, general engineering and marine.
T&D