After a lifetime in and around machinery, and the past three decades catering primarily to the arbor industry, Monitor Group co-founder and Product Manager Tim Joyce can look proudly at the success of the company he helped create.
Tim Joyce and his father had a diesel fuel-injection business, and Tim found himself a dealer for a few different equipment brands.
“It was mainly agricultural all-terrain vehicles,” recalled the smiling Joyce in the boardroom of Monitor’s beautifully appointed Tamworth headquarters. “We picked up an agency for the Avant mini loader from Finland, and they had this idea of putting a boom and bucket on one of their little skid-steer mini-loader chassis.
“That was the first spider lift.”
Growing
In 1997 the Joyce business, Diesel Care, imported its first example of the new machine, and Tim continued to sell machinery ‘on the side’.
“Nobody knew what they were,” he said, “so it was an interesting time.
“Ultimately it became a busy enough sideline to become a main line. We sold Diesel Care and put all our resources into the importing of machines. We had Avant mini loaders and Leguan spider lifts. As the spider-lift business evolved we realised there was a business to be had specialising in lifts. We sold the Avant business to my brother-inlaw in Wollongong, who’s been very successful developing it over the years, and we specialised in access equipment, particularly spider lifts.
“We added models, added brands, and grew the range.”
Name calling
The new business adopted the name ‘Monitor’ – most commonly ‘Monitor Group’ – and Tim enjoyed relating how the brand was chosen.
“That’s a funny story,” he told The Australian Arbor Age.
“Leguan is the spider lift from Finland, and a leguan is a lizard. At the time my brother was wholesaling exhaust systems and had a brand called ‘Goanna’. I was trying to think of a name that didn’t narrow us down to anything in particular because we didn’t know what the future held. I came up with the name Monitor because these other lizards were members of the Monitor family,” he said
“For a long time we called it Monitor Lifts, but as we’ve grown we’ve expanded to include other tree-care products – grinders, woodchippers and so on – and we’ve dropped ‘Lifts’ from the name. We promote ourselves now as Monitor Group.”
Kicking off
The fledgling Monitor Lifts started up with half-a-dozen trusted colleagues and today employs around 65 people across the country. Ben Joyce, Tim Joyce’s brother, joined the company when he finished school and now, as CEO, runs the thriving company with Tim nearby for guidance when its needed.
While Monitor looks – and is – a strong proposition these days, kicking off in 1997 took some commitment.
“It was difficult,” said Tim.
“We could see the spider lift was an amazing concept. Prior to the spider lift you either had a trailer-mounted cherry picker or a truck-mounted boom lift.
“The cherry picker had to be towed with a ute. They were good, and they were an economical product, but they were clunky to use. Every time it had to be moved, it had to be packed up and shoved around.
“The other end of the spectrum was a truck-mounted boom lift or a four-wheel drive boom lift, both of which are big and heavy.
“For so long there was nothing in between. Then, suddenly, the spider lift gave people a product that was like a cross-over machine. It was small, lightweight, and compact – far more compact than a trailer-mounted cherry picker. It could be driven through a doorway and towed behind a ute. It could work on soft, boggy ground, load-sensitive floors or tennis courts because its footprint was so soft and light.
“But they were self-propelled. You could lift the legs and drive around.
“Apart from the spider lift not being able to drive while elevated, because obviously you have the legs set, it gave people the option of a self-propelled lift. It had the advantage of a bigger, heavier machine in that regard, but it was lightweight, towable and able to fit into tight spots.”
All that sounds like the spider lift should’ve been an instant success. But there’s one other consideration.
Acceptance
“It was twice the price of a trailermounted cherry picker,” explained Tim, “so the big pushback at the time was it being thought too expensive.”
Tim and the Monitor team backed their belief in the product and found, over time, the versatility of the spider lift overcame arborists’ concerns about the higher purchase price. As acceptance grew, so did Monitor.
“When I was first trying to sell spider lifts, people would say, ‘No. We’re all good. We climb. We might use an EWP once or twice a week’,” Tim said. “They thought they would be useful for trees that were unsafe to climb or inaccessible for different reasons. They felt they wouldn’t get the use from an EWP.
“But once they started using a spider lift, they found so much improved efficiency that it became a tool they believed they must have.
“It’s so different to the early days now. Back then, a spider lift was viewed as a bit of a luxury. Now, if someone’s spider lift breaks down for some reason, they’re chasing us and saying, ‘Quick. I need it now. I have to have it on the job’.”
Long-term
The Australian Arbor Age said it must’ve been interesting to watch that acceptance grow.
“It was interesting for our competitors to watch, too,” said Tim Joyce.
“There’s been a lot of spider lifts come on to the market now. Some have come and gone. Some have come and gone a few times.
“We created the spider-lift market in Australia initially, and of all the spider-lift brands we’ve imported since
997, we still stock, maintain, and support those brands today as exclusive Australian distributors. I think people can see that when they buy a product from Monitor, there’s long-term ongoing support. They won’t be left out in the cold and told parts aren’t available any more.”
Still growing
These days Monitor has branched out to include brands and equipment like Först, Rayco and Morbark, and to offer its own Monitor-branded spider lifts. The company has also made a big effort to increase its servicing and hire sectors.
“It’s been an expensive journey,” said Tim Joyce.
“I think one lesson we’ve learned the hard way over the years was the need to be careful about straying outside your lane.
“We were careful looking at the wood chippers and stump grinders, which we knew little about. We did know our customers were using both those products, so it was a natural progression for us to include them, and that’s been successful.
“We don’t only do spider lifts. We do scissor lifts, truck-mounted lifts, conventional boom lifts…we do a range of access equipment. But spider lifts are our main game. That’s where we shine. Because so many arborists use spider lifts, its roughly half of our business.”
Right here. Right now
As The Australian Arbor Age sipped a cappuccino from the Monitor coffee bar, we looked around the hectares of immaculate workshops, warehousing, and administration offices – a testament to many years of sound business= management. We asked the industry veteran how he felt about the arbor sector and Monitor’s current position.
“Monitor’s in a good place,” he said quietly. “We have good products, good support, and good people. That’s one area where we’re very fortunate. We have an outstanding team and brilliant customers, some of whom have been buying machines off me since I left school.
“Wherever you’ve got machinery, you’ve got breakdowns. Our machines have let people down at times and we might not get it right the first time, but customers don’t need to worry. Monitor will always be there and will get it right in the end.
“I think arbor is a great industry, and we certainly enjoy being part of it. It’s no fly-by-night category and it’s important to Monitor.
“Looking after trees and vegetation is never going away.”
Learn more about Monitor and its range of products and services at monitor.net.au.
