Paterson & Poland are the local Kärcher professional specialists

PEOPLE often comment that the words ‘‘Service and Sales’’ are in the wrong order on Paterson & Poland’s business cards. However, service is the priority for the Dunedinbased company, which is New Zealand’s largest independent Ka¨rcher service dealer.

Born from the values of owners

Stuart and Stephanie Poland, Paterson & Poland, like Ka¨rcher, want to make your everyday life simpler, better, and more pleasant with powerful efficient cleaning solutions.

The philosophy of ‘‘innovation is what benefits people’’ results in equipment with convincing performance, quality and handling that is one step ahead of the market.

Paterson & Poland has existed in Dunedin for nearly half a century. Initially a partnership, the cleaning equipment side of the business was purchased by Stuart and Stephanie when Stuart’s parents retired in 2000.

‘‘From there we’ve slowly progressed to be more Ka¨rcherorientated,’’ Stuart says. ‘‘We basically do service and sales of quality industrial cleaning equipment for businesses, including farmers and contractors: that’s our core business. But we also do warranty and repairs for Ka¨rcher home and garden range equipment.’’

Since 2013, the difference between Ka¨rcher’s ranges is easy to spot, with the professionaluse machines becoming anthracite (grey), with the signature Ka¨rcher yellow remaining on the operator controls. The Professional range equipment is simple to distinguish from the Home and Garden products for private users, which are still yellow.

All Ka¨rcher equipment is designed with the application in mind, so it’s important to purchase the correct machine for your application — quality will live on long after the price is forgotten plus it’s better for our environment if machines are not constantly being replaced.

The environment is important and Ka¨rcher design always has that in mind. Their new hotwater machines are the first series of hotwater highpressure cleaners in the world offering Eco!efficiency. Simply set the main switch to Eco!efficiency mode and the machine will change to the most economical temperature range (60°C) while maintaining full water flow. The resulting burner cycles reduce fuel consumption by 20% when compared to fullload operation (80°C). Likewise, the stateoftheart burner technology produces highly efficient burners, low fuel consumption and low emissions.

However, the comfort of the operator hasn’t been forgotten, with the EuroTier 2016 Silver Innovation Awardwinning EASY!Force highpressure cleaner trigger gun being ergonomic and comfortable to use.

The Ka¨rcher range of professional cleaning equipment is extensive, and includes waterblasters, industrial vacuum cleaners, floorscrubbers, carpetcleaners, and much more.

‘‘Ka¨rcher are very solutionbased — they believe that everybody has a task, and provide the solution for that task,’’ Stephanie says.

Paterson & Poland also believe in selling the right machine for the application. By building longterm relationships with customers, they are better able to supply them with exactly what they require.

‘‘They have trust that we’re going to sell them the right machine,’’

Stephanie says. ‘‘We do a lot of site visits and discuss what they’re trying to achieve and then make recommendations on what is the best solution. We then commission the machine, deliver it and provide initial operator training.’’

This helps ensure the quickest-possible return on investment is achieved while also maximising the life of the equipment, benefiting not only the customer’s business but also the effectiveness of their staff and their customer’s experience for years to come.

And as Stuart explains, it doesn’t end there. Aftersales support is hugely important, and so Paterson & Poland remains in communication with customers. The Paterson & Poland technicians are trained by Ka¨rcher and that training is ongoing, both on courses and through Ka¨rcher’s online eAcademy. The technicians are also electrically qualified, both the workshop and the service vehicles are equipped with the specialist tools for the task required, and behind them is the broader support offered by

Ka¨rcher.

In Dunedin, the company holds a large range of parts, backed up not only by the Auckland warehouse, but also a weekly airfreight delivery from Germany. Such an extensive service package is rare.

With a wide catchment throughout Otago, technicians are often travelling to service equipment, In addition to fortnightly service trips in Central Otago, they also travel to South Otago, North Otago, and upper Waitaki, providing service and repairs for customers with Ka¨rcher professional equipment. ‘‘It’s a biggie for those guys to get a machine to a trucking company, and to us,’’ Stuart says. ‘‘So that onsite service is an important aspect of what we do.’’

Paterson & Poland have previously attended other field days, but this year will be first time they’ve been at Otago Field Days. As ever for the company, the event will be about building relationships.

‘‘We don’t see it as a selling exercise,’’ Stephanie says. ‘‘We see it as a branding exercise, talking to potential and existing customers. It’s not about taking a whole lot of stock to sell and walk away.’’

Come and have a chat with them about Ka¨rcher products at Otago Field Days, on October 4 and 5 at the Palmerston Saleyards.