The company, which supplies, services and repairs a wide range of pressure washers for agricultural and commercial use, estimates that more than half of its new customers have switched to Pressure Clean because they realised they would get better treatment.
Pressure Clean repairs and services all makes and, as manager Gary Fielding, pointed out, that brings his team into contact with people who have had less than perfect service from past suppliers.
“We often get calls from people who have a problem with a machine and find that the company that supplied it doesn’t want to know – or has already tried and failed several times to fix it,” Gary explained.
“There’s not much that our engineers can’t deal with, and once we have sorted out the problem with their existing machine, most people stick with us for their future needs. It’s just good service – and it’s where more than half our new customers come from.”
Agricultural customers old and new will also be pleased to know that after a ten-year absence they can now buy belt-driven, cold water pressure washers from industry leader Nilfisk ALTO.
Farmers who are used to carrying out their own basic repairs on equipment around the farm will welcome the new Poseidon 5-51 PE+, a well-priced petrol machine that will provide more scope for on-farm maintenance than a gear box-controlled washer. It puts less of a load on the motor than a direct drive model.
“Farmers have always found belt-driven machines to be more reliable and more fixable than the alternatives,” explained Gary. “It’s why the Kew machines were so popular – and why we are still asked to repair them.
“For the past ten to 15 years they have been out of favour, so this move by Nilfisk ALTO has proved very popular since the 5-51 was introduced six months ago.”
The Poseidon is built around a robust, shock-resistant frame made from aircraft-grade aluminium, which makes it ideal for an agricultural environment, while the reliable easy-maintenance pump has full ceramic piston sleeves. A suction pump with filter allows the Poseidon to take water from a barrel, trough or other source.
For those who are looking for a hot water pressure cleaner, Nilfisk ALTO’s Neptune range is equally heavy duty and can be supplied with a diesel or petrol-driven pump. The EcoPower boiler claims to deliver improved efficiency and the range goes from the 11bhp 5-46 PE, which delivers 860 litres per hour, through to the 7-72 DE, which has a throughput of 1300 l/ph.
Helping farmers and landowners unravel the huge variety of pressure washers from a range of suppliers, which also includes Karcher, Cleanwell and MAC, takes expert knowledge, which is another area where Pressure Clean leads the way.
“Petrol, diesel, electric, hot and cold water, mobile or cabinet-mounted – the range is immense, and that’s before you look at the different brands and their individual strengths,” explained Gary.
To make that job easier for farmers in Kent and in part of East Sussex, Gary can call on area sales manager Ray Collier, who joined the team around a year ago.
Ray has a good ten years’ experience in the cleaning industry, including six years working for another pressure washer supplier, and follows one simple, self-imposed rule.
“I won’t oversell,” he explained. “My approach is always to talk to the customer, find out what he or she needs and what they want to use it for and then point them towards the right machine for the job. I won’t sell someone something they don’t need. It’s about knowledge and honesty.”
That approach, which is one Gary shares, is one of the reasons Pressure Clean has developed such a loyal customer base among farmers and others who know they will receive carefully-considered, honest advice when they ask for help.
Those who don’t ask for help but instead just turn to the internet are another source of new customers for Pressure Clean.
“It’s easy to save £20 online, but it can give you a real problem down the line,” said Gary. “We take lots of calls from people who have bought something completely inappropriate for their needs and then turn to us for advice.
“We do what we can to help, but often all they can do is send it back and then talk to us about what they want to do with their pressure washer so that we can help them choose the right model.
“By the time they have paid the delivery charge to send it back to Scotland, or wherever, they have often paid more than the £20 they thought they had saved.
“The internet is one way of buying things, but you do need to be careful. If you want proper customer care, from initial advice to long-term aftercare, you should be talking to Pressure Clean.”
