Launched out of Townsville in regional Queensland in 2011, the online plant hire platform has seen unceasing growth for several years. One of the biggest industry disruptors currently operating in Australia, iSeekplant is rapidly developing a reputation as a darling of the tech start-up scene.
The company is currently run out of Brisbane, with CEO Sally McPherson at the helm, along with fellow founders, sibling Drew McPherson and highschool friend Matthew Peters. The move to Brisbane came as iSeekplant’s growth rapidly required new premises closer to the centre of the action.
2016 has seen iSeekplant’s most rapid growth to date, with the database of plant hire companies increasing by 15% in January and February alone. A multi-million dollar investment by Seven Group Holdings has contributed greatly to rapid expansion. More marketing spend has allowed iSeekplant to cement its footprint as the leading voice of the plant hire industry.
Seven Group Holdings, one of Australia’s largest media and industrial services conglomerates, made the significant investment for a number of reasons. iSeekplant has a model which is “right for the industry”, has plenty of room for growth, and maintains a very high retention rate of memberships and advertisers.
While leading the way in plant procurement technology, iSeekplant has also made a name for itself in the industry commentating space. Their industry blog, the Flapping Mouth, has rapidly cemented its place as the premier source for information on new projects and political critique, written specifically for the plant and equipment hire industry.
The company has always held the needs of contractors and operators close to heart. Getting more work and better asset utilisation happening quickly and easily is the fundamental goal of iSeekplant, with a strong focus on forming relationships central to the company’s success.
“Making sure contractors and suppliers are able to talk about their requirements is essential. Plant hire contracts are complex, and we want to maintain and further our customer’s relationships with their clients, not build technology that destroys essential interaction,” says Ms McPherson.
Industry knowledge has been one of the key drivers behind the company’s rapid growth. Ms McPherson grew up in earthmoving and spent 14 years in technology marketing at companies like Microsoft and Samsung, Matt Peter’s spent a career in residential development and Mr McPherson’s background as a civil engineer give them unmatched insight into the industry.
This kind of background allows iSeekplant to not only form close relationships with all of their clients, but also to deliver the technology and tools needed by the industry, then effectively market them. iSeekplant’s technology platform is highly intuitive, allowing plant requests to be made simply and quickly by engineers, then onto private users. The ability to host major projects and their plant requirements on the site also allows plant hire companies to apply directly to those who are searching for machinery and equipment.
A strong focus on high quality and a seamless user experience will continue to drive iSeekplant’s success across the country.
“Our goal is to deliver high quality matches between contractors and suppliers. When a contractor searches for a piece of equipment, we don’t flood them with 100 different unsuitable supplier options and we are not trying to be the middle-man. Our platform will return the best machines and suppliers according to the equipment type, location and availability. Beyond that, we facilitate a conversation between the two so they can do business without our interference, and on a one-to-one basis,” said Ms McPherson.
For more information, got to iSeekplant.com.au for more information.