A broken hose is never good for construction or manufacturing companies.
Pirtek USA, which provides on-site hose replacement for a broad range of industries across the country, plans to open six service centers in the Baltimore and Washington region in the next year, said Gywn O?Kane, vice president of franchise development.
“We have 37 locations throughout the United States, and the companies we do business with operate in multiple cities,” O?Kane said. “Baltimore is one of those areas we need to be in ? it?s a large-population market.”
Startup costs for a Pirtek service center, including vans, inventory, equipment, signs, office space and training, are $325,000 to $375,000, generally requiring a cash investment of $100,000 to $150,000.
In Baltimore, more than 5,000 nonresidential building permits were issued in the region in 2006, according to the Baltimore Metropolitan Council. The permits totaled $2.3 billion worth of commercial construction for the year, so Pirtek believes the demand is there.
Pirtek offers 24-hour service for construction, manufacturing, transportation, agriculture and engineering companies ? and promises to arrive on site within an hour of receiving a service call.
“We?re a nontraditional franchise,” O?Kane said. “When people think ?franchise,? they think fast food and pizza, but we?re providing a important service for companies that in the past might have taken hours or days.”
Pirtek locations sell hydraulic hoses and filters, but they are also service centers housing a fleet of service vans. A franchise operates with at least five employees, including at least three technicians, an operations manager and an office manager, O?Kane said.
Pirtek?s services help businesses save time and money if and when they come across hose problems.
“Pirtek has been an important part of our explosive growth,” wrote Barry Roberts, president of Atlanta Demolition.
“[The company?s] ability to provide us with on-site fabrication and installation for virtually every one of our hose-related needs has meant minimal equipment down time and maximum productivity on all of our job sites.”
About Pirtek
» Pirtek, founded in 1980 in Australia, operates in the United States, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa, totaling $250 million in sales in 2006.
» The company has more than 300 service centers and more than 1,500 mobile service units worldwide.
