Barry Murphy from Source Machinery explains why he continues to back Merlo equipment after nearly three decades and a move halfway across the world.
When Barry Murphy relocated from the emerald fields of Ireland to the red dust of Western Australia, he brought with him more than just his family: he also brought along a passion for equipment made by Merlo.
The Italian manufacturer is renowned for its telescopic handlers and has established itself worldwide with a distribution network of more than 50 importers and 800 dealers, offering widespread coverage in terms of sales, service and spare parts.
Having worked in a Merlo dealership in Ireland, Barry was already well-acquainted with the versatility and capabilities of the innovative machines when he shifted roots in 2011.
“Our family business had been associated with Merlo since 1995 when we first became a dealership,” he said.
“My wife is a proud Australian, and that’s how I ended up on Australian shores.”
Keen to stay in the equipment dealership industry, Barry set up Source Machinery, with offices based in Perth and Karratha in WA’s Mid-West.
The company sources, services and distributes machinery and equipment for the construction, mining, and agricultural sectors, as well as providing both new and used spare parts.
And a major part of the business is Merlo equipment. In fact, Source Machinery stocks the entire range of telehandlers.
“You could say I brought both my loyalty and knowledge of the Merlo brand to the Australian shores,” Barry said.
“With more than 50 years of leading expertise in design and safety, Merlo continues to provide advanced technology to improve the way we work. It has also become the world market leader in hydrostatic transmission telehandlers.
“We take pride in our dedication to quality and customer satisfaction, and we want to ensure that every operator who purchases a Merlo from us is fully satisfied with the investment.
“We understand that customers have different and unique needs, so we offer a wide range of Merlo telehandlers, from compact models to heavy-duty machines, to suit every job, task and relative industry.
“We carry everything from the compact P27.6, right through to the heavy lift P120.10 HM, whilst recently selling the new-to-market ROTO 50.26, a 26-metre slewing radio-controlled telehandler.
“If Merlo brings it in to Australia, we either have it, or draw on the stock of Merlo Australia.”
Barry said Source Machinery partnered with Merlo Australia to guarantee that only the best machines are delivered, with experienced technicians always available to offer professional technical support, on site service and a large range of spare parts.
“Sales is our principal business and that’s our main focus; and if you’re going to be selling a product, you need to be able to sell it with confidence that you can effectively support it,” Barry said.
“This is why we are continually investing in a comprehensive stockholding of parts, as well as technical training for our technicians.
“We see ourselves as the Merlo product specialists for WA.
“Merlo carries a wide and versatile range of stock. From there, we follow up with product knowledge and technical support.”
The business stocks genuine Merlo spare parts, so clients can keep their machines running to their maximum efficiency.
“Our skilled technicians have the expertise and knowledge to perform routine services or complex repairs quickly and efficiently, minimising downtime and maximising productivity,” Barry said.
Barry is unashamedly passionate about the Merlo telehandlers.
“I have been in the industry for a while, and I believe the Merlo machines are the best on the market, and that is certainly not taking anything away from the other brands around,” he said.
“The company has always been a market leader in terms of design, ease of driving and technological advancement.
“Most of our Merlo customers say that the equipment is very operator-friendly with the best operator comfort on the market.”
“I have found that once someone starts using Merlos, they generally won’t move away from them.
“There’s a number of features with the Merlo machine that our competitors don’t have. This genuinely binds customers to us and the Merlo brand.”
Barry said there had been a gradual change in the demographics of the earthmoving industry over the past few decades, and that Merlo equipment had catered for this by adapting to the needs of multiple growing industries.
“The predominant areas would be mining, agriculture and construction. Over the last couple of years, mining has been very strong in WA,” he said.
“Also, with government works and the expansions of roads around Western Australia, the construction sector is also quite a large customer base now.”
Merlo Australia’s versatile, customer-based approach, and competitive equipment are part of the reasons why customers remain loyal to the brand.
“We have strong customer loyalty towards Merlo equipment,” Barry said.
“Western Australia is geographically large, but it’s quite a small community. So product support is a big thing.
“It is important to us to maintain a strong relationship with our customers, we do this on the back of our aftersales support.”
Barry said there are unavoidable challenges on the horizon for the earthmoving industry as it moves to cater to environmentally-friendly policies and standards.
“The new emission standards and the type of fuel that we use will change in the coming years,” he said.
“There are new emission controls coming in 2027, so we are starting to see a move away from diesel-powered engines.
“I’m not a fan of predictions, however the next 10 years we will see many new technological developments, applied to the construction equipment industry.
“Wherever this technology takes us, we are confident that Merlo will keep up with the progress.
“We continue to supply Merlo the product as they remain the best machine on the market.”
To view the full range of Merlo equipment available from Source Machinery, visit: www. sourcemachinery.com.au/46-merlo