John White, the 62-year old founder and Managing Director of Delta Hydraulics saw the need for a more resilient surface treatment when the underground mining industry in Mount Isa reported that it was only getting 500 hours of operation out of a standard cylinder rod. Hence he invented a chemical treatment called ceramic densification, which seals the pores and fissures in the chrome and bonds with it to produce a hard, smooth surface that extends the useful life to 10,000 hours or more.
“Constant replacement of hard working parts is an ongoing cost factor for anyone using telescopic hoists. It is a particular issue in Australia’s harsh environment where dust, abrasive material, corrosive chemicals and marine or coastal effects restrict the life of even hard chrome,” John explains. “Up until now, hard chrome has been used to prevent corrosion and wear resistance, but we are the only manufacturer to offer a ceramic densified surface treatment.”
The Delta-C treatment eliminates the porosity and micro-cracking that occurs in chrome plating. It not only prevents corrosive materials from debonding the plating and thus attacking the substrate, but the additional hardness provides a major increase in wearability.
According to John, the material has shown no measurable build up on the plating, increases the seal life and tolerates flexing and bending.
It is surprising, however, that John does not patent the new technology. “I don’t patent anything,” he says. “As soon as you do that, you are releasing it to the world.” As a result, John himself is the secret to Delta’s success. And the 107 staff at Delta are well aware of who is the mastermind. Part of John’s people management approach is to keep his skilled workers interested and to challenge them to come up with a better way. He places great importance on retaining skilled personnel, but is totally sanguine about those who may choose to head for high dollars in the mainland mining sectors. “If they want to go, then I say they can move on.”
But, a lot of them actively choose be a part of the striving Delta business. After all, “Delta is years ahead of everybody else in the industry,” says John, who has a very pragmatic approach to developing new technologies. “If something is needed, I dream it up and hand it onto the guys, get it into a form where it can be done and then I tweak it.”
John’s pragmatic approach has led to a $30 million a year specialised hydraulics company. He has also initiated ground-breaking hydraulics for mainland mining operations and stamped his expertise on the hydraulics to be found in the mechanisms and weaponry used in the Royal Australian Navy’s Collins Class submarines.
But, it is his unswerving belief in his own instincts that have guided the company from a repair business – set up in 1975 using A$500 borrowed against his first house and a A$500 loan from his mother-in-law – to a multi-million dollar expert in telescopic hoists, truck hoists and both single and double action telescopic cylinders used in the waste collection industry and bulk materials transport.
Even Tasmania’s remoteness could not stop Delta Hydraulics from becoming a global force in the hydraulics game. In fact, John considers it an advantage. “The major advantage of our product is not only superior quality, but the fact that we are a local business,” he says. “We can guarantee consistency in the service and supply of spare parts, plus the ability to supply special equipment with short lead times.
“The recognition of our product as being Australian made is critical to our success against the mass of imported cylinders in the marketplace. In fact, even a large part of the manufacturing equipment we use is designed and manufactured in house,” he explains. “Our Delhoist cylinders are designed for the best possible performance in Australian conditions. And who else would know how to tackle the harsh Australian environment than an all-Australian business?”
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