MyDealer:
Tony Byrne knows an opportunity when he sees one. It’s what led him to relocate from Ireland to Australia 27 years ago, sensing there was plenty of opportunity in the oil and gas sector down under.
Now, Tony, along with his wife Lana, oversees T&L Byrne Excavations, which started 17 years ago, and its many subsidiaries, which deal mainly in civil construction, bulk earthmoving, roads, utilities, pipeline construction, and pipeline maintenance works, based out of the Sunshine Coast.
He recently added two John Deere E-Series excavators, an E260 and E210, to his fleet of 128 machines, which also includes John Deere loaders and graders.
“I started with one excavator in Australia and made great business contacts and relationships along the way, which helped me to grow and keep adding machines to my fleet,” Tony says.
“I’ve found that one of the biggest expenses in my business can be failed relationships, and I have no complaints since working with RDO Equipment and John Deere.”
In the first three years, Tony grew from one machine to 15. After a few years of finding his feet and building the business, things really started to take off and he realised he couldn’t do everything. “I couldn’t be the owner, operator and mechanic, so had to bring in more people and start to take a real managerial role in the business. That’s when things really started to take off, and we saw success.”
“We rode the waves of the oil and gas boom, then the mining boom, and more recently it’s been roads and rail. We’ve worked with most of the big players across these sectors, and it has helped us grow the business and gain a good reputation for ourselves,” Tony says.
“I couldn’t be more pleased with the E-Series excavators. They’ve got great reach, are fuel efficient, and are easy to manoeuvre. We’ll be putting them right to work on our major roadworks projects. Any excavators under 30 tonnes are perfect for roadworks, as they are easier to transport and move around the site.”
Tony also credits success of the machines to his great working relationship with RDO Equipment and their sales and support team.
“RDO Equipment know my business and are straight to the point with what I need, even if I don’t think I need it, sometimes they know what I need more than I do! It gives you great confidence in the product and the dealer.”
There is plenty of work on the horizon for Tony and his team, and he sees the E-Series excavators as critical for upcoming projects. “The Inland Rail projects that are coming for Queensland, the mid-sized excavators are perfect for that type of work and contractors right across the state. RDO Equipment and their range of construction machinery definitely landed in Australia at the right time, and I’m excited to continue to work with them,” Tony says.
Click here to learn more about RDO Equipment’s range of John Deere E-Series Excavators.
